The Wheeler Centre by Simon Abrahams

THREE Sept to Nov 2014

wheelercentre.com

Ignoramus Anonymous

There’s a support group for everything these days, from fear of lying to overeating. Do you ever feel like you don’t know anything … that there are all kinds of important (and not so important) fragments of information you’re missing out on? Do you have a niggling feeling that you don’t even know what you don’t know? Well, there’s a support group for you, too: Ignoramous Anonymous and we’re all eligible for membership. Join others who don’t know anything, and you might solve your curly questions. Along the way, you’ll probably discover er you know a lot more than you thought you did – as you realise you know the answers to other people’s head-scratchers.

This is a democracy of knowledge; a kind of IRL (in real life) Wikipedia, where knowledge is not top-down, but a round-circle discussion. Where everyone is invited to contribute if they have something to add, but no one need fear not having the answers. Get of the internet, away from the keyboard, and – just for a while – abandon Google as the source of all knowledge. Turn to the person next to you for answers, and you might just be surprised. Ignoramus Anonymous is the safe space to ask the questions that stump us – a place designed for revelling in what we don’t know (and don’t know that we don’t know). And an invitation to engage with each other, in a physical space. Just for a change.

Hosted by Malcolm Whittaker

Wednesday 17th September and Friday 19th September (ages 13 – 17) at the Wheeler Centre Workshop Space Time: 5.30pm – 6.30pm

Thursday 18th September at the Wheeler Centre Workshop Space Time: 12.30pm – 1.30pm and 6.30pm – 7.30pm Saturday 20th September at the Wheeler Centre Workshop Space Time: 3.30pm – 4.30pm and 5.30pm – 6.30pm

Melbourne Citizens’ Forum

Whatever your political stripe or ideological bent, if you care about the kind of world we live in it’s hard not to feel delated about the opportunities for (and outcomes of) civic engagement. Did clicking an online petition or forwarding a chain letter ever change a mind, let alone a policy? Joining a march or a rally might help vent some disgruntlement, but does anyone notice? If engaged citizenry is about being involved – about being heard – how do we raise our voice above the throng? We need your help. We need a day of your time, and your best thinking cap, for our irst ever Melbourne Centre Citizens’ Forum. Because we’re putting together a panel of experts – just 200 of them – to thrash out the ideas above and come up with some concrete ways that the concerned and passionate individual might make a diference. And we think you’re the expert we need.

It’s a whole day, where everyone involved will play a part. In the splendour of the Myer Mural Hall, it’s an old-fashioned assembly meets community meeting; a carefully facilitated set of discussions that uses the collective imagination to set the agenda and deal with complex issues. Become part of the Wheeler Centre’s irst fully participatory think tank. We want you to help us bring meaning to the notion of joining the conversation. We want your help to articulate, consider and debate the challenges of citizenry. In just one day, we want an answer: In an imperfect democracy, how can the individual make a diference? This is real talk. Nobody leaves without a solution.

Facilitated by Nick Sweeting

Sunday 9th November at Myer Mural Hall Time: 10.30am – 5.30pm Tickets: $12

David Walsh

David Walsh is one-of-a-kind. A multi-millionaire who made his wealth gambling, he has invested that wealth in his passion for art – and transformed the fortunes of his home state in the process.

He says it’s about ‘people fucking, people dying, the sorts of things that are the most fun to talk about.’ Richard Flanagan calls it ‘both a return to older ideas of enchantment and a vanguard of something new’.

His Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) is a weird and wonderful museum that has massively boosted visitor numbers to Tasmania – in what’s being described as ‘the MONA efect’. Lonely Planet listed Hobart as one of the world’s top ten cities to visit in 2013, largely because of MONA.

Now, Walsh – an avid reader as well as an aicionado of numbers – has fulilled his childhood dream of writing a memoir. A Bone of Fact is as utterly unconventional and charismatically absorbing as Walsh himself; his style is inluenced by Kurt Vonnegut.

Walsh, an avid collector, wanted to subvert the notion of what an art museum is – and democratise the experience. So: you enter the museum via a tennis court, and its exhibits have included a wall of vulvas, an Olympic pool-sized Sidney Nolan painting, an Egyptian mummy, and works by Jenny Saville, Damien Hirst and Mat Collishaw.

He’ll talk about the creation of MONA – and his personal evolution, from a boy from workingclass Tasmania to a man whose life work has transformed the face of global art, now acclaimed by art critics, cultural commentators and enthusiastic visitors from around the world.

Thursday 6th November at the Athenaeum Theatre Time: 7.30pm – 8.30pm Tickets: $20 and $12 concession

Julia Gillard

Julia Gillard was Australia’s irst female prime minister. Much has been said and written (already) about her three years at the top, but now she’s telling her side of the tale. Her leadership was tumultuous, actionpacked and controversial. But as notable as the controversy was her management of a hung parliament and the record amount of legislation passed during her term. Gillard will tell her story – without shying away from her mistakes or misjudgements. Gillard has always been driven by a sense of purpose: her policy achievements included major

In conversation with Andrew w Scott

Monday 6th October at Deakin’s Costa Hall, Geelong Time: 7.15pm – 8.15pm Tickets: $35 A-Reserve and $20 B-Reserve

education reform and ensuring a digniied future for Australians with disabilities. But that purpose wasn’t always relected in her policy decisions. She cut funds to education despite her championing of it, refused to budge on gay marriage, and slashed Newstart payments to single parents. And despite leading the way in carbon pricing reform, she failed to sell her scheme to the public. This is your chance to hear the former prime minister open up about her experiences, with the distance that makes for insightful relection – and candour.

In conversation with Kate Langbroek

Tuesday 7th October at the Regent Theatre Time: 7.15pm – 8.15pm Tickets: $35 A-Reserve and $20 B-Reserve Tickets and signed book: $70 A-Reserve and $55 B-Reserve (fees and charges apply)

Peter Carey

Peter Carey is one of Australia’s great novelists – and the only one to have won the Booker Prize twice. His intricately inventive novels delve deep into questions of what it is to be human – and often, what it is to be Australian, too. His characters are risk-takers and mavericks, outcasts and oddballs – from a young Ned Kelly in the award-winning The True History of the Kelly Gang to Butcher Boone, Theft’s ‘wildman’ artist imprisoned for stealing his own paintings. In his latest novel, Amnesia, a young Australian hacker sends a worm into the computerised control systems of hundreds of Australian prisons, freeing the prisoners. Because Australian prison security is mostly designed and sold by American corporations, the worm spreads to the US.

In conversation with Michael Williams

Thursday 23rd October at Deakin Edge, Federation Square Time: 7.30pm – 8.30pm Tickets: $20 and $12 concession

Has this Australian woman declared cyber war on the US? Or was her Angel Worm intended only to open the prison doors of those unfortunates detained by Australia’s harsh immigration policies? Peter Carey will talk to Michael Williams about his provocative new novel, his body of work, and his complicated, questioning relationship with his country of origin. This is a rare opportunity to hear one of our most successful exports – and inest writers – in person.

Yotam Ottolenghi

Yotam Ottolenghi is one of those chefs. The ones whose names sell millions of cookbooks around the world, and headline restaurants. He’s known and loved for books like Jerusalem – a richly evocative celebration of the culinary DNA of his homeland (with chef Sami Tamimi) – and for the vegetarian classic Plenty, a book that the Guardian hailed for its vegetarian recipes ‘that even meat eaters want to eat’. His path to the world of food was unconventional. After completing a Master’s degree in philosophy and literature while working on the news desk of an Israeli daily, he moved to London and worked as an assistant pastry chef – leading to his own chain of restaurants and food shops, and to his bestselling books.

Plenty changed the way people cook and eat. Its focus on vegetable dishes, with the emphasis on lavour, original spicing and freshness of ingredients, caused a world revolution in eating – and a revelation that vegetarian food can be fresh and exciting; it doesn’t need to be dour. His new book, Plenty More, picks up where Plenty left of, with 120 more dazzling dishes. This is a tantalising opportunity to hear from one of the world’s most sizzling culinary stars, in the worlds of both cooking and food writing. Come hear Yotam Ottolenghi on his philosophy and approach to food.

Presented in partnership with

Friday 31st October at the Athenaeum Theatre Time: 6.30pm – 7.30pm Tickets: $35 and $20 concession

New News by the Centre for Advancing Journalism

New News is a three-day programme of events on the future of journalism. It will explore how to make the most of the opportunities – and deal with the challenges – of new media. It’s about journalism as an act of engaged citizenship. You won’t ind a typical industry talkfest or academic conference. New w News invites you to join an ongoing series of engaged conversations, designed to provide our community with occasions to talk about journalism – why it matters, and how to do it better. We’ll examine journalism from a huge variety of angles, from a look at the rights of investigative journalists and whistleblowers in the wake of Snowden, to an investigation into how gender afects the news – and the newsroom. There are panels on the challenges and opportunities of web-based media, the motivations and ethics of leaking, justice and journalism, and the future of glossy magazines in the digital age.

