Get your calendar ready…
Last month, I attended a literary cage fight hosted by Sophie Hamley at Shearer’s Bookshop in Leichhardt called “When Genres Attack!”. It was an inspiring evening of intellectual and insightful debate that prompted me to ask my readers whether genre should actually mean something to them or not. Should authors keep the conventions of certain genres in mind when they write, or should they write the stories they love and simply hope they sell? If good stories are all that matter, why is it that when readers recommend books to each other they inevitably ask what ‘type’ of book it is? Review my post discussing the issues here and don’t forget to check the comments section for pearls of wisdom from editors, writers and publishing industry professionals alike.
Call Shearer's on 02 9572 7766 to book your ticket!
Now, a lot of writers and tweeps I know couldn’t make it to “When Genres Attack!”, which is why I wrote my post, and why I’m also now writing this one. You see, there’s going to be a re-match!
“When Genres Attack 2” will be taking place at Shearer’s Bookshop in Leichhardt on Wednesday 13th July, at 7.30pm. Sophie Hamley (Literary Agent, Cameron Creswell Agency) will again be chairing the debate, but this time P M Newton (“The Old School”) and Kirsten Tranter (“The Legacy”) will be joined by Mardi McConnochie (“The Voyagers”) and Georgia Blain (“Too Close To Home”).
Genre is a hot topic, as tweeps saw during the 2011 Emerging Writers’ Festival TwitterFest on genre last week (“Can Genre Fiction Be Literary”, hosted by Alan Baxter). The views and interpretations came so thick and fast it was hard to keep up on #ewf11… So don’t leave booking your ticket to July’s literary cage fight until the last minute – four passionate and talented local writers will be there to inspire you. And I can vouch for the wine!
