University supports some of Australia's best writers and thinkers

Retiring former cabinet minister Simon Crean will share his insights into federal Labor’s leadership tensions during a keynote address in the Southern Cross University Marquee at the Byron Bay Writers’ Festival on Friday 2 August.

Southern Cross University is a longtime supporter of the Byron Bay Writers’ Festival, which runs from 2 to 4 August. The SCU Marquee will feature a lively and eclectic mix of conversations and panels.

Simon Crean’s keynote address, ‘Cleaning up the spill’, is on Friday 2 August at 11.30am. He will be in conversation with Kerry O’Brien, respected journalist and host of the ABC current affairs program, 4 Corners. Earlier this year Mr Crean, as Minister for the Arts, delivered Creative Australia, the first national cultural policy in two decades.

Several of the University’s higher degree students and graduates will also share and discuss their published works in sessions across the weekend. And again, as in previous years, the Festival will provide a platform for health and arts students to gain valuable work placement experience.

Martin Chatterton is two people: Martin, the surreally comic children’s author and illustrator, and alter-ego Ed who writes hard-boiled adult crime fiction. Martin is using his doctoral research in the University’s School of Arts and Social Sciences to develop his latest work, The Last Slave Ship, a novel exploring the final slaving voyage that departed from his home town of Liverpool two centuries ago with a narrative of contemporary civil unrest and race-hate crime.

• ‘Blue of white collar: does class determine crime?’: New Philosopher Marquee, 12pm Saturday 3 August (session 55)
• ‘Chick lit, mass market: am I literary enough for you?’: New Philosopher Marquee, 4pm Saturday 3 August (session 58)
• ‘Don’t fence me in: writers crossing genres’: Macquarie Marquee, 10.30am Sunday 4 August (session 78)
• 'Meet Martin Chatterton’: Youth Day in the New Philosopher Marquee, 1.15pm Sunday 4 August (session 89)

Zacharey Jane is the author of the acclaimed novel The Lifeboat and the children’s picture book Tobias Blow. Zacharey, an Arts/Education student, will be chairing the following panel discussions:

• ‘Pivotal point: and now, I’m a writer’: Blue Marquee, 4.15pm Saturday 3 August (session 65)
• ‘Performance anxiety: putting it out there’, Macquarie Marquee, 11.45am Sunday 4 August (session 79)

Hanabeth Luke is a doctoral candidate and lecturer in the University’s School of Environment, Science and Engineering. Hanabeth self-published the memoir, Shockwaves: Finding peace after the Bali bomb last year on the 10th anniversary of the 2002 terrorist bombings in Bali. Shockwaves reveals her struggles with grief and post-traumatic stress disorder after surviving the attack and how she got her life back on track.

• ‘Start me up: getting the book out of me’: New Philosopher Marquee, 9.15am Friday 2 August (session 19)
• ‘Mermen and waterbabies: the siren call of the surf’: Blue Marquee, 1.45pm Friday 2 August (session 28)

Dr Lynda Hawryluk is a senior lecturer in creative writing at Southern Cross University and course coordinator of the Associate Degree of Creative Writing. She is also deputy chair of the Australasian Association of Writing Programs, the author of a book of poetry and has been published in a variety of academic and creative publications.

• ‘Nuts and Bolts: the mechanics of becoming a writer and establishing a sustainable career’: Dr Hawryluk is one of the presenters of this workshop hosted by Meg Vann, CEO of the Queensland Writers’ Centre. Participants will learn the intricacies of the publishing process, keys to funding, the basics of contracts and copyright, and building an author identity. Tomorrow (Thursday 1 August). The workshop program is separately ticketed and bookings are essential.

Festivalgoers can take time out and unwind with gentle 20 minute body work sessions from osteopathy students at the SCU Health Clinic Tent across the weekend. Also, naturopathy students will be offering free neck and shoulder massages. These sessions are free of charge, however appointments need to be made at the SCU Health Clinic Tent (opposite the SCU Marquee) each day.

The University’s media, arts and creative writing students have been an integral part of the live BBWF blogging team at the Byron Bay Writers’ Festival since 2011, complementing the work of the official BBWF blogger Marian Edmunds. SCU journalism lecturer Jeanti St Clair is supervising editor of the student blogging team. This year the students will be writing blog posts, taking photographs, podcasting audio, and tweeting live from the sessions. To read and share what they are producing, go to the BBWF blog, byronbaywritersfestival.wordpress.com

The University will showcase one of its ‘green’ initiatives at the Festival: a solar-powered audio visual production system called the Sunflower . The Sunflower will be powering the technology needs of the BBWF blogging team. Unveiled earlier this year, the Sunflower was built as a teaching and learning/research project for the students in the School of Arts and Social Sciences.
Photo: Simon Crean (Credit: Mark Farrelly).