Thursday 9th – Saturday 11th October at the Wheeler Centre Tickets: Free, workshop sessions from $25 – $100 See website for session times and details

Exchange ideas directly with (and even pitch to) some of Australia’s leading journalists and editors – like the director of ABC News and the editors of the Guardian, the Age and the Herald Sun. Or enrol in workshops on media law, holding the media accountable, or making the transition from journalism to book. New News is a must for serious journalists and news junkies of all levels, from emerging reporters to seasoned professionals. If you’re concerned about journalism and how the public is informed, New News is your moment to enter the debate and sharpen your skills. For details on the individual events in New News, visit wheelercentre.com.

Words and music.

All of our lives have soundtracks. We cherish certain songs that have meant something to us – that mark the passage of time. Similarly, most of us have a mental shortlist of seminal books, short stories or poems that have formed who we are. Who do our favourite writers listen to? What do the musicians we admire love to read? In our third instalment of Words and Music, world-renowned writer Helen Garner meets Uzbekistan-born classical composer and pianist Elena Kats-Chernin.

Elena Kats-Chernin

Helen Garner

Hosted by Genevieve Lacey

Presented in partnership with

Garner’s much-anticipated new book, House of Grief is a heart-rending, insightful courtroom Grief, drama brought to life – in the same vein as Joe Cinque’s Consolation. Kats-Chernin, meanwhile, has composed for concert halls, opera houses and state theatres in Berlin, Vienna, Hamburg and Bochum, as well as the Australian Ballet’s Wild Swans. Helen will tell us about two pieces of music that have inspired her work as a writer, while Elena reveals two pieces of writing that have helped shape her musical direction.

Wednesday 26th November at The Substation Time: 7.00pm – 8.00pm Tickets: $35 and $20 concession

Molly Meldrum

Generations of us have grown up with Ian ‘Molly’ Meldrum beaming into our lounge rooms, signature cowboy hat on head – irst on the ground-breaking music show Countdown which ran for 13 years, then on Hey Hey, It’s Saturday (where his co-stars included a plucky duck and a puppet on a stick). His music knowledge is encyclopaedic, but his real genius has always been his afable interviewing style, gentle anarchy and his genuine passion for pop music and those who make it. He king-hit Johnny Rotten, interviewed Madonna while Sean Penn sprawled on his bed, was buddies with Elton John and Kylie Minogue, and received a get-well card from the White House after the fall that landed him in a coma.

Wednesday 22nd October at the Athenaeum Theatre Time: 6.15pm – 7.15pm Tickets: $20 and $12 concession

His connections with Australian music culture predate his on-screen days, though – he was a central ixture at pioneering music magazine Go-Set, which famously kickstarted Lily Brett’s writing career (she calls Molly ‘enduringly endearing’) and employed renowned music critic Robert Forster (also a Molly fan). At GoSet, his irst interview was with a little-known Johnny Young. And Molly produced Russell Morris’s pop classic The Real Thing. In his autobiography, The Never Um … Ever Ending Story, Molly looks back over an extraordinary, eccentric and action-packed life – one illed with friendship, parties, outrageous anecdotes and colourful characters. Join this beloved national treasure and sit back and be entertained, Molly-style, as he shares the highlights (and maybe the occasional lowlight) of his glittering career.

The Show of the Year

It’s back, by popular demand! Join us for a fresh instalment of our new annual tradition: The Show of the Year. With a stellar line-up of talent, we’ll hold a mirror to the highlights, lowlights, shocks and surprises of 2014, in storytelling and song. Planes disappeared and plummeted from the sky. Australia became the irst country in the world to repeal a carbon tax. Adam Goodes was Australian of the Year, and Peter Cosgrove became Governor General. We lost Robin Williams, Lauren Bacall and Philip Seymour Hofman. Japan’s Antarctic whaling program was ruled unscientiic. Clive Palmer teamed up with Al Gore. Delta’s bad dancing went viral, and Justin Bieber and Orlando Bloom had a punch-up. Ian Thorpe came out. Perennial bachelor George Clooney got engaged, to international human rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin. We marked 100 years since

World War I started, and US-Russia relations reached a post-Cold War low. 276 girls and women were abducted from a school in Nigeria. Fighting re-ignited in Gaza. The Ebola virus erupted in west Africa, and the Heartbleed bug threatened internet security. Germany won the World Cup, and Brazil was resoundingly trashed. And it was the UN International Year of Farming and Crystallography. Host-with-the-most Casey Bennetto will be joined by some of Australia’s favourite entertainers and writers, including Helen Razer, Crikey’s Bernard Keane, Gillian Cosgrif, Dr Karl Kruszelnicki, Die Roten Punkte and master absurdist Shaun Micallef. Sit back, relax and enjoy the show – delivered in slices of song, stories and slam poetry – as we farewell the year in high style.

Thursday 11th December at the Athenaeum Theatre Time: 7.30pm – 9.30pm Tickets: $35

Middlesex: queer week. We’ve come a long way since the bad old days when any sexuality that wasn’t heterosexual, monogamous and sealed by marriage was kept behind the bedroom door and between the sheets (or up against the wall). In a week of open discussion and joyous celebration, we’re exploring sexuality and identity in all their alternative forms.

Women on women

Queer women’s sexuality has been represented in iction for centuries, from the poetry of Sappho to Gertrude Stein to Sarah Waters. Are there common themes in these representations? Why is it important for readers across the spectrum of sexuality, but especially queer readers, to encounter queer women in iction? And what are some of the books that have been most important to queer women writers? We’re joined by Fiona McGregor (Indelible Ink), Karina Quinn and Rebecca Jessen.

Hosted by Emma Ayres

Monday 24th November at the Wheeler Centre Time: 6.15pm – 7.15pm

Men on men

What kinds of stories do we tell about gay men and their sexuality on the screen, on stage and on the page? How has storytelling about maleon-male sexuality evolved over time? And what are some of the stories and characters that have been important to gay male writers in all forms of storytelling? We’re joined by novelist Christos Tsiolkas (Barracuda, The Slap), playwright Tommy Murphy (Holding the Man) and ilmmaker Tony Ayres (Matchbox Pictures).

Hosted by Crusader Hillis

Tuesday 25th November at the Wheeler Centre Time: 6.15pm – 7.15pm

The future of sex

As our attitudes to sexuality become more open and accepting, we’re seeing an increasing range (rainbow, even) of sexual identity and expression become recognised. We’ll be talking bisexuality, polyamory and ethical non-monogamy. What are the freedoms of these diferent modes of sexuality? Is white-picket-fence monogamy stopping us from being happy? How might sexuality evolve even further in the future … what’s next? A good event starts great conversations. Here’s your chance to stay back a while and meet guest speakers. Nibbles provided. Drinks at bar prices.

Intersex bodies and the society that shapes them Morgan Carpenter is president of Organisation Intersex International (OII) Australia, a national institution. He wrote OII Australia’s submissions to Senate Inquiries on antidiscrimination legislation, and on the involuntary or coerced sterilisation of intersex people in Australia. In this lunchtime talk, he’ll introduce what intersex is, talk about its relevance to LGBT alliances, and cover key health, cultural and religious issues as they relate to intersex – and their mental health impact.

The trans body politic

Our understanding of gender diversity has shifted exponentially over the past few decades. More than ever before children are dressing and living in their chosen gender, and courts are increasingly supporting their choices. But what are the public attitudes to transgender bodies, and how are they evolving? How is the trans community faring? We ask these questions of Melbourne’s Sally Goldner, a trans singer/songwriter, drummer, activist and a selfidentiied ‘bisexual Jewish cowgirl’; and of renowned ftm (female-to-male) porn star and documentary maker Buck Angel. Buck Angel appears with the support of Feast Festival

Wednesday 26th November at the Wheeler Centre Time: 6.15pm – 7.45pm

Thursday 27th November at the Wheeler Centre Time: 12.45pm – 1.15pm BYO lunch

Thursday 27th November at the Wheeler Centre Time: 6.15pm – 7.15pm

Queer writing unconference

The Queer Writing Unconference is co-presented by Archer Magazine and the Emerging Writers’ Festival. In three separate sessions, they’ll explore the past, present and future of queer writing and representation. How does Australia censor writing about diverse sexuality and gender? Are we seeing more queer characters in our literature and media? And how do we push queer writing into the mainstream? Speakers include Hares & Hyenas’ Crusader Hillis, Amy Middleton of Archer and disability activist Jax Brown.

