Writing On Our Calendar / November


This month is PACKED with literary goodies: NAIDOC Week, Australia Reads, a bunch of festivals, and *fingers crossed* a few in-person events in COVID-safe settings. But don’t worry! There’s still plenty of streamed options for those of us not ready to brave the crowds just yet.


NAIDOC Week activities

Check out these literary events celebrating NAIDOC week 2020: Always Was, Always Will Be

Image credit: The UNSW Indigenous Law Centre

Thursday 5 November: UNSW Indigenous Law Centre continues its Uluru Dialogue Seminar series with Seminar 3 – Truth. providing insight into what the process of truth-telling meant for the First Nations authority that participated in the dialogues and why it was considered to be important.  The seminar will also answer the question as to why truth-telling might be achieved through a Truth Commission. 

Monday 9 November: First Nations Storytellers in Conversation at Better Read than Dead is an online event with celebrated storytellers Claire G. Coleman, Nardi Simpson and Jeanine Leane in conversation with Daniel Browning. Register for this free event here.

Monday 9 November: You are invited to join Aunty Rita Fisher and Aunty Anni Cockburn at Casey Cardinia Library for a literary treat of poetry and prose, and a lively Q&A session from 10:30am via zoom. Register for this free event here.

Monday 9 November: The 2020 Fryer Lecture in Australian Literature marks the centenary of the birth of the great Aboriginal poet, activist, and educator, Oodgeroo Noonuccal (1920-1993). In considering the question, In times like these, what would Oodgeroo do? Alexis Wright will consider the guidance that she herself would offer future writers – in times like these. RSVP to this online event here.

Friday 13 November: The Mark & Evette Moran Nib Literary Award present this online event Australian Indigenous Voices in Literature featuring Tony Birch, Julie Janson and Evelyn Araluen discussing the strength of Indigenous resistance, the devastating legacies of colonialism and the importance of reclaiming an indigenous voice in literature, while reflecting on their most recent works and journey to publication. Book here.

Friday 13 November: Gather the family for this special zoom story time with Wamba Elder Aunty Fay Muir, as she shares stories around the theme of family. Register for this free event here.

Sunday 15 November: CBCA NSW Branch and Magabala presents this online resource celebrating outstanding Indigenous Australian creatives. Update your knowledge of current Indigenous texts and how best to share them with your students. This resource is available online from now until 15 November. Member/Non-member prices vary, see here to book.

Thursday 29 October – Sunday 8 November: Ubud Readers and Writers Festival has transformed into Kembali 2020: A Rebuild Bali Festival – a digital festival combining storytelling and culinary culture. See the full program here.

Image credit: Heroines Festival

Sunday 1 – Thursday 15 November: The Heroines Festival Book Month continues into November with a series of online conversations, discussions and workshops. See the program here.

Sunday 1 – Thursday 12 November: Australia Reads will be holding a series of events and workshops over two weeks, culminating in the main event; Australian Reading Hour. See how you can participate here.

Monday 2 November: CBCA Professional Development Conference is available online from Monday, providing teachers, teacher-librarians, librarians and the general public with up-to-date knowledge and industry insights for promoting literature and literacy within the NSW Education Curriculum. See more information and booking here.

Image Credit: SCWC

Monday 2 – Monday 30 November: Join writers across the globe for National Novel Writing Month! South Coast Writers Centre will be hosting online lunchtime ‘write-ins’ across Mondays for NaNoWriMo, register here.

Thursday 5 November: The Wheeler Centre presents this online conversation with scientist, writer and conservationist Tim Flannery on the launch of his new book, The Climate Cure. Pay what you feel for this event here.

Thursday 5 November: Avid Reader and The Conversation present 2020: The Year That Changed Us, a discussion on the collection of essays by some of Australia and New Zealand’s leading contributors. Tickets $5.

Friday 6 – Saturday 14 November: Word Travels presents Story Week 2020 as an online smörgåsbord of poetry slams, panel talks and chances to share stories across Australia. See program and tickets here.

Saturday 7 – Sunday 8 November: BAD Sydney Crime Writers Festival will be presenting their second program of the year in-person at the State Library of NSW, as well as streaming online. Get tickets here.

Image credit: The Wheeler Centre

Tuesday 10 November: The Wheeler Centre is partnering with Malthouse Theatre to present the online launch of an exciting new adaptation of Christos Tsiolkas’ iconic Loaded, this time an immersive audio experience that allows you to walk the streets as you listen to the performance. Pay what you feel for this event here.

Thursday 12 November: Mykaela Saunders, Claire Cao and Naima Ibrahim will be chatting with Peter Polites in this event to celebrate emerging and established Indigenous writers and writers of colour featured in Collisions – Fictions of the Future. Register for this free event here.

Thursday 12 November: The Other Film Festival and the Wheeler Centre partner to present this online panel discussion featuring COVID-19 smash hit Retrograde creators on disability, storytelling and inclusion on screen. Register for this free event here.

Friday 13 November: In this Avid Reader online event, Emma Kate Lewis is in-conversation with Durkhanai Ayubi discussing Parwana: Recipes and Stories from an Afghan Kitchen. Interwoven with traditional Afghan recipes is one family’s story of a region long afflicted by war, but with much more at its heart. Tickets $5, book here.

Saturday 14 November: The 2020 Feminist Writers Festival will be presented online over a day, and feature two programming streams of streamed conversations and free podcasts. See sessions and pricing here.

Tuesday 17 November: Byron Writers Festival and Zacharey Jane will be chatting to Trent Dalton *LIVE* at the Byron Theatre in a COVID-safe set-up. You can stream the event as well, tickets and information here.

Tuesday 17 November: The Wheeler Centre State of the (Writing) Nation is an annual address from a prominent Australian writer, this year featuring Maria Tumarkin. It’s a chance to reflect on what’s happening, and where we’re heading, in Australian literature and publishing. Pay as you feel for this online event here.

Image Credit: Word for Word Festival

Friday 20 – Sunday 22 November: Word for Word, Australia’s only literary festival dedicated to non-fiction, will be presenting it’s 2020 program online. See all events and prices here.

Tuesday 24 November: The ASA will be hosting the Colin Simpson Memorial Lecture 2020, this year presented by Tony Birch on the theme ‘The Power of Words and Writing’. The lecture will be streamed online, more details here.

Wednesday 25 November: Join Richard Fidler in conversation with Michaela Kalowski on his new book The Golden Maze : A Biography of Prague. Register for this free Waverley Library event here.

Thursday 26 – Friday 27 November: SPN’s 2020 Independent Publishing Conference will be held entirely online, see the full program here.

Friday 27 – Sunday 29 November: Wollongong Writers Festival will be holding their 2020 program online, announcing the line-up October 29. Stay updated here.

Sunday 29 November: Sydney Opera House presents Antidote Festival, a day of ideas, action and change. The event will be held in-person – see here for the program and COVID-safe information.

Monday 30 November: Join Cass Moriarty and Krissy Kneen with prolific author, academic and advocate Anita Heiss, for The Brisbane Literary Mafia Zoomcast – a regular literary catch up to discuss issues affecting writers and readers in Australia today.

More from Writing NSW

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