University influencers take the stage at Sydney Writers Festival 2022
Once again, the University of Sydney's influential community will take part in one of Australia’s biggest cultural events for writers and readers.
Sydney Writers’ Festival returns to Carriageworks from Monday 16 May to Sunday 22 May across 234 events. Some events will be held at the City Recital Hall and Town Hall and a small program of suburban venues and libraries across Sydney.
This year’s festival theme is ‘‘Change my mind’’, highlighting the power of literature to inspire and persuade. It invites and challenges attendees to listen, be open-minded, and embrace change.
A slew of University of Sydney academics and alumni will feature alongside 400 Australian and international authors. Our University of Sydney community will lead events covering topics such as ageing, Australia’s history with our Pacific neighbours, Indigenous issues, podcasting, and more.
Pictured: Nardi Simpson.
Indigenous Artist in Residence Nardi Simpson will present at the opening night where she reflects on the changed, changing and changeable nature of her mind during her career.
Research student Evelyn Araluen and 2022 Stella Prize winner shares her story about moments of transformation and what it takes to shape us into who we are at the ‘‘Change My Mind Gala Storytelling’’.
Associate Professor and acclaimed podcast producer Siobhán McHugh conducts a workshop where she explores the art of audio storytelling and the importance of words, voice and sound.
Pictured: Professor Jioji Ravulo.
Professor Jioji Ravulo joins the Queerstories reading, where five LGBTQI+ writers share stories they want to tell but are never asked to. Queerstories celebrates the culture and creativity of the queer community.
PhD candidate Eda Gunaydin will be in conversation with Claire G. Coleman about her latest non-fiction work which explores issues of migration, displacement, and diaspora.
Master of Media Practice alumni, Dr Sarah Ayoub, joins a panel event where she talks about the light and dark within the families and how racism and patriarchy perpetuate harm by dehumanising fathers.
PhD candidate in sociology, Kaiya Aboagye, discusses Australia’s long and complicated history with their closest neighbours, the Pacific islands, alongside Professor Jioji Ravulo.
Sara M Saleh appears at the special event, reading and performing her work. She can also be found at the panel event discussing the challenges and ethical dilemmas of the modern world.
Pictured: Teela Reid, Law School Indigenous Lawyer in Residence.
Sydney Law School’s inaugural Indigenous Practitioner in Residence Teela Reid joins a panel discussion about reconciliation between Australia’s First Nations and Australis’s modern-day nation and how can historical legacies create new futures.
Alumni Dr Julia Baird in conversation with Australian writers Delia Falconer and Indira Naidoo about the power of nature and our relationship with the natural world while we are experiencing ecological change.
One of the country’s most exciting new literary talents and Arts/Law alumni, Diana Reid, discusses tumultuous experiences of young adulthood and issues such as consent, class and privilege.
Medicine and Health alumni Fiona Murphy leads a writing workshop where she teaches how to make the most of the writing prompts and to turn ideas into a story along with a range of different panel discussions and events on disability and deafness.
Other highlights include two of the Judy Harris Writer in Residence Fellows at the Charles Perkins Centre, alumna Charlotte Wood, (2016) and our current writer in residence Sarah Holland-Batt (2021). You can find them at various events, discussing their latest works and topics such as ageing and aged care.
Explore the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences and discover what you can achieve with us.
Words by Lucija Stolic, Margaret Tran.