Queering the margins

Queer cultures and identities can provide a rich sense of belonging for many. But what happens when you identify with more than one culture – if you’re queer and Indigenous, or queer and Muslim, or queer and Chinese? How do those cultures and identities come together? How do aspects of each culture shape your identity? What about when those cultures clash? Alyena Mohummadally, Noel Tovey, Maria PallottaChiarolli and Juliana Qian will share their personal stories.

Presented in association with the Emerging Writers’ Festival and Archer Magazine

Hosted by Anton Enus

Friday 28th November at the Wheeler Centre Time: 1.00pm – 4.30pm Tickets: $15

Friday 28th November at the Wheeler Centre Time: 6.15pm – 7.15pm

Woolf & Wilde: A queer party

At the climax of a heady week of queer discussion at the Wheeler Centre, we’re inviting you to come together – anybody, everybody – for a celebration of queerness and diference. A sly confection of dance, drag, slam poetry, performance art and DJs will feature in short bursts throughout this inclusive afair, with ample room to talk, share a drink and meet new and old friends. Cabaret artist Maude Davey, slam poet Maxine Beneba Clarke, ridiculous performance artist Tristan Meecham and drag king Selina Jenkins lead our growing list of guests.

Transposing discussion into action, this unique event brings together ther all the ingredients of a great conversation about sex, gender and identity: ideas, provocations, people and a party. It’s a chance to be your freest self ... and it’ll be camp, OTT, OMG. The cherry on top of the icing on the cake. If talk is cheap, let’s get free.

Saturday 29th November at the Melba Spiegeltent, Circus Oz, Collingwood Time: 8.00pm – 11.00pm Tickets: $20 and $12 concession

Question time. When you think ‘question time’, perhaps you picture rowdy politicians cussing each other out. But in our new series, we’re putting the dignity back into proceedings … along with a generous amount of time. It’s one full hour of pure Q&A between you, our audience, a moderator and a panel of experts in the evening’s chosen ield of inquiry. Get informed about the key issues of our time, in the lead-up to the Victorian state election.

Hosted by Madeleine Morris

Presented in partnership with

BYO hot potatoes and burning questions.

Renewable energy

Jobs of the future

Transport

Both environmental and economic arguments make a case for renewable energy. But how is Australia placed to launch into that future? We’ll consider the decentralised electricity movement, support (or lack thereof) of our renewable energy sector, renewable energy initiatives overseas, and climate change – as both challenge and opportunity.

Today we have jobs we’d never have dreamed of a decade or two ago. And we plan for multiple careers, not one. How can our education institutions meet these new demands? And in a world where old professions are disappearing, tertiary fees are rising, and unemployment comes with weighty obligations – how should the kids of today plan for or tomorrow?

As our cities get more crowded, our transport ansport infrastructure ages, and climate change brings new ew challenges, transport ansport looms large. What is happening at the cutting edge of public transport and clean car technology? And what’s the state of Australia’s public transport ansport systems and road networks?

Wednesday 24th September at the Wheeler Centre Time: 6.15pm – 7.15pm

Wednesday 22nd October at the Wheeler Centre Time: 6.15pm – 7.15pm

Wednesday 19th November at the Wheeler Centre Time: 6.15pm – 7.15pm

Sammy J’s Democratic Party

Comedian Sammy J knows nothing, and he’s the irst one to admit it. Politicians know everything, or so they would have us believe. When unstoppable comedic force meets immovable political object, the result is Sammy J’s Democratic Party, an event that leaves the week behind and kicks of with a drink, a few laughs and a fair old shake of the sauce bottle. The irst two Sammy J’s Democratic Party events have been among our most popular – and talked-about. Who could forget Geof Shaw’s bagpipe-playing, or Lindsay Tanner’s singing? Certainly not those who were there to see it. Rock up, sit back and watch the anarchy unfold, as our political guests unbutton and unwind (and often reveal more than they mean to) in Sammy J’s freewheeling company.

Kelly O’Dwyer

Friday 26th September at the Wheeler Centre Time: 6.15pm – 7.15pm

What special talents will our latest guests reveal? Kelly O’Dwyer is the Liberal Party’s member for Higgins, Peter Costello’s old seat – and her political star is rising so fast and far that she’s rumoured to be a candidate for the next female prime minister. Get a glimpse of this politician to watch, of her guard and outside parliament. Former Nationals leader, deputy prime minister and minister for trade Tim Fischer was in the tricky position of being in government, but as the junior Coalition partner – making it hard for him to forcefully represent the interests of his rural constituents. He left politics in 2001 to spend more time with his family, particularly his autistic son.

Tim Fischer

Friday 17th October at the Wheeler Centre Time: 6.15pm – 7.15pm

IQ debates. 2

Our Intelligence Squared debates broach society’s major questions – with knowledgeable, passionate panellists discussing polarising and very relevant dilemmas. In these highly participatory events, each team has equal time to make their arguments. When all is said, the victor depends entirely on your vote.

Coal-ired Power will Soon be Obsolete Climate change is intensifying, but along with the repeal of the carbon tax, the price of coal has dropped – making it more appealing as an energy source. What lies ahead … for Australia and the world? The Australian economy is largely propped up by coal, but is the end in sight? Is China, for instance, as reliant on Australian coal as we’re led to believe? And while many in the industry accept the science around climate change, what are the viable alternatives of energy supply to developing countries – is coal the only afordable option for those striving to escape poverty and destitution? Renewable energy has not yet been developed at a rate (and for a price) that makes it a viable large-scale substitute for coal. Which begs the question: is our whole model lawed? The future of energy distribution could be local rather than centralised, with rooftops, co-generation plants

Tuesday 18th November at Deakin Edge, Federation Square Time: 6.30pm – 8.30pm Tickets: $20 and $12 concession

and other small-scale technologies playing a vital role – avoiding the need for large systems of infrastructure for distribution. Looking beyond the nuts and bolts of technology, what is the impact on communities of moving away from coal? Are we indiferent to the eclipse of the long history of coal mining? And what will happen to the communities that were once deined by it?

The ifth estate.

Since 2012 anthropologist and broadcaster Sally Warhaft has been the Wheeler Centre’s inhouse news anchor. Her fortnightly live interview series continues as she reacts to the latest stories whipping up a storm in the media. Every second Tuesday, Sally hosts a dizzying array of guests from the political and cultural world, in a witty and revealing analysis of current afairs. Topical guests are announced in the weeks prior to the events – check our website for updates.

Wayne Swan Wayne Swan was treasurer of Australia during an extraordinary period of our politics. He was at the inancial helm when the world recession hit, and steered our economy through a time of unprecedented international economic challenges. Meanwhile, on the home front, the ALP was divided by leadership battles – whilst ruling on a knife-edge, as a minority government. Sally Warhaft will ask Swan about managing the economy, the challenges and compromises of a minority government, and wrangling legislation through parliament in the face of bitter opposition from vested interests (including the mining, banking and hotel industries). They’ll also talk about Australia’s economic past, present and future.

Hosted by Sally Warhaft

Every second Tuesday, starting Tuesday 16th September the Wheeler Centre Time: 6.15pm – 7.15pm

Tuesday 16th September at the Wheeler Centre Time: 6.15pm – 7.15pm Wednesday 17th September at M.A.D.E the Museum of Australian Democracy, Ballarat Time: 6.00pm – 7.00pm

Children on democracy

Children have strong views on the world, but no say in the democratic process. While they can’t vote until they’re 18 (ie. oicially grown-ups), children often have a solid sense of social justice, uneroded by the apathy that comes with ageing. They are more drawn to what can and should be done than what can’t. And to a child, the assumptions and underpinnings of ‘democracy’ are not always a given – what is democracy? Why does it have to be this way? Why don’t politicians just do what they say they will?

Hosted by Simon Abrahams

Thursday 13th November at the Wheeler Centre Time: 6.15pm – 7.15pm This event will be Auslan interpreted

Who else doesn’t get a say in our so-called democracy? What other systems exist? What does our government look like from a child’s perspective – from the bickering in parliament to the cold pragmatism of political decisionmaking? And what might the world look like if children did have the right to vote? A group of children aged 9 to 17 including Remy Anderson, Will Beattie and Eve Nixon, from St Martins Youth Arts Centre will join our host, the Wheeler Centre’s own Simon Abrahams (a big kid himself, really).

Annabel Crabb The wife drought

You know the saying: behind every successful man stands a woman. She’s doing his laundry, cooking his meals, and generally making sure he can concentrate on his public life. She’s called a wife, and it’s a common joke among women juggling work and family that they would really like one of their own. Even in this age of vastly improved gender equality, it still seems to be the woman who stays at home, or works lexible hours to do the ‘struggle juggle’. And it’s far harder for men to access workplace lexibility, or to make home life a priority without being judged. Author and political correspondent Annabel Crabb calls for a ceaseire in the gender wars – and a genuine conversation about the changes necessary for real equality.

