Brisbane Writers Festival

I got to go to the Brisbane's Writers Festival today!!! It was fun and great!! Well, to some of you, it might have been boring but for a die-hard writer like me...

Well, the fest is situated right next to Southbank, which is in the city. There was a group of us: 15 students & 2 teachers. We took the bus and got there in approximately half an hour's time. Anyway, when we got there, we were told we're allowed to choose three sessions out of six sessions that was running for the duration of our visit.

The first session that we attend was Libby Gleeson's. Here's a photo of her...


Pretty interesting lady, listening to her talk. Her talk was more enlightening than humorous... In fact, the session was kind of sombre. You'll see why...


Libby's latest novel... Here's a summary:
Mahtab and her family are forced to leave their home in Herat and journey secretly through the rocky mountains to Pakistan and from there to faraway Australia. Months go by, months of waiting, months of dread. Will they ever be reunited with their father, will they ever find a home?

This compelling novel by one of Australia's best-loved children's authors is based on the true story of one girl's voyage to Australia with her family.

She told us about her encounter with Afghanistan families, who she interviewed them and asked them if it was okay if she wrote a novel based on their story... I'll definitely be hunting for a copy of this novel at my local library. She read two sections of her novel aloud. The first one was thrilling, gripping and full of tension and suspense. The second one was enjoyable, funny but later on a bit sad...

Then, Lori's bf, Liam arrived. He's 18 and out of school. So he had to take the train there himself although he took the bus with us later when we headed back to school. Anyway, we had planned to attend Alice Kuipers's session together. Lori had insisted that she didn't have breakfast and that she was really hungry. So, Liam took her to Southbank to grab a bite. JR & I kinda promised them that we'd save them seats...

But it turned out... Alice was a hit... By the time JR & I made it back to the auditorium where the session was held, the auditorium was almost full and JR & I were lucky enough to have two seats together at the front row... Lori and Liam missed out... Oh well, at least they had the lunch that Lori wanted...

This is Alice Kuipers...


I know it's small but I opted for a colour photo instead of a big black and white one...

Anyway, she is my favourite author by far at the fest. Alice Kuipers was born and raised in London, England. She now lives in Saskatoon, Canada. Life on the Refrigerator Door is her first novel. www.harpercollins.com



Claire and her mother are running out of time, but they don't know it. Not yet. Claire is wrapped up with the difficulties of her bourgeoning adulthood—boys, school, friends, identity; Claire's mother, a single mom, is rushed off her feet both at work and at home. They rarely find themselves in the same room at the same time, and it often seems that the only thing they can count on are notes to each other on the refrigerator door. When home is threatened by a crisis, their relationship experiences a momentous change. Forced to reevaluate the delicate balance between their personal lives and their bond as mother and daughter, Claire and her mother find new love and devotion for one another deeper than anything they had ever imagined.

Heartfelt, touching, and unforgettable, Life on the Refrigerator Door is a glimpse into the lives of mothers and daughters everywhere. In this deeply touching novel told through a series of notes written from a loving mother and her devoted fifteen-year-old daughter, debut author Alice Kuipers deftly captures the impenetrable fabric that connects mothers and daughters throughout the world. Moving and rich with emotion, Life on the Refrigerator Door delivers universal lessons about love in a wonderfully simple and poignant narrative.

It was really entertaining to listen to Alice talk about the process of writing and her debut novel... In some ways, I can relate to her... And when she read a section of her novel as an opening to her session, it was just wonderful! Everyone had a good laugh! Her novel was good fun! Well, she read the nice bits... Apparently, this novel can make guys weep too!!

And guess what? I got her autograph!! *grins*


Well, I'll type it out for you just in case you want to read it:

To Dana,
Thanks for coming to the BWF! (Brisbane Writers Festival)
Good to see you at the session.
Keep writing, reading, enjoying literature...

Before she wrote the last sentence, she asked me if I write and I said yes. Then, she asked me what I write. I replied, fantasy, fiction and a bit of poetry. She said that I pretty much covered the whole lot.

If I had the time, I would have been able to stand there and talk to her more but I didn't. I was running late for the next session. Well, thankfully the author was caught in traffic and was late himself! JR & I thought that there weren't anymore seats and we were prepared to sit outside of the Marquee when I spotted Lori and Liam. Liam turned around, saw us waving at him and indicated that they saved us seats. We settled ourselves next to them. It was a while before John Marsden arrived.

This is John Marsden...


He has written over 40 novels... And last term, I had to read one of his book for English, Tomorrow, When The War Began. I admit that it wasn't my cup of tea and it was a bit boring for me but nevertheless, it was a good book. His latest book was an adaption of Shakespeare's Hamlet:A Novel...


As in... He translated the original Hamlet, which was in Elizabethan English, into modern English... Which makes it more interesting and easier to understand for teenagers who are studying Hamlet for English...

Hamlet, the Danish prince, is brooding in the wake of his father’s death. His mother barely waited for the king to go cold before marrying Hamlet’s uncle, Claudius, and their perfidious union is driving Hamlet mad. Not even the arresting Ophelia can console him. The new regime simmers until the ghost of Hamlet’s murdered father visits the young prince, calling on him to avenge his death. Then we watch the kingdom unravel. Marsden’s bold and playful novel beautifully captures the teasing innuendo, the restlessness and the maddening frustration of the classic tale.

Staying close to Shakespeare’s play, Marsden only detours to condense the plot in parts, make a playful nod to the Bard or delve further into these intriguing characters. We find Hamlet is his ever-hesitant self, but Ophelia is hungry for sexual discovery, and Horatio quite adores the beautiful young prince. Although we sometimes feel at risk of slipping into the modern day, Marsden breathes new life into the characters of this accessible read and will thus be forever loved by high-school students everywhere.

John Marsden is a funny, nice and interesting man. He's an English and Drama teacher and started teaching Maths three years ago. Now, he enjoys teaching Math so much that he's hoping to drop his English classes to teach more Math... His fans kept asking him if he'd continue to write even though he's switching to being a Math teacher... He said that he doesn't have the urge to write anymore but he says you never know...

The Brisbane's Writers Festival was a great experience for me. I picked up quite a few tips from Alice Kuipers and John Marsden. Not so much from Libby Gleeson, though. And JR bought Life on the Refrigerator Door for me. Well, I was short on ten dollars and I plan to return him the twenty-five dollars although he insisted it was a present and that he won't accept any money from me. As if! Watch me!

This is the Australian cover...


You guys really should read this book if you can get your hands on a copy... It's published in over 38 countries... Hopefully, Malaysia is one of the countries...

I am definitely going to Brisbane's Writers Festival 2009!!