BYRON - THE PICTURE TALE

When you spend so much time training your eye on the lens, you often forget about yourself. When you head back that's when it hits you that you've got pictures of the dog, cat, sun, moon, stars and practically nothing to remember your fine moments by. That's when festival directors like the turbo charged Jeni Caffin dig deep to pull out shots like these. The shots are courtesy Rosie Lee, who I'm pretty certain spent a lot more time behind the camera than I did.

On the opening night with Nury Vittachi, Irina Dunn and Elizabeth Fallon:


With Lynda Dean:

Keep an eye on her. The enormously talented Jane Camens is soon to announce details of the Asia-Pacific New Writing Partnership. She's had me all ears and abuzz with excitement:

Making sense of the media circus with Elizabeth Best, James Phelan and Nury Vittachi. Actor and Author Barbara Ewing was there as well, just happens to be missing in this shot.

I'm put in a plastic chair to ensure I'm not just a piece of furniture in the discussion on the art of chairing a panel.

Does this spell the end?

TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING?

You could call it that. The 11th year. 10,000 attendances. Three days of fun in the sun. 132 authors. 80 sessions. There was so much to choose from that you ended up wishing you weren't that stretched for time.

I flitted in and out of various sessions. And some of them have been ringing an even beat.

The media mattered right from the start. David Marr's opening speech was sparkling and thought provoking at the same time. It set the tone for what was to follow. Witty exchanges with serious undertones. Almost every session on the media saw audiences spilling out of the marquees.

When they weren't doing the talking, the children were. The stage was their domain and they embraced it with pride. They spoke of their ideas, what goes into the writing of their book, what it takes to get a publisher, how not to be turned off by rejection. If you shut your eyes and listened in, the thoughts could well have been those of a seasoned pro.

Actor and author Barbara Ewing was mesmeric. In a sentence, she drew you in and told you not to ever steer away from the written word.

Nury Vittachi filled up the early morning marquees with his not so quiet sense of humour. He drew them in and kept them there and for that I'm eternally grateful, since he was on both the panels that I chaired.

Russell Eldridge and Mick O'Regan ensured I wasn't relegated to a piece of furniture. They are among the finest moderators, if you failed to hear them this time, make sure you mark their sessions.

Mungo MacMacullam for stirring things as he always does.

To begin the official thank yous.....
Chris Hanley and Jeni Caffin for having me back.
Muriel for the best smile at the festival and ensuring all went according to plan.
To John, the wonderful bus guy who gave me an unscripted tour of Brisbane.

And the biggest of them all....
To all of you who made it to the sessions and ensured they rocked.

And to those wonderful folks who urged me to keep sending recommendations because "hearing Asian voices is refreshing." I'm sure David Lesar would like it otherwise.

BYRON LIT FEST SNAPSHOTS

For those who read the blog and packed in the woollies, my apologies. Trust me, it wasn't like this at all last year. We froze, we smacked locked jaws, we walked with endless cups of coffee waiting for some splendour in the grass. Nothing worked. This year, when we came all prepared, the sun chose to shine. I'm so not complaining though.


When you thought they couldn't get any younger, this lil one swept her feet above the ground.


A tisket, a tasket, a book full of baskets....
Now, turn those words around.....


The messages were on the boards....


And this panel was special for many reasons.

It was about an issue close to my heart. It packed the six of us, including the fine moderator Fiona Martin. At one point, it seemed like we'd off the stage, like we'd never get to the end of it, that time would run out (it did!), like all good things this too would end. There were so many perspectives, just as any discussion on blogging should well be. Marieke Hardy, Antony Loewenstein, Kate Crawford and Shalini Akhil made everyone in the audience realise how much more there is to learn in the blogosphere. Beyond that, there was a whole lot more.

You've heard the stories,Antony gave them a face. He recently finished a tour of some of the world's danger zones and spoke of bloggers who keep on despite the obvious dangers in places like Iran, Iraq, Egypt. There's another book in the works and I know this one can't wait.

I'd heard Kate Crawford a day before we met on this panel and loved the way she took on Mungo MacCallum, reminded us there was nothing wrong with Oprah and by the end of it all had us seriously Twittering away.

Marieke Hardy was the most colourful of us all. A hat tip for all her stories, of surviving being stalked online and persisting with one of the many things she balances in her packed young life. Her blog has resulted in a column, so never ever go into those bits of self-doubt. As I've often said before, if you do it with heart, if you put in your soul, if your writing sings, the music will accompany the lyrics.

Meeting Shalini Akhil is always great. She always livens up any panel. She holds her ground and boy can she debate. What I also like is how she shares much good stuff on her blog .

As for yours truly, the blog is the story.

OFF AGAIN

It's cold, they tell me. I'm better prepared this time. Coats, woollies, even gloves. Haven't quite forgotten what it meant to brave the chilly winds to get my jaw moving the last time. Looking at the size of my bag, I know it'll be warmer this time.

Looking forward to conversations in the marquees, panels, workshops, sessions. Meeting old friends and making new ones. It's back to the discovery zone once again.

If you've missed out on this year's Byron Bay Writers Festival, fret not. Mark your calendars for September. The Ubud Readers and Writers Festival returns with all the promises of 'The Seen & The Unseen'.