Once upon a time in Thirroul

Right from the first fireside chats, people have come together to share stories in midwinter, and no advances in artificial intelligence will change that in Thirroul. 

Real-life connection is the major drawcard at the South Coast Readers and Writers Festival, five local authors told the Illawarra Flame ahead of July’s gathering at Thirroul Community Centre. 

“It’s the best,” says Helensburgh author Pamela Cook. “Just being in a place where everybody is there for the stories and for the connection that those stories bring – there’s nothing like it.”

Pamela writes contemporary women’s fiction, specialising in page-turners about “longing and belonging”, most recently Cross My Heart.

She will appear in a panel titled ‘From Pen to Published’ on Saturday, 25 July, with Farmborough Heights writer Courtney Peppernell. 

“Our panel is about writing about grief and loss, and also about our publishing journeys, so that’ll be really interesting,” says Pamela.

Like Pamela, Courtney’s path to publishing took a non-traditional route. She’s the poet behind the global hit series Pillow Thoughts and this year released her debut novel The Last Poem, about an author who joins a grief group run by a librarian who uses poetry as a tool for healing. 

Courtney is eager to meet people who share a love of the same stories and books. “When you gather to connect and talk about these stories, you find common ground with others and it can make you feel less alone in the world,” she says.

“Often when faced with any inner doubt about my own writing, I stop and consider who out there is currently reading a book or listening to a story that brings them comfort in some way.”

Facilitating Pamela and Courtney’s discussion will be novelist Meredith Jaffe, whose latest book is The Importance of Being Delia, about women ready to reclaim their own identity after a lifetime of sacrifice on the altar of love. 

Meredith will talk about her work at Sunday, July 26’s ‘Journeys Through Publishing’ panel with Claire Zorn, who is known for her picture books and young adult novels, such as The Protected, winner of the 2015 Prime Minister’s Literary Award for Young Adult Fiction. Claire will be presenting her first book for adults – Better Days, “a story of love, chaos and the music in-between”. 

“Writing can be a very isolating activity,” Claire says, “you live in this fictional world that no one else can access, with imaginary people, until the book is released and then it goes out into the world and often you don’t get a lot back. 

“To actually meet and talk to readers is a good reminder of why we do it in the first place.”

Meredith agrees, saying the chance to catch up face to face with readers and fellow writers is a highlight. “Because we live in little burrows, right, where we’re just in our tracky-dacks, tapping away, and so to actually glad-rag up and see each other again is actually a really big drawcard.”

Unity through shared stories 

In the splintered world of modern culture, journalist Dr Erin O’Dwyer loves the idea of gathering to discuss shared stories.

“We used to say, ‘What did you watch on TV last night?’, and we all watched the same thing. That doesn’t happen anymore. 

“We’re all watching screen content out of sync, for the most part, we’re listening to audio out of sync for the most part, and so those water cooler conversations that we used to have about stories that we were consuming are not happening. 

“So I’m looking forward to a festival that actually brings us together specifically with that intention – to discuss story, to talk about what we’ve been listening to, reading, watching, seeing, and to tease out some of those great things, and to connect in a very deliberate way.”

Erin, the winner of an Australian UN Media Peace Award, is a writing coach who helps people ghostwrite novels. These include Blake Johnston’s Swellbeing and Accessory, Felicia Djamirze’s true story about being a former Miss Australia, convicted drug trafficker and gangland girlfriend.

Don’t miss Erin and Felicia in conversation with the ABC’s Nick Rheinberger on Saturday, 25 July.

Creativity in the age of AI

Festival director Dr Sarah Nicholson says readers consistently praise the annual event’s intimacy and energy, with one attendee saying: “I found an arts community that was passionate, engaged, engaging – and I just loved being there.”

Yet amid the warmth of a writers festival, creatives will also be confronting the cold reality of AI, a potential threat to everything from the act of creation to ownership and copyright of it.

For Meredith Jaffe, who also directs South Coast literary event StoryFest, there is reason for optimism. “I’m not in the camp that think it’s all doom and gloom about AI,” she says. 

“I think AI does have a place, and I think that place is to be my admin assistant or my virtual organiser. Its place is not to creatively write a damn thing, because it can’t. So I think if you put it in its box and pat its head, AI is amazing. 

“It’s certainly been really useful, for instance, in putting together a publicity tour. In terms of the logistics, it’s great at that. It saves me hours…  

“I don’t really think that the kind of people that read books are all that troubled by AI either, because what they’re looking for is story. 

“People go to story – they want to escape from their reality and read a story. They will tend to go back to their favourite authors and their favourite books and their favourite series. They just love meeting authors, getting their book signed and they love having a chat. AI can’t do that.”

Claire Zorn agrees. “Storytelling is the ultimate act of creativity in the way it can make whole worlds out of nothing. Essentially, storytelling is about connection; which is surely the most fundamental of human needs, our need to understand each other and be understood.”

The festival is at Thirroul Community Centre, July 24-26. Find the full program at the SCWC website.