In conversation with George Megalogenis

Wednesday 8th October at the Wheeler Centre Time: 6.15pm – 7.15pm

Well may we say

A great speech captures the power er and passion of its ideas; it’s an attempt to inluence thought, or to commemorate a moment in time. In this event, Sally Warhaft responds to some of Australia’s most signiicant speeches, on the themes of defence, women, immigration and indigenous afairs, in conversation with Stuart Macintyre and host Gideon Haigh. Actors Rachael Maza, Bert LaBonte and Zahra Newman will bring these speeches to life, infusing them with new passion and meaning. Featured orations will relect how these critical issues have evolved and changed with the times. You’ll hear from feminist irebrands and political giants throughout Australian history, from Julia Gillard to Alfred Deakin, John Howard to Paul Keating.

Featuring Sally Warhaft

Thursday 25th September at the Wheeler Centre Time: 6.15pm – 7.45pm

Art & us. Art & social change

What is the point of art? Can it exist for its own sake – as a form of creative expression, entertainment and enjoyment? Or do artists have a responsibility to do more with it? Some artists use their work to agitate for change, whether it’s challenging commercialism, protesting governments, raising awareness of issues like climate change, or bringing communities together. Others believe that art doesn’t need to justify its existence – it just needs to be good art. Our panel of artists will look at how art can best be used for social change. Presented in association with Footscray Community Arts Centre

Wednesday 17th September at the Wheeler Centre Time: 6.15pm – 7.15pm

Art and Feminism

Feminism has been a powerful force for change over the course of the last century, confronting inequality and changing the landscape of societies around the world. In the 1970s it surged into the art world, with the feminist art movement of the time challenging prevailing attitudes and assumptions. Our panel of prominent feminist artists, hosted by Jane Montgomery Griiths, share the ideas that drive their art and give voice to their passion for creating change. What is the future for feminist art? How can creativity generate real shifts in the structure of our society?

Art & health

Good art can provoke, explore, or simply entrance. But can it also be good for your health? Can healthy (or healing) art be good art? Does it matter? Art can be a powerful prescription for people of all ages, from troubled youth to the ailing elderly. We’ll look at whether art can be healthy by stealth, where the best bang for the buck lies, and how we make art for health alluring, rather than earnest. With Janet Morrison, CEO of Independent Age, Polyglot Theatre’s Sue Giles, and clown doctor Clare Bartholomew. Presented in association with VicHealth

Presented by the Wheeler Centre and Melbourne Festival

Wednesday 15th October at the Wheeler Centre Time: 6.15pm – 7.15pm

Wednesday 12th November at the Wheeler Centre Time: 6.15pm – 7.15pm

Architecture in the city

How does architecture inluence our cities – and the way we live? What do we need to consider when we’re designing major buildings? In partnership with the Naomi Milgrom Foundation and the Australian Institute of Architects, we’re hosting two events – as a prelude to the new MPavilion project – that consider these questions from an international and local perspective.

Architecture and cultural identity

Creating a city with meaning

David Gianotten is a managing director of the worldwide OMA architectural practice founded by Rem Koolhaas. He is based in Hong Kong and leads OMA in the Asia Paciic region. He’ll be drawing on research he did for the Venice Architecture Biennale, talking about why it’s important to immerse yourself in a city in order to appropriately design for its culture. The new edition of Assemble Papers, which talks about some of these issues, will be released at the end of this event.

A panel of leading Melbourne architects including Kerstin Thompson, Shelley Penn, Rodney Eggleston and Jon Clements, will give their expert local perspectives on the built environment in our city. They’ll explore whether our national architectural (or cultural) identity has been sacriiced to modernity. How do we house and cater to a population forecast to dramatically boom, while retaining our built heritage? How has Melbourne’s architecture come to deine our city? And what role do architects have to play?

A good event starts great conversations. Here’s your chance to stay back a while and meet guest speakers.

Hosted by Virginia Trioli

Monday 15th September at the Wheeler Centre Time: 6.15pm – 7.45pm

Presented in association with Naomi Milgrom Foundation and the Australian Institute of Architects Webb Bridge by Denton Corker Marshall in collaboration with artist Robert Owen

Hosted by Michael Heyward

Thursday 18th September at the Wheeler Centre Time: 6.15pm – 7.15pm

Wheeler kids. Andy Griiths

If you’re an Australian kid of a certain age (or a parent of one), you’ll already know who Andy Griiths is. He’s a master of comic novels, silly scenarios and kooky characters – and a man who’s more than fulilled his mission to make reading fun for even the most reluctant of readers.

Immersion in literacy is one of the most important factors in determining the outcome of a child’s future – and nurturing a love of books and reading is part of that. Also, kids plus books and writing equals fun. We’re delighted to be presenting a new series of events for the younger reader in your life: Wheeler Kids. Roll up and enjoy!

He’s stopping in to talk about the latest in his megabestselling Treehouse series, created with illustrator Terry Denton. The ever-expanding treehouse has gained a watermelon-smashing level, a life-size snakes and ladders game (with real ladders and real snakes) and more – and there’s a BIG mystery to solve. For children aged 6–12 years.

Friday 26th September at Deakin Edge, Federation Square Time: 10.00am – 11.00am Tickets: $12

Kids creating comics

How do you ‘read’ a comic? What are the creative ways of telling stories through pictures – and what are the limits and possibilities? Sarah Howell of Squishface Studio will lead kids through an introduction to what comics are, and what they can do. Then, acclaimed comic artist Nicki Greenberg (creator of The Great Gatsby, Hamlet and picture books like BOM! Went the Bear) Bear will work with participants to create unique characters – and Squishface’s Ben Hutchings will bring it all together, as participants create a comic to take home.

Alison Lester book-making workshop Join one of Australia’s bestloved creators of children’s books (including the contemporary classic Are We There Yet?) in this special storytelling and illustration workshop for children aged 6–11. The workshop will draw on Alison’s award-winning latest picture book, Kissed by the Moon, which celebrates a child’s wonder at the natural world. Children will be inspired by nature and the changing seasons to write a story and illustrate a book using watercolours.

The Philosophy Club Being good The Philosophy Club creates a space where kids can immerse themselves in big questions and play with a universe of ideas together. We’ll invite children to swim around in the murky question of what is it to be good through story, play and discussion. This program, developed by philosopher Michelle Sowey and educator David Urbinder, is a wonderful opportunity for kids aged 8–11 to stretch their minds and play with ideas. Hosted by David Urbinder

For children aged 7–11 years. Michelle Sowey

Tuesday 23rd September at the Wheeler Centre Time: 10.30am – 12.30pm Tickets: Free, all attendees (adults and children) require a ticket

Wednesday 24th September at the Wheeler Centre Time: 10.30am – 12.30pm Tickets: Free, all attendees (adults and children) require a ticket

Tuesday 30th September at the Wheeler Centre Time: 10.30am – 2.30pm Tickets: $12, includes lunch

Robert Dessaix What days are for

Robert Dessaix is one of Australia’s most cherished literary authors, acclaimed for his autobiographies, travel memoirs and iction. For many years, he presented Books and Writing on ABC Radio National. In his latest book, What Days Are For, Robert shares his relections from his hospital bed, recovering from a heart attack that threatens to kill him, as he reads the Philip Larkin poem ‘Days’ and wonders: what have his days been for? What and who has he loved – and why? He’ll trace a path through travel, love, intimacy, language, youth and death, in conversation with Ramona Koval.

Karen Joy Fowler We are all completely beside ourselves Joy Fowler is best known for her international bestseller The Jane Austen Book Club, a sublime comic novel of contemporary manners that Alice Sebold loved so much, she wanted to eat it (strange but true). Her Booker-longlisted latest novel, We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves, is a daringly original exploration of family and loss, self and coming-of-age. It’s told through the prism of an unlikely psychology experiment (based on a famous real life one) – a girl raised, for a time, alongside an ape, by her researcher parents. In the New York Times, Barbara Kingsolver called it ‘a novel so readably juicy and surreptitiously smart, it deserves all the attention it can get’. Meet this wise, warm and much-loved writer – and let her be your guide through the invented worlds of her novels, and the ideas within them. Presented in partnership with Brisbane Writers Festival

In conversation with Ramona Koval

Thursday 13th November at the Wheeler Centre Time: 12.45pm – 1.45pm BYO lunch

In conversation with Hilary Harper

Tuesday 9th September at the Wheeler Centre Time: 6.15pm – 7.15pm

The Last Tuesday Society Alternate endings

The Last Tuesday Society is an anarchic, absurd artist collective who come together regularly to present events of short performances and more. In a madcap outing with a distinctly literary lavour, Last Tuesday is teaming with the Wheeler Centre to imagine what might have happened diferently in various well-known situations: factual and ictional. What if Julia Gillard was still our prime minister? What if a certain impressively bearded wizard hadn’t died? Our guests will take liberties with the facts as they weave their own ictional endings, in song, sketch and story. Includes Bron Batten, Richard Higgins, and more. A good event starts great conversations. Here’s your chance to stay back a while and meet guest speakers. Nibbles provided. Drinks at bar prices.

