Fest Gets Lucky
The Age
Saturday April 17, 1999
THE MELBOURNE, Perth or Sydney writers' festivals would be thrilled to have them as guests but the City of Boroondara has won the quinella of Les Murray and Helen Garner as the main guests at LitFest 99, which begins on 30 April.
The festival, which has grown out of the Hawthorn Literature Festival, is in its ninth year and its director, Ken Smeaton, is tickled pink to have two of Australia's great writers as its principal guests.
``Here we are on the lip of a new millennium and we have two people who are well placed to look at where we are, where we've come from and where we're going," he said.
His aim is to provide readers, whom he calls the ``wheels of the bicycle" of literature, with literature, education and entertainment during the eight-day festival.
Murray will give the keynote address on the opening night and will be joined by novelist, critic, short-story writer and Boroondara resident Carmel Bird.
Other prominent guests will include novelist Marion Halligan, poet and playwright Jack Hibberd, poets Dorothy Porter, Chris Wallace-Crabbe, Jordie Albiston and Judith Rodriguez, and novelist, poet and playwright Barry Dickins.
Events vary from a poetry masterclass with Murray, a three-way discussion of the advances made by women between Garner, Bird and Halligan, plus a consideration of the growing appeal of women's erotica featuring Peta Spear, the author of Sex Crimes.
There are youth days, writing workshops, book launches, poetry soire{AAC}es, readings and a focus on travel writing.
Smeaton is particularly excited by a $20,000 sponsorship by Balwyn Rotary of a new national literary award that will offer a $2000 first prize for a 2000-word story and other prizes for poetry and prose.
For further information on the Boroondara LitFest 99, telephone 92784782.
© 1999 The Age