among a perfect setting

grooming.

Among the matriarchy messaging, was Gabriel Krause, the UK writer whose frst hand account of London gang life earned him a fnals listing for the Booker Prize. His frank account of life on the fringes of what’s acceptable by white, Christian, middle class Australians made for a provocative and ultimately fulflling hour of conversation if you left your tsk tsk at the door. His book Who They Was was one of the festival’s biggest sellers.

Myf Warhurst changed the tone, literally, with musical accompaniments juxtaposed with recounts from her musical memoir. She delved into her past behaviours including everything from kissing Daryl Braithwaite as a fouryear-old, to murdering Islands in the Stream with an unrecognisable Kenny Rogers.

Speaking of rock stars, author Holly Ringland

(The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart) also drew record crowds as she introduced fans to her latest creation Esther Wilding and her seven skins. There were plenty of fascinating co-incidences leading up to her new book according to Ringland, it was meant to be, despite having to cancel her always compulsory research trip due to the pandemic.

Richard Fidler also attracted a capacity audience, mostly made up of the Conversations crowd rather DAAS fans, going on the demographic. His historical accounts of Bagdad were as amusing as they were disturbing to the modern listener, but handled with expected aplomb from this seasoned broadcaster.

The few panels able to be caught in between sessions were brilliant, fresh discussions touching on migrant life in Australia, the spectrum of racism, home ownership and feminism before wrapping up the festival traversing my favourite topic — the media — and all its warts and wonder.

Grape Expectations by Max Crus

Max Crus is a Clarence Valley-based wine writer and Grape Expectations is now in its 26th year of publication. Find out more about Max or sign up for his weekly reviews and musings by visiting maxcrus.com.au