Tuesday 21st October at the Wheeler Centre Time: 7.15pm – 8.45pm

Patrick McCaughey

Patrick McCaughey has spent much of his life in art museums. He has been director of the National Gallery of Victoria and art critic of the Age. In this lecture, he focuses on the moments when Australian art has been marked by a particular individuality. He explores the revival of Indigenous art in the 1970s, the discovery of the Australian landscape as an intimate environment to be lived and worked in, and argues that three major women artists were crucial to the coming of the Modern in Australia: Grace Cossington-Smith, Margaret Preston and Clarice Beckett. Join this Australian icon for a very special lecture on what has made Australian art distinctive and original, from John Glover to the present. Presented by the Wheeler Centre and the NGV

Monday 10th November at the Clemenger BBDO Auditorium, NGV International Time: 6.15pm – 7.15pm Tickets: $20 and $12 concession Tuesday 11th November at the Queensclif Town Hall Time: 6.30pm – 7.30pm Tickets: $20 and $12 concession

Now read this. Who are the next crop of top-tier Australian writers? The ones we believe should be read by anyone who wants to keep up with the best of new Australian writing. Now Read This pairs two terriic writers with a host, and puts them on stage together to talk about their work.

Omar Musa and Maxine Beneba Clarke

Emily Bitto and Ceridwen Dovey

Maxine Beneba Clarke won the Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for or an Unpublished Manuscript for Foreign Soil, a stunning shortstory collection compared to Nam Le’s The Boat in its virtuosity and ability to transport the reader into very diferent characters and settings.

Ceridwen Dovey’s beautifully crafted, cerebral collection Only the Animals channels the voices of ten animals, who each tell us about their lives and deaths, as impacted by human action and conlict. Michelle de Kretser called it ‘enthralling and sorrowful … wholly extraordinary’.

Award-winning slam poet Omar Musa’s groundbreaking debut, Here Come the Dogs, is a hiphop verse novel that ofers a rare glimpse inside the world of Australia’s multi-ethnic youth. Musa writes from experience of the hip-hop community.

Emily Bitto’s rave-reviewed debut novel, The Strays, was inspired by Australia’s bohemian art world of the 1930s, and explores art and its portrayal, gender and stereotype, and the artist and the family. She takes inspiration from the Heide circle, but has created her own intricate universe.

Omar Musa

Emily Bitto

Maxine Beneba Clarke

Ceridwen Dovey

Monday 22nd September at the Wheeler Centre Time: 6.15pm – 7.15pm

Wednesday 5th November at the Wheeler Centre Time: 6.15pm – 7.15pm

Thomas Keneally

2014 is the iftieth anniversary of Thomas Keneally’s irst novel. He was the irst Australian to win a Booker Prize (for Schindler’s Ark) Ark and he has won the Miles Franklin twice. Fred Schepisi (who calls his writing ‘so beautiful and so descriptive and so clean’) waited years to get the ilm rights to The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith, his powerful story of a black man’s revenge against an unjust society. Keneally is also an acclaimed historian; volume three of his multi-volume Australians follows the nation through the decades of the Great Crash, World War II and the Petrov Afair.

Matthew Reilly

Matthew Reilly was recently dubbed ‘publishing’s boy wonder’ by the Sydney Morning Herald. His action-packed blockbuster novels read like Hollywood movies, with the sound turned up – and they’ve sold over seven million copies worldwide. Reilly’s latest largescale thriller, The Great Zoo of China, involves a secret new animal species, the greatest zoo ever built, and a group of journalists assured they’re perfectly safe … until they’re not. Come to Frankston and meet the Harrison Ford of Australian publishing.

Join this national treasure and literary icon to discuss his work, past and present. In conversation with Clare Wright

Wednesday 29th October at Frankston Arts Centre Time: 7.00pm – 8.00pm Tickets: $20 and $12 concession

In conversation with Chris Flynn

Wednesday 12th November at Frankston Arts Centre Time: 7.00pm – 8.00pm Tickets: $20 and $12 concession

Texts in the city goes digital

Stella goes to school

From 2011−2013, our Texts in the City series brought to life over 50 of the prescribed texts on the VCE English and Literature lists, through interviews with writers and experts. From 2014, the content will be repackaged for use in the classroom and beyond – and made available to all Australian students, wherever they might live and study.

Nearly 70% of Victoria’s Year 12 English texts are by male authors. And Australian women writers are still underrepresented in the review pages and as literary prize winners. How will the next generation of women see writing as a career that’s equally for them when male writers are the status quo? And what about the next generation of readers?

Just in time for exam revision, we’re releasing our irst package of unique digital resources, perfect for VCE students and teachers.

To change this culture and inspire students – boys and girls alike – the Stella Prize has developed its own schools program. There are school visits by notable Australian writers, educators and publishers; hands-on writing workshops; teaching notes on all Stella Prize shortlisted books; professional development sessions for educators, and more.

Texts in the City is an opportunity for students to easily access the opinions of writers and experts on their assigned texts. This online educational package will feature a curated selection of highlights from the treasure trove of videos from the series. The titles are Will You Please Be Quiet, Please?, Gwen Harwood Selected Poems, Wuthering Heights, Stasiland, Brooklyn and Summer of the Seventeenth Doll.

Join Cate Kennedy, Tony Birch, Carrie Tifany and Bec Kavanagh for the launch. Presented by the Wheeler Centre and The Stella Prize

This project is made possible by the generous support of the Collier Charitable Fund.

Available from Monday 15th September at wheelercentre.com 32

Wednesday 10th September at the Wheeler Centre Time: 4.30pm – 5.30pm

Eavesdropping on Artists

A series of interactive talks in which prominent artists discuss the themes and approaches taken by artists whose work is presented as part of Melbourne Festival. The catch? The artists must talk about artworks from outside their own practice. Come and ind out what artists really think about each other’s work, in this fascinating, cross-disciplinary discussion on the practice and presentation of art. Monday 13th October Have I No Mouth / Hello Goodbye & Happy Birthday We’ll talk about both shows’ explorations of family life, death and constructions of reality. With musician David Bridie, visual artist Gabrielle de Vietri, dancer/ choreographer Gerard van Dyck and chair Emily Sexton.

Saturday 18th October Framed Movements / Opus We’ll examine representations of the body across art forms. With director Ian Pidd, theatre maker Daniel Schlusser and visual theatre maker Kate Sulan.

Saturday 25th October AM I / When the mountain changed its clothing We’ll explore the varied role of the voice in both works. With opera director Matthew Lutton, ilmmaker John Hughes, chair Sarah Austin and more.

Sunday 19th October Something Very Far Away / PRIMO Join us to talk about visual work created for young audiences. With live art dramaturg Martyn Coutts, butoh performer Yumi Umiumare and more.

Sunday 26th October 2014 Melbourne Festival Wrap-Up Analysis Join passionate Melburnian culture makers as they interrogate the meaning, purpose and relevance of an international arts festival in Melbourne. With Michael Williams, Jason Marriner and more.

Monday 20th October Hipbone Sticking Out / TEAM OF LIFE We’ll talk about theatre’s ability to combine politics and storytelling. With theatre director Sue Giles, visual artist Bindi Cole and chair Luke Hockey.

Presented by the Wheeler Centre and Melbourne Festival

at MPavilion, Queen Victoria Gardens Time: 6.00pm – 7.00pm

The next big thing. Australia consistently produces a wealth of new literary talent – from debut novelists to shortstory writers, memoirists to poets. How to keep up? It’s simple. Once a month, head on down to The Next Big Thing, where you’ll hear from and meet exciting new and emerging authors. These are the literary stars of tomorrow. Come and hear from them today.

Included in our line-up are two special extended editions, with spotlight conversations on selected authors. And two Hot Desk editions, featuring the writers selected for our renowned Wheeler Centre Hot Desk Fellowships.

