Northern Territory Writers Festival - part 1
Embittered Alice Springs locals often refer to the "Berrimah Line" which is an imaginary line drawn just south of the Darwin suburb of Berrimah. The word is that anything south of the Berrimah line doesn't exist, and the Territory government won't spend any money on it.
In contrast to this theory I give you the NT Writers Festival, an annual event that runs alternately in Alice Springs and Darwin. This year it's Alice Springs and I almost missed it.
Apart from anything else, it's the only Writer's Festival I've been to that had an area cordoned off due to a snake sighting. Excitement!
I booked in to a couple of sessions at the last minute, and I'm so glad I did.
The first session was on memoir with a Ngaatjatjarra woman, Lizzie Marrkilyly Ellis - Pictures from my Memory, and Renee McBryde author of The House of Lies. Lizzie's book covers her life from childhood with her family at a time of first contact with white men to living in communities, schooling and living life between two cultures. She is now a renowned linguist and translator. She told stories about being part of CSIRO studies on nutrition "they wanted to know how we survived out here" and language, having her tongue painted with charcoal and chocolate so they could detect which part of the mouth particular sounds came from.
Renee McBride's book is very different it's the story of discovering as a child that her father was in jail for murder, and having to keep that secret. (and more!) I'm looking forward to reading it - my family being fairly big on secrets ourselves. It sounds like a book I needed years ago, on moving on and not letting the past define you.
Pop-up bookshop
In contrast to this theory I give you the NT Writers Festival, an annual event that runs alternately in Alice Springs and Darwin. This year it's Alice Springs and I almost missed it.
Apart from anything else, it's the only Writer's Festival I've been to that had an area cordoned off due to a snake sighting. Excitement!
I booked in to a couple of sessions at the last minute, and I'm so glad I did.
The first session was on memoir with a Ngaatjatjarra woman, Lizzie Marrkilyly Ellis - Pictures from my Memory, and Renee McBryde author of The House of Lies. Lizzie's book covers her life from childhood with her family at a time of first contact with white men to living in communities, schooling and living life between two cultures. She is now a renowned linguist and translator. She told stories about being part of CSIRO studies on nutrition "they wanted to know how we survived out here" and language, having her tongue painted with charcoal and chocolate so they could detect which part of the mouth particular sounds came from.
Renee McBride's book is very different it's the story of discovering as a child that her father was in jail for murder, and having to keep that secret. (and more!) I'm looking forward to reading it - my family being fairly big on secrets ourselves. It sounds like a book I needed years ago, on moving on and not letting the past define you.
Pop-up bookshop