Don't bother to say it. I'm slightly embarrassed by that title but it's too late at night for me to think of anything better. (And Aragorn has just led the Army of the Dead into battle on Channel 7, so that's taking up most of my attention.)
Just thought I'd draw your attention to the Melbourne Writers' Festival, which runs from 25th August until 3rd September. Looks like it's packed with goodies. Tim Flannery is giving the keynote address on global warming, but that sounds a little too much like work stuff for me to shell out dosh for it. But there's plenty of other speakers to keep us all entertained.
Of course, the danger is that people who can express themselves eloquently and imaginatively on paper may not necessarily be able to do it in front of an audience. That's the risk you take. But a glance through the program shows that there's a stack of good 'uns: Linda Jaivin, Kate Grenville, Gideon Haigh, Nick Earls and—of course—Peter Temple. I haven't heard Dava Sobel, Stella Rimington or Barry Maitland speak but I imagine they'll be interesting. And the list goes on.
Oh, and guess who I'm putting my money on to win the Ned Kelly Award for best novel?
