#MWF14 GREAT JOURNEYS: LONDON TO CHINA BY BIKE with Emma Ayres

This post was written by Carol from Hawthorn Library.

Emma Ayres is a well-known radio presenter on ABC Classic FM.  Her book Cadence is about her epic solo journey from England to Hong Kong on her trusty bicycle Vita.  She also took along a small violin which she played to many people along the route.  We were lucky enough to have this talk punctuated with her viola playing, a clever way to illustrate her musical career, the importance of music in her life and moments that coloured her trip.

Growing up in England, she came from a family with very limited means so found riding a bike the best way to get around.  By 11 years old she was able to manage 40kms without trouble.  Despite this early experience, she was unfit when she embarked upon her project; there were vivid descriptions of physical pain and discomfort in early stages of her travels.

Why did she choose UK to Hong Kong?  She was familiar with Hong Kong having worked as a ‘rank and file’ member of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra for several years.  She also used the ride to raise funds for a music therapy charity there.

She had the audience laughing loudly with her explanation of incidents and impressions along the way.  She thought there was ‘nothing remarkable’ about riding through Europe but the trip stepped up a notch in Iran which presented different problems;  nevertheless, she remembers it as fun.  Pakistan was much more difficult; she said it was a turning point in her life where she overcame considerable fear and survived scary encounters with police.

Finishing this project gave Emma immense satisfaction but also a sense of loss.  It was an ‘ending’ and she was worried she would ‘fall over’.  It took some time to get back into ordinary life.

The opportunity to work in radio (which she took to immediately) has given her a rewarding career and is something she clearly loves.

There was a hint of a new long bicycle adventure in Australia which will also highlight the serious need to support music education.

The idea of freedom is very important to her and she believes there is freedom in riding in the countryside and freedom ‘inwards’ through music.

Emma Ayres has a sharp mind, a wonderful wit and is very entertaining. She is generous, hilarious, warm.  She took us on an uplifting, unusual and challenging journey;  a journey that also gave a glimpse into a very interesting life.

Read:  Cadence by Emma Ayres

Publisher’s note:  In her provocative, intelligent, surprising and funny memoir, Emma cycles her way from England to Hong Kong with a violin she calls Aurelia strapped to her back. But it is also a journey through the keys, and the music that inspired, shaped and provided refuge for Emma throughout her travels with music.

#MWF14 Human Rights at the Melbourne Writers' Festival

This post was written by Trish from Kew Library.

 Human Rights Commissioner, Tim Wilson spoke on Human Rights in Australia. The session was guided by Michael Gordon.

Tim gave a brief outline of what he saw as human rights (universal rights), as opposed to civil rights (gifts of society).

After his brief introduction Tim took questions from the audience and used these to guide the remainder of his talk.

There were several great questions on the issues of disability; indigenous issues (including some discussion of hte Northern Territory intervention); freedom of speech (including the debate on Section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act) and there were several questions relating to Australia's treatment of refugees.

Tim was happy to speak on all of these topics even though some were not included in his portfolio.

It was a fascinating and informative session.  Tim co-edited Turning left or right : values in modern politics.   

#MWF14 Lauren Beukes talks with Terry Hayes and Angela Savage.

This post was written by Trish from Kew Library.

This was a lively session with Lauren Beukes in discussion with Terry Hayes. The session was ably moderated by Angela Savage, herself a well established author of crime fiction. All were very entertaining speakers who had an easy rapport with the audience.  Lauren Beukes is a novelist, scriptwriter, comics writer, TV writer and and a former journalist. Her work under discussion was ‘Broken monsters’- a supernatural thriller.

Terry Hayes is also a former journalist and a successful screenwriter, having written the screenplays for Mad Max 2, Dead Calm, Bangkok Hilton and many more. Under discussion was his first novel ‘I am Pilgrim’. 

There was much discussion on what was necessary to make the perfect thriller. Lauren felt that it was necessary to subvert the pleasant and Terry discussed the differences between suspense and surprise.  Since both these authors have worked on screenplays they also talked about the differences between writing for a screen audience and for a reader.

Neither author used the traditional “who dunnit” format. Terry because he wanted more than one great moment/reveal in his novel and Lauren because she likes to sustain the reader’s interest by making us wonder how the heroine will survive all the hurdles that are put in her way. Also she likes using the supernatural, which allows her to play with big themes in an interesting way.

The audience were engaged and had many questions for the panel.  A thoroughly entertaining and informative session. 

#MWF14 Ruper Thomson and Ben Watt on Family.

Rupert Thomson This party’s got to stop & Ben Watts Romany and Tom talked with Sian Prior about family and most particularly about parents, the part they play in all our lives whether they are present or absent and the enormous and brutal impact that their deaths can have. Rupert Thomson’s father was an invalid after the war and spent 10 years in hospital. His mother was a nurse and they met while his father was in hospital. Although he always imagined his father would die first it was Rupert’s mother who died unexpectedly at the age of 33 while playing tennis. He was 8 years old and forever altered by this.

Ben Watts tells the story of his mother and father’s tumultuous meeting in 1957 and their subsequent marriage, both were divorced and Ben’s mother already had triplets from her first marriage. They fell deeply in love finding a passion neither of them had in their first marriages. Over the years the differences in their backgrounds and careers started to affect their relationship and when they were in their early seventies Ben set about trying to help them find each other again. 

Sian Prior will speak at Camberwell Library on the 8 October at 7pm. Click here for more details. 
 

#MWF14 Mothers Grimm

This post was written by Lisa from Kew Library. 

This session with Cassandra Golds and Danielle Wood looked at the power and role of fairytales and how they tell us about love but also reveal the dark side of life - hatred, jealousy, poverty and betrayal thus using the language of fairytales to talk about the profound. Cassandra's latest book Pureheart is about what it means to love and is inspired by Rapunzel and the Arthurian legends. Danielle's latest is Mothers Grimm in which she refashions four traditional tales and transforms them into black comedies in the present.

 

#MWF14 Nick Earls

Nick is a prolific Australian writer having produced around 19 books across a wide range of genres and age ranges. I first read his work when I was a Youth Services librarian trying to read teen fiction. It was After January and it made me see that teen fiction wasn't just for teens, I loved it.

His latest is an adult book Analogue men which has been described as the existential crisis of a man approaching fifty. It encompasses some of the big themes of family, middle age, technology and of course running {Nick runs daily}. Andrew Van Fleet is downscaling his career by taking a job managing a struggling Brisbane radio station in an effort to reconnect with his family: his wife Robyn a busy GP, his two teenagers and his father who is grappling with a serious illness. Nick is a warm and engaging speaker with some great one-liners and Analogue men is a humorous and tender book which reminds me quite a bit of a recent favourite The Full ridiculous by Australian author Mark Lamprell.

Check out Nick Earls' books here.