By LAUREN ROSENBERG
Melbourne Writers Festival is in full swing, with 350 of events over the 10 days of the event.
With the theme of A Matter of Life and Death, the festival's artistic director Marieke Hardy set up emotional and challenging conversation with festival-goers.
There's also plenty of fun to be had. Here are some suggestions that might suit students and those on a budget.
How to: write a short story
This workshop is apart of the “Ideas Hospital” mini-series and Cate Kennedy is the creative “doctor”. In it, you will learn about the anatomy and innards of a short story.
Kennedy is a book-doctor professional. Her novel, The World Beneath, won the People’s Choice Award in the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards in 2010. Joining Kennedy is theatre-maker Sabrina D’Angelo.
Ideas Hospital: Anatomy of a Short Story is at ACMI on September 1 at 1pm. It’s free and may kickstart your journey to becoming the next JK Rowling – so what are you waiting for?
Experience Nevermind by Nirvana a little differently
This event is more expensive, $27 for concession holders, but it will certainly be a night to remember. Join writers, live performers, comedians, spoken word artists and a food critic as they interpret Nirvana’s iconic album Nevermind.
Most people have heard a song or two off Nirvana’s famous Smells Like Teen Spirit album (the one with the floating baby on the cover), but I doubt many people have heard any of their songs adapted by Matt Preston or Andy Griffiths.
Also included in the line-up is comedian Chris Fleming, spoken-word artist Sista Zai Zanda and poet Emilie Zoey Baker.
Linear Notes Live: Nevermind is at the Thornbury Theatre on August 30 at 7pm. Go along for a night full of laughs, sing-a-longs and joy.
Free self-care
“Radical Self-Care” sounds like the best form of caring for yourself. Although self-care is becoming an increasingly popular technique, it’s also quite difficult to actually incorporate it into your daily routine.
There are places to be, work to finish, food to cook, people to see and groceries to be bought, so who has time for themselves?
In this session, four tireless and brave activists – Tarang Chawla, Nic Holas, Tarneen Onus-Williams and Queenie Bon Bon – share what kind of support and self-care routines they use when times get tough.
The event is free and is on August 31 at 2.30pm at ACMI The Cube.
#Tbt to your childhood
A defining movie of my childhood was Matilda. Matilda was a BOSS. She was extremely sneaky, incredibly smart and super cute while she was at it. Mara Wilson, the actor who played our fave telekinetic six-year-old, is in Melbourne for the festival.
In 2016, Wilson published her memoir Where Am I Now?: True Stories of Girlhood and Accidental Fame.
She will be discussing her book at Cheltenham Library with Nadia Bailey on Sunday September 2 at 3pm. The event is free, and who could resist going to meet the woman who defeated Ms Trunchbull?
The Melbourne Writers Festival runs from August 24 to September 2. For more information, queries or comments, visit their website, or pick up a hard copy of the program.