CWF Partners Big River Distilling Co, Paperchain Bookstore and MARION welcome guest author and CWF Artistic Director Andra Putnis. Her memoir Stories My Grandmothers Didn’t Tell Me reveals the incredible tales of how her two Latvian grandmothers lived through the terror of the Second World War and survived to immigrate to Australia.  Against the backdrop of our current uncertain world, this is a book that reminds us of why we need the stories of our grandmothers to understand the past and its impact on the present.  

This memoir has been described by Biff Ward, much-loved Canberra author and activist, as ‘Deeply moving, brilliantly crafted and powerfully written, this memoir is an object lesson in how ordinary lives are rendered extraordinary by curiosity, persistence and love. It gave me knowledge, joy and tears.’ Peter Greste, award-winning journalist, author and Professor of Journalism at Macquarie University, described it as 'An elegant, absorbing story of ordinary people thrown into extraordinary crisis, and how they draw on their reserves of love, strength and resilience to survive.'

The conversation will explore how Andra plucked up the courage to delve into her grandmothers' hidden stories and her fascination with how personal family tales intersect with major global upheavals.