The Willy Lit Fest has been an annual fixture in the beachside Melbourne suburb of Williamstown since 2003. Not to be undone by the COVID-19 pandemic, the fabulous organisers have pivoted (a key 2020 word) to bring selected events to audiences online through the Willy Lit Fest 2020 Vision program.
Starting tonight Thursday 21 May 2020, I will be part of the first of online program in a session called Tapping the Zeitgest, 7.00-8.00PM via zoom. Here’s the blurb:
The immersive, gratifying window in which we stare when we read stories that deal with our immediate present, cautionary tales and prescient clarion calls. Do not miss three powerful authors delving into the visceral, sinewy depths of the issue novel; why write it, how to make it work, what is the value of fiction in exploring contemporary life? Join Angela Savage, author of Mother of Pearl, and Alice Robinson, author of The Glad Shout; moderated by Kate Mildenhall, author of Skylarking.
I’m particularly excited to appear on this panel alongside Alice Robinson, whose The Glad Shout was one of my favourite reads of 2019, and Kate Mildenhall, whose forthcoming novel, The Mother Fault, I had the honour to puff, and which I’m sure readers will love as much as I did.
The session is sold out, but check out the rest of the program here.
This panel, and its composition, actually came from an idea I pitched to Willy Lit Fest, long before everything was corona-cancelled. I’m delighted that it will go ahead, albeit in a different format. As Brook Powell said of online festivals, ‘No, it’s not the same, but it is of the moment.’
Tapping the zeitgeist, even!
Angela Savage 
I love it that so many book and writing festivals are using Zoom and other technology, Angela. A lot of academic conferences are, too, and it’s great. Until travel and gathering in groups are safe again, we can at least share ideas and learn. I’ll bet your panel will be great, and I hope it’ll be recorded.
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Thanks Margot. I agree that it’s great that the conversations can still take place until it’s safe to be in the same room together again. I find that once the discussion gets going, you can almost forget that it is mediated by technology.
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