September Mark Mulholland

Jenny Valentish

Miriam Sved

Rebecca Lim

Sam Robertson Monday 8th September at the MOAT Time: 6.15pm – 7.45pm

September – Hot Desk Edition Ender Baskan

Christa Jonathan

Meaghan Bell

Chad Parkhill

Elin-Maria Evangelista

Kieran Stevenson

Rebecca Harkins Cross Monday 15th September at the MOAT Time: 6.15pm – 7.15pm

October Brooke Davis

Nic Low

Paul Dalla Rosa

Clare Atkins

Monday 13th October at the MOAT Time: 6.15pm – 7.45pm

November Peter Docker

Jake Roseman

Eli Glasman

Kylie Ladd

Monday 10th November at the MOAT Time: 6.15pm – 7.15pm

December – Hot Desk Edition Susie Anderson

Emily Stewart

Louis Bravos

Claire Rosslyn Wilson

André Dao Monday 1st December at the MOAT Time: 6.15pm – 7.15pm

Good conversation. Great wine. This spring, the Wheeler Centre will transport a taste of the best Australian writing to the Mornington Peninsula. On selected Friday nights, you can enjoy all the elements of the very best dinner party, courtesy of us: wonderful guests, good conversation and great food and wine.

Carrie Tifany

Favel Parrett

Michelle de Kretser

Carrie Tifany is one of Australia’s most celebrated writers – her two novels, Everyman’s Rules for Scientiic Living and Mateship with Birds, have won a swag of awards, including the inaugural Stella Prize for the latter. She writes about regional Australia with a sharp eye, ine wit and polished storytelling acumen.

Favel Parrett burst onto the Australian literary scene in a lood of well-deserved praise (and comparisons to Tim Winton) with her darkly beautiful debut, Past the Shallows, shortlisted for the Miles Franklin. Her muchanticipated second novel is When the Night Comes.

Michelle de Kretser’s novels are playful and deeply intelligent; they comment on contemporary Australia, and the wider world we live in now. Her last book, Questions of Travel, won the Miles Franklin and the Prime Minister’s Literary Award for Fiction. Her latest work is a beguiling Australian ghost story.

Friday 12th September Time: 7.00pm Tickets: $50 inclusive of food Wine charged on consumption at Montalto Vineyard & Olive Grove

Friday 10th October

Friday 14th November

Immunisation When science isn’t enough Broad-scale immunisation has saved millions of lives worldwide, making it the most efective form of disease prevention we have. Meanwhile, new vaccines and delivery methods continue to be discovered. Why, then, are vaccination rates dropping to dangerously low levels in parts of Australia and overseas? What are the debates about the risks of vaccines and what are the risks to our health if vaccination rates keep falling? How do we make a diference to public opinion – and behaviour – when the science is not enough?

Science iction addiction

Is there such a thing as Australian science iction – when you’re dealing with other worlds, does the nationality of the writer (and the setting) matter? Are there any questions or issues that Australian science iction is uniquely positioned to address? And what’s so good about science iction, anyway? Doug Hendrie will talk to Jane Rawson, Lucy Sussex, Andrew Macrae and Max Barry about why they read and write in the genre, and what it means to be an Australian sci-i writer.

The novella Forgotten stories The novella occupies a special place in literature – we all know it’s longer than a short story and shorter than a novel. Famous novellas include some of literature’s greats: Breakfast at Tifany’s, Wide Sargasso Sea, Animal Farm. But what is it that deines a novella? What are its strengths as a form? And why are we still writing them? In an event to mark Griith REVIEW’s Novella Project II, Cate Kennedy, Megan McGrath, Jane Jervis-Read, Aviva Tuield and Julianne Schultz will kick around these questions.

Hosted by Doug Hendrie A QUARTERLY OF NEW WRITING & IDEAS

Monday 6th October at the Wheeler Centre Time: 6.15pm – 7.15pm

Monday 27th October at the Wheeler Centre Time: 6.15pm – 7.15pm

Thursday 6th November at the Wheeler Centre Time: 6.15pm – 7.15pm

20th Century Jewish literature

Steven J. Zipperstein will immerse us in the rich universe of twentieth century Jewish literature, taking us through the great authors, and explaining the signiicance, context and the essence of their works. Zipperstein is the head of Jewish studies at Stanford University, and editor of the Yale series, Jewish Lives. His articles have appeared in the New York Times, New Republic and Jewish Review of Books – and he’s the author of eight books himself. Explore currents of Jewish writing with the insight of an international literary authority.

Wednesday 10th September at the Wheeler Centre Time: 6.15pm – 7.15pm

Graeme Simsion Asperger’s in (my) iction Professor Don Tillman takes unconventional to a whole new level. With his Standardised Meal System and fondness for Excel spreadsheets, the heroic anti-hero (and unlikely love interest) of the international bestseller The Rosie Project, and its brand-new sequel, The Rosie Efect, has Asperger’s Syndrome – though it’s never explicitly stated. Author Graeme Simsion will talk about the challenges of adopting the perspective of a character with Asperger’s, the ethics of using it as a vehicle for comedy, and the response from critics, the autism community and readers.

Thursday 6th November at the Wheeler Centre Time: 12.45pm – 1.15pm BYO lunch

Cover girls uncovered

If a picture is worth a thousand words, what do the covers of books by female authors say? Headless torsos, giant lips, 50 shades of pink and pastel … why are the covers of books by women usually feminine, even when the content is not? Authors, marketers and publishers will join us to uncover the covers, in all their gendered glory. They’ll tell the inside story, debunk some common myths – and award a literary razzie to some of the worst ofenders.

Monday 17th November at the Wheeler Centre Time: 6.15pm – 7.15pm

Travels with Hemingway’s keeper Michael Katakis is a man of many talents: he’s a travel writer, photographer, and manager of Ernest Hemingway’s literary estate. With Hemingway’s son, Patrick, he works to protect the integrity of the great man’s legacy – a job that takes him around the globe. He’ll talk to Laura Jean McKay about the hard-living, muscular-writing master wordsmith that was Hemingway, and his own love of travel, and how his two great loves inluence his own creative work.

Kate Richards Madness

Kate Richards’ bleakly beautiful, confronting and important book, Madness: A Memoir, describes her 15 years coping with psychosis and depression, and her long, hard-won journey back to sanity, with the help of a wise and compassionate psychologist. Richards is unique in being able to write from deep inside her experience, and with the technical expertise of an outsider: she’s a medical researcher. She’ll be in conversation with Dr Ranjana Srivastava, a GP and fellow author.

Hosted by Laura Jean McKay

Thursday 18th September at the Wheeler Centre Time: 12.45pm – 1.30pm BYO lunch

Thursday 23rd October at the Wheeler Centre Time: 12.45pm – 1.30pm BYO lunch

Erotic fan icion

What if Mr Darcy emerged dripping from that pond after skinny-dipping, instead of in his see-through shirt? What might have happened next? What do new roommates Adam and Ray really get up to when Hannah’s home alone eating cupcakes in the bath? And forget Fifty Shades of Grey: how far would Gone Girl’s Nick and Amy push erotic mind games? Let your imagination of the leash at Erotic Fan Fiction, as writers bin the rules, push the limits and let their freak lags ly, putting favourite (or notorious) characters into sticky situations that build to a surprising climax.

Thursday 20th November at the Wheeler Centre Time: 7.30pm – 8.30pm

Strategies of resistance

Key of sea

Sami Shah I, migrant

Beyond the border Australia’s border policies have become increasingly punitive under a succession of governments, as we push the ‘problem’ of asylum seekers who come by boat beyond our borders. Our speakers will talk about government deterrence rhetoric and policies, the industry and experience of ofshore detention, and strategies for protest. With Aran Mylvaganam, spokesperson for the Tamil Refugee Council and activist for refugee rights, and writer and activist Angela Mitropoulos. Chaired by Mark Davis, journalist and reporter for SBS’s Dateline.

Join us for an emotional night of storytelling and song. The Key of Sea produces creative projects – albums and journals – that celebrate Australia’s cultural diversity. The albums pair established artists with musicians escaping war, hardship or persecution. In this intimate evening, we’ll hear from Danny Katz, Oslo Davis, Alice Pung, Zakia Baig, Onur Awaz and more, as they share their work. All proceeds of album and journal sales on the night will go to the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre.

Chaired by Mark Davis

Monday 29th September at the Wheeler Centre Time: 6.15pm – 7.15pm

stand-up comedian Sami Shah has been delivering punchlines from the frontlines of the war on terror for several years. He’s been proiled on Comedy Central, by Australian Story and in the New York Times. Shah left Pakistan for Australia after being targeted by death threats; at home, he fronted his own satirical show and worked as a journalist. In his own unique comic style, he shares his story of what it’s like to leave the home you love to start a new life – somewhere your child can grow up safely.

