International author and famous Rocket Readings when Sydney Writers Festival comes to Wollongong

Sydney Writers Festival and South Coast Writers Centre are presenting two regional festival events in Wollongong in May, including a visit from Canadian writer Richard Van Camp.

Celebrating the Voice 10: Indigenous Writers Night will feature Canadian writer Richard Van Camp, in Australia as a guest of the Sydney Writers Festival and South Coast Writers Centre thanks to the support of the Centre for Canadian-Australian Studies, University of Wollongong. Richard Van Camp writes novels, short stories, poetry, comics and children’s literature.

While in Wollongong, he will appear at a Meet the Author event for babies, toddlers, mums, dads and grandparents, to read from and talk about his book Welcome Song for Baby: Lullaby for a Newborn. A copy of this book was given to the parents of every newborn baby in the province of British Columbia, Canada.

He will then appear at a panel discussion in Blacktown and at the main venue for the Sydney Writers Festival.

Celebrating the Voice will also feature guest writers John Muk Muk Burke and James Miller, as well as local writers Elizabeth Hodgson, Aunty Barbara Nicholson and Ernie Blackmore. This reading is one of the biggest events in Indigenous literature, and over the ten years it has been running it has featured some of Australia’s most important indigenous writers.

More about Richard Van Camp

A Dogrib (Tlicho) Dene from Fort Smith, NWT, Richard Van Camp is the author of the novel, The Lesser Blessed, and two collections of short stories, Angel Wing Splash Pattern and The Moon of Letting Go as well as two children’s books with Cree artist, George Littlechild: A Man Called Raven and What’s the Most Beautiful Thing You Know About Horses? Richard was awarded Storyteller of the Year for both Canada and the US by the Wordcraft Circle of Native Writers and Storytellers in 2007.

Richard Van Camp will be a guest at this year’s Sydney Writers Festival. His visit to Australia is supported by the Centre for Canadian-Australian Studies, University of Wollongong and the South Coast Writers Centre. This event supported by Wollongong Central Library, Wollongong City Council and the Illawarra-South Coast Chapter of the Childrens Book Council of Australia. South Coast Writers Centre is supported by Arts NSW and Wollongong City Council.

Celebrating the Voice 10: Indigenous Writers Night

When: 6pm-8.30pm, Wednesday 19 May 2010
Where: Wollongong City Gallery, corner of Kembla and Burelli Streets, Wollongong
Bookings: 02 4228 0151 or scwc@1earth.net
Free event, All Welcome.

Also as part of the Sydney Writers Festival, another great Rocket Reading will take-off on Tuesday 18 May.

Hosted by Linda Godfrey and featuring special guest poets Ron Pretty and Peter Lach-Newinsky, plus the famous Rocket Readings Prize. Open section readings – three minute limit, sign up on the night.

A Sydney Writers Festival event presented by the South Coast Writers Centre. Supported by Arts NSW and Wollongong City Council.

When: 6pm, Tuesday 18 May 2010
Where: Phoenix Theatre, corner of Bridge Street and Gladstone Avenue (next to Coniston Railway Station
Bookings and information: scwc@1earth.net or 02 4228 0151
Free event, all welcome

For more information or interviews, please contact Ali Smith on 0431 689 465.