The South Coast Readers & Writers Festival returns to Thirroul over the weekend of July 5 and 6 with a vibrant lineup of literary talent. The full festival program is now live, featuring local voices, return guests, and internationally bestselling authors.
Join us at the festival for gripping and challenging conversations, tales ancient and new, poetry readings, current affairs, and insights into the business of publishing. Discover new authors and find your next favourite read.
We sat down with one of the festival’s headlining authors Jessie Tu (The Honeyeater) to talk all things writing and reading.
What is your latest writing project?
My next novel, which is about three female filmmakers who meet at AFTRS in 2000. It’s about the challenges of being a female director at that time, and follows their lives for the next 20 years. It was really just an excuse for me to watch all my favourite movies, under the guise of ‘research’!
What are you reading right now?
Katie Kitamura’s latest novel, Audition, which I enjoyed. I am obsessed with her previous two novels, A Separation and Intimacies. Audition is the third instalment in her series of novels about interpretation. It’s about a female actor, and her married life.
What is the book that made you want to be a writer?
I don’t think I can pinpoint just one book. But I know that in my most formative years, I really took to Melina Marchetta’s books. More recently, I found Gabrielle Zevin’s Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow to be absolutely inspiring. I finished it and felt an incredible and immense sense that I wanted to create something. It was a powerful feeling.
What does your writing space look like?
Very minimalist and standard. A room, with bookshelves, a writing table and a chair. That’s it. I haven’t yet put up any art or paintings. That will come, eventually!
What is your writing routine?
I’m very relaxed about writing. People are always telling me I’m disciplined but I don’t think I am! I work at Women’s Agenda in the mornings, as a staff writer and journalist, and then in the afternoons, I work on my novels and book reviews. It’s a good balance. I’m not a morning person. I wish I was. I wish I woke at 5am and worked on my novels, but I’m just not that sort of individual!
The full festival program for the South Coast Readers & Writers Festival is now live at southcoastwriters.org/festival. Early bird tickets are on sale until 9 June.