In conversation with Rafael Epstein

Wednesday 1st October at the Wheeler Centre Time: 6.15pm – 7.15pm

Thursday 2nd October at the Wheeler Centre Time: 12.45pm – 1.30pm BYO lunch

Foreign correspondents

A woman’s place is in the House (and in the Senate)

In the age of fast news, few resources and global technology, are foreign correspondents becoming redundant – or are they a vital investment in properly bearing witness? Three esteemed former foreign correspondents will reveal experiences from the front, sharing on-the-job tales, stories of the long-term efects of the role, and a look at how it’s evolved over the years… from the days before email and mobile phones. Take the long view with former Age foreign editor Cameron Forbes, Tony Clifton (ex Newsweek and Sunday Times) and Mike Keats, who has 50 years of experience as a foreign correspondent and editor.

Monday 20th October at the Wheeler Centre Time: 6.15pm – 7.15pm

Julia Gillard left as prime minister, she said she was conident that it would be ‘easier for the next woman and the woman after that and the woman after that’. Over er a year on, what’s it like for women in Australian politics? EMILY’s List, which supports the advancement of progressive female politicians, will bring together a panel to diagnose the status quo – and debate possible prescriptions for a healthy future for women in politics.

The hard sell Dee Madigan on political advertising

In the lead-up to the Victorian state election, advertising expert Dee Madigan (Gruen Planet) gives us the inside running on how political advertising works, why negative ads strike a chord, the secrets of spin, and more. Find out how politicians use journalists who use politicians, how gender plays into it, and what happens when it all falls apart. Get the tools to analyse all those ads you’re about to be bombarded with!

Presented in partnership with EMILY’s List Australia

In conversation with Ben Birchall

Wednesday 29th October at the Wheeler Centre Time: 6.15pm – 7.15pm

Thursday 20th November at the Wheeler Centre Time: 12.45pm – 1.30pm BYO lunch

One in Two: Juvenile Injustice

Every second young person in detention in Australia is Indigenous. The human impact of this confronting statistic is the destruction of families, the weakening of communities and the inadvertent creation of a training ground for young criminals. This forum looks at the work of arts company Big hART, using its practical approach as a jumping-of point for a discussion of efective ways to tackle the tragic reality of juvenile incarceration.

Presented by the Wheeler Centre and Melbourne Festival

Thursday 16th October at the Wheeler Centre Time: 6.15pm – 7.15pm

Tackling crime the smart way

Incarceration costs money, fragments families and makes it harder than ever for those who are locked up to be active, cohesive members of our community when they return. There has to be a better way. How can we cut crime, reduce prison spending and strengthen communities? In partnership with the Human Rights Law Centre and Smart Justice, our panel, including former Attorney-General Rob Hulls and Magistrate Pauline Spencer, takes an approach that’s both pragmatic and compassionate, looking for options that go beyond prison – and get better results.

Whale wars Sam Vincent

What motivates the war against whaling in the Southern Ocean – for both sides? Why does Sea Shepherd spend vast sums of money and risk activists’ lives to pursue a relatively low-impact hunt in isolated and perilous waters? Why does a rich nation like Japan doggedly continue a practice it started to feed its starving population during World War II? Travel writer, journalist and author of Blood and Guts: Dispatches from the Whale Wars, Sam Vincent takes an objective eyewitness look at the whale wars.

Presented in partnership with Human Rights Law Centre and Smart Justice

Thursday 11th September at the Wheeler Centre Time: 6.15pm – 7.15pm

Thursday 25th September at the Wheeler Centre Time: 12.45pm – 1.15pm BYO lunch

L for Leather

At Grand Final time, AFL footballers dominate the headlines. But how do these blokiest of blokes represent the lot of the modern man? In this fascinating discussion, 774 ABC Melbourne presenter Libbi Gorr and her football star panel ask ‘What’s the role of men as leaders – how have things changed, and how can (and should) men lead now?’ This is a Grand Final week event not to be missed. A good event starts great conversations. Here’s your chance to stay back a while and meet guest speakers. Nibbles provided. Drinks at bar prices.

Don Watson The bush

Class act

Watson grew up on a farm in East Gippsland – he’s part of the bush. But what is it? The untouched wilderness, or the land worked by farmers, loggers and cattlemen? The past of Henry Lawson or the present of agribusiness and fracking? Don Watson, award-winning author of American Journeys and former speechwriter for Paul Keating, takes us on a journey through our own national landscape and character, presenting the bush in all its complexity and contradiction.

Boys are consistently outperformed by girls in our education system. How do the educational needs of boys and girls difer, and how can a school’s culture maximise personal and educational growth?

Thursday 16th October at the Wheeler Centre Time: 12.45pm – 1.15pm BYO lunch

Thursday 30th October at the Wheeler Centre Time: 12.45pm – 1.30pm BYO lunch

Tim Hawkes is a father and headmaster of The King’s School in Sydney, author of Seven Conversations You Must Have With Your Son. Former politician and journalist Maxine McKew is the author of Class Act, a new book on changing the culture of schools so all students have the opportunity for success.

Recorded live for 774’s Conversation Hour and presented in association with

Tuesday 23rd September at the Wheeler Centre Time: 6.15pm – 8.15pm

on s 20 Q ue s ti Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for

20 Questions

Weather Stations

Indigenous Writing

Join us on Indigenous Literacy Day, as we announce the winner of the Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for Indigenous Writing, one of the prestigious suite of Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards, and one of Australia’s leading literary accolades. Hear from the judges about the fertile ield of entries the winner was picked from, and why the winning entry stood out. The Indigenous Literacy Foundation will talk about their work supporting and promoting Indigenous literacy – and how celebrating our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander literary heroes enriches Australia’s literary culture.

Wednesday 3rd September at the Wheeler Centre Time: 7.00pm – 8.00pm

If you had to choose, would you prefer non-iction or iction? Would you rather outlive your partner or be outlived? And which is worse: war or famine? Drowning at sea or indeinite detention? The Wheeler Centre is bringing our unique social experiment, 20 Questions, to the Brisbane Writers Festival. Vote in our referendum of 20 divisive social questions and then join Jennifer Byrne, Matthew Condon and Nick Earls for an old-fashioned election party to analyse the results and celebrate democracy in action. Presented in partnership with Brisbane Writers Festival

Saturday 6th September at The Edge, State Library of Queensland, Brisbane Time: 7.00pm – 9.00pm Tickets: $25 and $20 concession

Weather Stations is a global project that places literature and storytelling at the heart of conversations around climate change. The Wheeler Centre is collaborating with cultural institutions from London, Berlin, Warsaw and Dublin. Five writers in residence produce a body of work relecting on our relationship with the environment. Australia’s writer in residence, Tony Birch, will travel through Poland, England, Scotland, Ireland and Germany in September. From there, he’ll continue to update globalweatherstations.com.

Access information. Booksellers. Booking Tickets Please notify us of all access requirements when booking – contact reception on 03 9094 7800 or reception@wheelercentre.com. Auslan The Wheeler Centre provides Auslan interpreting on request. Please contact us two weeks prior to your event. Hearing Loop A hearing loop is available at the Wheeler Centre. If you require hearing assistance at an of-site event, please contact us when you book your ticket. Physical Access Every efort has been made to ensure that the Wheeler Centre's events are accessible for wheelchair users or those with limited mobility. Wheeler Centre events have unallocated seating – please contact us if you require reserved seating to accommodate your access needs.

Booksellers at Wheeler Centre Events At many Wheeler Centre events, speakers’ books may be purchased from one of the brilliant local booksellers it is our pleasure to partner with. To date that has included: Avenue Bookstore, Book City Ballarat, Books in Print, Brunswick Bound, Brunswick Street Bookstore, Collins Booksellers in Ballarat, Mildura, Sale and Wangaratta, Dymocks Collins Street, Dymocks Camberwell, Embiggen Books, Fullers Bookshop, Hares and Hyenas, Hill of Content Bookshop, Robinsons Bookshop, The New International Bookshop, The Paperback Bookshop, Readings, The Sun Bookshop and Torquay Books. Support your nearest centre for books, writing and ideas: shop at a local bookshop.

Companion Seats If you require the assistance of a companion to access venues, please note the Wheeler Centre ofers a second ticket to paid events at no cost to Companion Card holders (or similar) at the time of booking.

Having trouble reading the small print? To request a large-print version of this program please call 03 9094 7800.

Resident organisations.

Sponsorship and development. Thank you As a cultural institution, we rely on the vision and generosity of state government, our patrons, donors, corporate partners and philanthropic trusts. Their outstanding contribution and commitment enables us to create and maintain our extraordinary programme of activities, and ensure that we are the best, most ambitious organisation we can be. We take this opportunity to say thank you.

Government Partners

Patrons Maureen and Tony Wheeler

Major Sponsors Audio Visual

Wine

Creative Agency

Ministry of Ideas Founding Partner

Trusts and Foundations The Readings Foundation Copyright Agency Collier Charitable Fund The Ledger Charitable Trust and Rowe Family Foundation managed by Perpetual 46

Conversation Starters

Ministry of Ideas

Be a Conversation Starter?

