Curate Category: Memoir

Some of us are wondering whether we need to better understand how countries descend into violence, authoritarianism and revolution…in case we need to know in our lifetimes. Some of us are remembering the histories that already flow through ourselves, our families and our communities. Join Marika Sosnowski and Nicole Abadee for a discussion about checkpoints and camps spanning 1930s Europe to the modern-day Levant, and from the Syrian resistance against the Assad regime all the way to Australia.

Do you have a favourite stirring speech? Speechwriting comes with great responsibility, and we need words that reveal truth, inspire and offer opportunity for people to move closer together (not further apart) now more than ever! This expert panel of writers from the U.S and Australia Stephen Fishbach, Lucinda Holdforth and Joshua Black will share their experiences across policy, business and community campaign speechwriting – the heart soaring highs and difficult lessons learnt!

Chef Josh Niland grew up in East Maitland and, due to a childhood illness, spent many weeks at home watching daytime TV cooking shows and reading cookbooks. He entered the world of restaurants, never looked back and is now an international award-winning chef, restaurateur and author. Join Josh Niland and Amanda Whitley for a conversation about how as a young kid Josh followed his curiosity and instincts all the way to becoming a global superstar – ‘the fish butcher’ – revolutionising how we cook, transport, age and store fish. What does it really take to follow your dreams, respect ingredients and achieve brilliance on the plate?

In partnership with HerCanberra.

Dan Bourchier has been on a journey to listen and learn from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders from across Australia. Join Dan Bourchier, Ian Hamm and Dana Morse as they reflect and honour Elders’ stories. This will be a special conversation of truth-telling and celebration of First Nations’ knowledge and leadership.

Susan Orlean is a master at finding the heart of the story. This is a rare event with one of the great non-fiction writers of our time. Susan joins Nicole Abadee to reflect on a bygone era of U.S journalism, a career of working along icons and film stars, and the joy she’s always found in discovering the fascinating stories of everyday people. With her most personal writing to date, she will reveal more of her own story than ever before.

Migration stories of people leaving their homelands can be some of the most moving you’ll ever read – and this is the case for the books written by Durkhanai Ayubi, Majeda Awawdeh and Yirga Gelaw Woldeyes. Fleeing oppression, reclaiming identity and finding new forms of belonging – these are challenges that go to the heart of the human story. Our panel will share their stories with Genevieve Jacobs.

In partnership with Migrant and Refugee Settlement Services Canberra.

Edith Wright of the Bardi Jawi people grew up listening to stories about her great-grandfathers, two white men from Europe who changed the face of the Kimberley forever. Using eyewitness accounts and archival records, Edith shares rare insights into the cosmopolitan hub of Broome during the heyday of the pearling and boat-building industries, its bombing during World War II and the rapid development of the infrastructure of the north from the perspective of a descendant carrying a complex legacy. Join Edith in conversation with Barrina South about the challenging history of her family and the broader truths it reveals about colonisation and its effects on First Nations people across the Kimberley.

This is a rare chance to hear about the remarkable life of Captain Reg Saunders, Australia’s first Indigenous commissioned officer, from his nephew James Saunders and eldest daughter Aunty Glenda Humes. In 1940, a 19-year-old Reg Saunders walked into an enlistment office in Victoria. It was the beginning of an extraordinary journey that took Reg across three continents and two wars – WW2 and Korea. They will join Craig Cormick in a conversation that not only spans Reg’s military career but also speaks of his family and people – the Gunditjmara of Western Victoria – and the power of his legacy.

Do you love brilliant biographies? Come hear acclaimed biographers Patricia O’Brien, Raelene Frances and Bruce Scates tell all with Michelle Staff. What drives their passion for revealing the human stories behind public figures? What happens when a reinterpretation of a life is required? What does it take to navigate the startles and scandals?

In partnership with the National Centre of Biography, Australian National University