The lazy long weekend may be behind us, but there’s plenty more to look forward to in the next month! We’re here to point you to the most exciting author talks, plays and other literary events happening around our city in April.
1 April – Author Talk: Martin McKenzie-Murray
Martin McKenzie-Murray is in conversation with Stan Grant at Gleebooks. McKenzie-Murray’s debut book A Murder Without Motive: the killing of Rebecca Ryle is is a police procedural, a meditation on suffering, and an exploration of how the different parts of the justice system make sense of the senseless. It is also a unique memoir: a mapping of the suburbs that the author grew up in, and a revelation of the dangerous underbelly of adolescent ennui. Arrive 6pm for a 6:30pm start. Tickets $12/$9, free for Gleeclub members.
2 April – 7 May – Griffin Theatre Company presents Replay
‘What if you could replay the past, and change it?’ Griffin Theatre Company is delighted to bring the world premiere of Phillip Kavanagh’s Replay to the stage next month. This production is a beautiful meditation on the fluidity of life, childhood nostalgia and the fallibility of collective memory. It reminds audiences that moments of chance, lost or taken, can determine our destiny. Tickets range from $35-$55.
4 April – Story Club
This month’s Story Club features stories of home and homesickness, of abodes, dwellings, pads, digs and domeciles. Featuring Patrick Lenton, Kate Mulvany, Jonathan Holmes, Kirsten Drysdale and Zoe Norton Lodge. Entry from 7pm for an 8pm start. Tickets $25 each.
5 April – Book Launch: Lynnette Lounsbury
Join Charles Firth as he launches We Ate the Road like Vultures, a new novel by Lynette Lounsbury. If you’re in the mood for madness and mayhem, this book satisfies like chocolate cake with more than a touch of chilli! Join the fun at Berkelow Books in Paddington on Tuesday 5 April, from 6:30pm for a 7pm start.
5 April – Author Talk: Jane Eales
At nineteen years old, Jane Eales was told she was adopted and forbidden to search for her biological family. Decades later, circumstances force Jane to find her true identity, leading to the stunning discovery that her birth mother had been a British spy. With her half-brother Paul’s help, Jane began to uncover the mysteries of their mother’s past, along with details of her daring wartime missions. Join Jane as she talks about her book Secrets, Spies and Spotted Dogs. Free event.
7 April – The ‘Gay’ Book
Benjamin Law and Will Kostakis both write about and for gay teens – Ben in Gaysia and his memoir The Family Law (recently adapted for SBS), and Will in his novels The First Third and The Sidekicks. Appearing in conversation at Kinokuniya, the pair will discuss the pleasures and pressures of writing ‘the “gay” book’, and reflect on the importance of representing diverse sexualities. Tickets free but must RSVP.
19 April – The Sydney Moth StorySlam
Jokers: Prepare a five-minute story about comic exploits. Class clowns and practical jokers. The humorless and silly. Punch lines and laugh tracks, bombing on stage or slaying them at the water cooler. How many storytellers does it take to screw in a light bulb…? Doors open 7pm for a 7:30pm start, at Giant Dwarf Redfern. Tickets available one week prior to show.
20 April – Author Talk: Robert Eales
NSW Writers’ Centre member Robert Eales will give a talk on his book The Compassionate Englishwoman at Mona Vale Library’s monthly Literary Lunch. From 12:00-1:30pm, with a light lunch included. Tickets $8/$6, bookings essential.
21 April – Talking Writing: Lebanon
Join us at the NSW Writers’ Centre for an evening of discussion about Lebanon, as we delve into its influence as a place and a culture. We’ll explore what it’s like to visit a place so inextricable from your identity for the first time, as well as what it’s like to fictionalise your heritage from afar. Writer and human rights/refugee advocate Sara Saleh will be in conversation with novelist Leila Yusaf Chung, SWEATSHOP director and author Michael Mohammed Ahmad; and editor and personal essayist Sheree Joseph. From 6:30-8:00pm, with wine and nibbles to begin. Free for NSWWC members (and can bring a friend), $10 for non-members. RSVP by emailing or book online, and check out our website for more information.
27 April – The Best of the Bard
This month the world celebrates 400 years of Shakespeare, the best-loved poet and playwright in the English language, coinciding with the 400th anniversary of his death. Come along to this special reading celebrating Shakespeare’s creative achievement and his profound influence on our culture across the centuries. The Poetry at SMSA group will share their favourite selections from his Comedies, Tragedies, Histories and, of course, his Sonnets. From 12:30-1:30pm at the Tom Keneally Centre, free but bookings essential.
30 April – High Tea with Alexandra Joel
Alexandra Joel, social historian and editor, delves deep into the life of her great-grandmother in her latest non-fiction work Rosetta. Join Alexandra in conversation over a high tea of sweets, scones, sandwiches and champagne. Upstairs at Better Read Than Dead Newtown, from 3pm. Tickets are $15.
30 April – Script Club
Griffin is excited to announce the inaugural Script Club led by John McCallum, Theatre Critic for The Australian and Senior Lecturer in Theatre at UNSW. You will read the script in advance then join John and your fellow clubbers in the SBW Stables foyer for afternoon tea. This is an open discussion, not a lecture – bring your own opinions! Tickets $20 per meeting, or $60 for all four. Be quick, as each meeting has a maximum capacity of 20 people.