writer & thinker
This sold out very quickly so sorry to tease you if you didn’t get tickets, but Liz and I are doing a talk at Chestnut Tree Bookshop in West Footscray tonight!
It’s on reading, researching and writing Melbourne’s West. Liz is bringing a bag of rocks. I am powerless to stop her. See you soon – and if you missed out, we’re doing another event soon at Williamstown Library, so watch this space (hit subscribe!).
Calling all teen writers: I’m hosting an 8-week bootcamp with State Library Victoria on journalism and non-fiction writing later this year. Interested? Come to the online info sesh on 8 Feb 2024 to find out more.
All sessions are free, open to writers across Australia aged 13 to 18.
As well as my bootcamp on journalism and non-fiction, there’s YA fiction with Alison Evans, poetry with Omar Sakr, playwriting with Jessica Bellamy, sci-fi and fantasy with Amie Kaufman, and comics with Ariel Slamet Ries.
Roll up, roll up! It’s a speculative time travel game at Queen Vic Market!
Back after being thwarted by Covid, Worth While is a live roleplay that Mick and I created through the Testing Grounds’ Public Art Park residency next to QVM. We’re running just one session on Saturday 9 December.
We wanted to make something fun and spiky – something that pokes breathing holes in how we think about cost, value and the market, that also has space for different feelings. Softness and silliness and homesickness. The smell of fish and the squish of a persimmon. So somehow we ended up with time travel.
It’s free, fun and possibly the momentary break from this reality you need right now:
Worth While
Saturday 9 December 2023
11 am to 12 pm
Testing Grounds, Queen Victoria Market
Free | book here
Worth While is a live-action time travel game exploring what value really is.
Take on a new identity as a traveller from the year 2100. Go through a time machine to the market in 2023 where you can hunt for bargains and treasures to take home to the future. Then show and tell your fellow travellers what you found so you can pass through customs.
We look backwards to taking you to the past!
On Wednesday night, I’m doing a talk with an excellent bunch of people, hosted by The Parallel Effect as part of Melbourne Conversations. A moment of collective otherworldly imagination between actions. Also it’s free and there’s catering!
I’ve been to a parallel world
Wednesday 8 November 2023
6:00 pm to 7:30 pm
The Wheeler Centre, 167 Little Lonsdale Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
Free – book here
Full event info including accessibility details here
What if you could learn from a person who has been to another world? This event takes the premise at the heart of The Parallel Effect project – that an untold number of universes exist alongside each other – and invites you to gain direct access to some of our reality’s most fascinating thinkers as they describe the histories, structures and systemic workings of the parallel worlds they have visited, in detail.
It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s a speculative time travel roleplaying game at Queen Vic Market!
For the last couple of months I’ve been doing this very cute public art residency with a whole bunch of folks, over at the new Testing Grounds site next to Queen Victoria Market. Basically every Thursday we hear a talk, make lunch together, then chat about art and capitalism and ecology and whatnot while we eat. Then we have a play and test out our ideas on each other. We all arrived with a rough idea of something we wanted to do for Public Art Park, but I think everyone’s work has changed a bit through the process of chopping tomatoes and sipping endless cups of coffee.
I’ve been collaborating with Mick and we wanted to make something fun and spiky – something that pokes breathing holes in how we think about cost, value and the market, that also has space for different feelings. Softness and silliness and homesickness. The smell of fish and the squish of a persimmon. So somehow we ended up with time travel.
Worth While is a live-action time travel game exploring what value really is.
Take on a new identity as a traveller from the year 2100. Go through a time machine to the market in 2023 where you can hunt for bargains and treasures to take home to the future. Then show and tell your fellow travellers what you found so you can pass through customs.
We look backwards to taking you to the past!
We’re running three sessions on Sunday 15 October and you can get your free tickets here.
And check out the full program of Public Art Park ’23 – there’s lots of cool stuff from a slow walking race to cooking workshops.
Super excited to announce that the State Library is supporting The Drop-In, my advice program for emerging writers.
We’re running two sessions online (one with guest cohost Arlie Alizzi, editor at Magabala and one of my fave essayists) and two onsite at SLV. Come along to pick our brains and ask all your burning questions about writing, editing, and getting paid and published!
The Drop-In is open to all, with priority for First Nations, trans/nonbinary/genderfluid and international student writers. Places are limited so register asap.
More info about how The Drop-In works here.
The Drop-In at State Library Victoria
Session 1 (Studio 1, SLV): Saturday 23 September 2023, 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm
Session 2 (Studio 1, SLV): Saturday 23 September 2023, 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm
Session 3 (online): Sunday 24 September 2023, 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm
Session 4 (online): Sunday 24 September 2023, 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm
State Library Victoria, 328 Swanston Street, Melbourne VIC 3000.
Free | Register your interest here
I’m doing a reading of my infamous anti-grant essay at West Space’s Unison Symposium next week, which features a whole heap of artists: Aida Azin, Archie Barry, Torika Bolatagici, Gabi Briggs, Sebastian Henry-Jones, Indra Liusuari, Lisa Radford, Diego Ramirez, Leen Rieth, Iran Sanadzadeh, Chloë Sobek, Aziz Sohail, Salote Tawale, Star Wanyama and me.
Unison Symposium
Saturday 5 August 2023
11 am to 3 pm
Music Market, Collingwood Yards
2/35 Johnston Street, Collingwood VIC 3066
$20/$12/free | book here
Unison, a group exhibition curated by Sebastian Henry-Jones, West Space, Collingwood Yards, 2023. Installation view. Photo: Janelle Low.
I’m presenting a couple of sessions at Willy Lit Fest next weekend: First, an in-conversation with writer and podcaster Louisa Lim (Indelible City) about resistance and heartbreak in Hong Kong, then a panel with academic Matthew Ricketson (Who Needs the ABC?) and broadcaster, comedian and commentator Sami Shah about the role of the ABC and the future of public broadcasting. So come west! You can also catch me at EWF’s Club Critique the day before.
Indelible City
Sunday 17 June 2023
1:30 pm to 2:30 pm
The Chamber, Williamstown Town Hall
104 Ferguson Street, Williamstown, 3016
$20 concession/$22 full/book here
Who Needs the ABC?
Sunday 17 June 2023
3 pm to 4 pm
The Supper Room, Williamstown Town Hall
104 Ferguson Street, Williamstown, 3016
$20 concession/$22 full/book here
And further on criticism, I’m chairing this panel at Emerging Writers’ Festival and the National Writers’ Conference featuring Prithvi Varatharajan, Dan Hogan, Jess Ho and Vyshnavee Wijekumar.
How and why should one write deeply engaged, contemplative, and authentic criticism? From literature to food, music to screen, join these writers as they consider the purpose and scope of criticism, the role criticism plays in the arts, as well as hopes and ambitions for the future of the form.
Club Critique
Saturday 17 June 2023
12:30pm to 1:30 pm AEST
Online via Zoom with closed captioning, Auslan on request
Book here
Also if you’re an arts critic or editor in Australia, you can add yourself to the Critical Mass database I made to help media outlets access a more diverse pool of critics.
I’m running another drop-in advice sesh for emerging writers in February!
Thanks to sponsor The Suburban Review, I have 10 free spots, with priority going to First Nations, POC, trans and disabled writers.
The Drop-In with Jinghua Qian
Sunday 12 February 2023
1 pm to 2 pm AEDT
online via Zoom
free of charge – limited places, register here
more info on The Drop-In
Jinghua Qian 