Melbourne Writers Festival 2013: Many Events for Romance Readers!

As mentioned in the Events calendar, I'm part of the Melbourne Writers' Festival this year – and I am so excited.

I could do event entries for each thing I'm doing at the Melbourne Writers' Festival, but that wouldn't leave me much room to talk about the other awesome things going own at the MWF – which used to stand for Monday/Wednesday/Friday but now stands for Mother-Waffling-Fantastic (or the Melbourne Writers' Festival, take your pick).

So first, here are the events I'm participating in during the MWF, which runs from 22 August – 1 September. When it comes to writers and any applicable festival time, they are NOT messing around here. This is a long ass festival. And, much like gourds at McSweeney's, “you are either ready to reap this freaky-assed festival or you’re not.”

Friday 23 August – 6:30 pm

DIGITAL WOMEN with me, Marina Go and Jane Caro. 

Queen Victoria Women's Centre
The Victoria Room, 210 Lonsdale St
MELBOURNE, VIC, 3000
Phone: (03) 8668 8100

This will be an hour long conversation about our experiences of creating, publishing and connecting in the digital environment. For more information and ticket purchase details, visit the MWF website.

Also: I am getting yelled at by my spellcheck because it's Women's Centre with an “re.” Just you wait, spellcheck.

Saturday 24 August – 4:00 pm

DIGITAL DRIVE with Luck Luke Buckmaster and yours truly

The Wheeler Centre – Perf. Space
176 Little Lonsdale Street
MELBOURNE, VIC, 3000
Phone: (03) 9094 7800

Luke and I are heading up an hour long information discussion about building an audience online using content, analytics, social media, and various forms of mayhem. Luke blogs regularly at Cinetology at Crikey.com.au, and his bio reads, “Luke Buckmaster began building websites and writing for the online space in 1997, when 'blogging' sounded like something you did on the toilet.” Funny enough, that's when I started writing online, too, so the chances of us yelling at young whippersnappers to get off our lawn is moderately high. This is going to be a most fun session, I can tell.

For ticket information and a full schedule of the “Digital Drive” sessions, visit the MWF website.

Also: can you tell how much more comfortable I am promoting other people than I am promoting myself? My stomach hurts just writing this up, but I really, really really reallyreally want to meet some of the Aussies who are part of the Bitchery community, so I hope if you're planning to attend the MWF, you'll heckle me from the back of the room or something. 

 

MODERN LOVE with Marjorie M. Liu and me.

ACMI Studio 1
Fed Square, Cnr Flinders + Swanston
MELBOURNE, VIC, 3000
Phone: (03) 8663 2200

This is going to be SO fun: an hour long discussion about the appeal of reading (and writing) romance and erotica with Marjorie M. Liu. I'm happy just thinking about it. For more information, visit the MWF website for ticket and venue details. 

Marjorie is also teaching a Master Class for Speculative Fiction Writers on Friday 23 August at 2:00 pm – which is already sold out! 

 

 

One more thing: after Melbourne, I'll be heading to Sydney, where I'm going to be part of an evening of trivia on 30 August, which I hear is an extremely Australian thing to do (there may be a meat tray, but due to the length of my stay in Oz and the rules against bringing meat home to the US, I can't win, but you can bet I'll take pictures because MEAT TRAY). If you're in Sydney, please do sign up and attempt to trounce my team. 

Then I'm heading to Brisbane after a stop near the Great Barrier Reef, and I'll post all the details of the Brisbane Writers Festival soon. I hope, if you're near any of these events, you'll introduce yourself!