The Ministry of Ideas is our Corporate Fund. We bring together organisations and businesses that want to be part of a community beyond their own corporate activities – to create a network of inluential do-ers, innovators, thinkers and dreamers. Join the Ministry of Ideas and help us shape the conversations taking place in and deining our society. In return, we ofer access to the world’s best writers and thinkers through a range of bespoke beneits and unique programmes.

Conversation sparkles, it enlightens, it thrives on the exchange of ideas, the sharing of passions and expertise. A community is deined by its conversations. As a cultural institution devoted to books, writing and ideas we have become the home of conversations that challenge, delight, question and entertain. As we approach our ifth birthday in 2015, we’re looking for ifty very special friends, our inaugural major donors – our Conversation Starters! By becoming a Conversation Starter, you help to shape our vision and goals and play a vital role in nourishing the conversations that matter.

To ind out more about how you can join the Ministry of Ideas or become a Conversation Starter, please contact Kendra Overall, Head of Sponsorship and Development on 03 9094 7808 or kendra.overall@wheelercentre.com

Calendar. Wednesday 3rd September Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for Indigenous Writing Time: 7.00pm – 8.00pm

Tuesday 16th September The Fifth Estate: Wayne Swan in Melbourne Time: 6.15pm – 7.15pm

Saturday 6th September 20 Questions in Brisbane Time: 7.00pm – 9.00pm

Wednesday 17th September Ignoramus Anonymous (ages 13-17) Time: 5.30pm – 6.30pm

Monday 8th September The Next Big Thing Time: 6.15pm – 7.45pm Tuesday 9th September Karen Joy Fowler Time: 6.15pm – 7.15pm Wednesday 10th September Stella Goes to School Time: 4.30pm – 5.30pm Wednesday 10th September 20th Century Jewish Literature Time: 6.15pm – 7.15pm Thursday 11th September Tackling Crime the Smart Way Time: 6.15pm – 7.15pm Friday 12th September Good conversation. Great wine: Carrie Tifany Time: 7.00pm – 10.00pm Monday 15th September The Next Big Thing: Hot Desk Edition Time: 6.15pm – 7.15pm Monday 15th September Architecture in the City: Architecture and Cultural Identity Time: 6.15pm – 7.45pm

Wednesday 17th September Art & Social Change Time: 6.15pm – 7.15pm Wednesday 17th September The Fifth Estate: Wayne Swan in Ballarat Time: 6.00pm - 7.00pm Thursday 18th September Ignoramus Anonymous Time: 12.30pm – 1.30pm Thursday 18th September Travels with Hemingway’s Keeper Time: 12.45pm – 1.30pm Thursday 18th September Architecture in the City: Creating a City with Meaning Time: 6.15pm – 7.15pm Thursday 18th September Ignoramus Anonymous Time: 6.30pm – 7.30pm Friday 19th September Ignoramus Anonymous (ages 13-17) Time: 5.30pm – 6.30pm Saturday 20th September Ignoramus Anonymous Time: 3.30pm – 4.30pm

Saturday 20th September Ignoramus Anonymous Time: 5.30pm – 6.30pm Monday 22nd September Now Read This: Omar Musa and Maxine Beneba Clarke Time: 6.15pm – 7.15pm Tuesday 23rd September Wheeler Kids: Kids Creating Comics Time: 10.30am – 12.30pm Tuesday 23rd September L for Leather Time: 6.15pm – 8.15pm Wednesday 24th September Wheeler Kids: Alison Lester Book-Making Workshop Time: 10.30am – 12.30pm Wednesday 24th September Question Time: Renewable Energy Time: 6.15pm – 7.15pm Thursday 25th September Whale Wars: Sam Vincent Time: 12.45pm – 1.15pm Thursday 25th September Well May We Say Time: 6.15pm – 7.45pm Friday 26th September Wheeler Kids: Andy Griiths Time: 10.00am – 11.00pm

Friday 26th September Sammy J’s Democratic Party: Kelly O’Dwyer Time: 6.15pm – 7.15pm Monday 29th September Strategies of Resistance: Beyond the Border Time: 6.15pm – 7.15pm Tuesday 30th September Wheeler Kids: The Philosophy Club: Being Good Time: 10.30am – 2.30pm Tuesday 30th September The Fifth Estate Time: 6.15pm – 7.15pm Wednesday 1st October Key of Sea Time: 6.15pm – 7.15pm Thursday 2nd October Sami Shah: I, Migrant Time: 12.45pm – 1.30pm Monday 6th October Immunisation: When science isn’t enough Time: 6.15pm – 7.15pm Monday 6th October Julia Gillard in Geelong Time: 7.15pm – 8.15pm

Thursday 9th October New News: What’s Happening in Australian Journalism? Time: 5.00pm – 6.00pm Thursday 9th October New News: Keynote: Kim Williams Time: 6.30pm – 7.45pm Friday 10th October New News: Indigenous Voices Time: 9.30am – 10.30am Friday 10th October New News: Media Policy Makers and Shakers: What can government do? Time: 11.00am – 12.00pm Friday 10th October New News Workshop: Fit to Tweet: Within the law Time: 12.00pm – 2.00pm Friday 10th October New News: Making it Pay: Perspectives from the ad world Time: 1.00pm – 2.00pm

Tuesday 7th October Julia Gillard in Melbourne Time: 7.15pm – 8.15pm

Friday 10th October New News Workshop: Crowdfunding Journalism: A report card Time: 2.30pm – 3.30pm

Wednesday 8th October Annabel Crabb: The Wife Drought Time: 6.15pm – 7.15pm

Friday 10th October New News: Upstarts Vs the Old Guard Time: 3.00pm – 4.00pm

Friday 10th October New News: The Pitch: Access the editors Time: 4.00pm – 5.30pm Friday 10th October New News: Watching Me, Watching You Time: 4.30pm – 5.30pm Friday 10th October Good conversation. Great wine: Favel Parrett Time: 7.00pm – 10.00pm Saturday 11th October New News: LEAK! Why do people leak, and why should you? Time: 9.30am – 10.30am Saturday 11th October New News: Misogyny Much? The gendered newsroom Time: 11.00am – 12.00pm Saturday 11th October New News Workshop: How to be Heard: Making a complaint against the media Time: 12.00pm – 2.00pm Saturday 11th October New News: Prophecies and Mediums Time: 12.30pm – 1.30pm Saturday 11th October New News Workshop: From Journalism to Book Time: 1.00pm – 4.00pm

Calendar. Saturday 11th October New News: The Glossies: What’s happening to magazines in the digital age? Time: 2.00pm – 3.00pm Saturday 11th October New News: Future Leaders in Journalism Time: 3.30pm – 4.30pm Saturday 11th October New News: Justice, Journalism and the Law Time: 5.00pm – 6.00pm Monday 13th October Eavesdropping on Artists: Have I No Mouth / Hello Goodbye & Happy Birthday Time: 6.00pm – 7.00pm Monday 13th October The Next Big Thing Time: 6.15pm – 7.45pm Tuesday 14th October The Fifth Estate Time: 6.15pm – 7.15pm

Friday 17th October Sammy J’s Democratic Party: Tim Fischer Time: 6.15pm – 7.15pm Saturday 18th October Eavesdropping on Artists: Framed Movements / Opus Time: 6.00pm – 7.00pm

Saturday 25th October Eavesdropping on Artists: AM I / When the mountain changes its clothing Time: 6.00pm – 7.00pm

Sunday 19th October Eavesdropping on Artists: Something Very Far Away / PRIMO Time: 6.00pm – 7.00pm

Sunday 26th October Eavesdropping on Artists: 2014 Melbourne Festival Wrap-Up Analysis Time: 6.00pm – 7.00pm

Monday 20th October Eavesdropping on Artists: Hipbone Sticking Out / TEAM OF LIFE Time: 6.00pm – 7.00pm

Monday 27th October Science Fiction Addiction Time: 6.15pm – 7.15pm

Monday 20th October Foreign Correspondents Time: 6.15pm – 7.15pm Tuesday 21st October The Last Tuesday Society: Alternate Endings Time: 7.15pm – 8.45pm

Wednesday 15th October Art and Feminism Time: 6.15pm – 7.15pm

Wednesday 22nd October Question Time: Jobs of the Future Time: 6.15pm – 7.15pm

Thursday 16th October Don Watson: The Bush Time: 12.45pm – 1.15pm

Wednesday 22nd October Molly Meldrum Time: 6.15pm – 7.15pm

Thursday 16th October One in Two: Juvenile Injustice Time: 6.15pm – 7.15pm

Thursday 23rd October Kate Richards: Madness Time: 12.45pm – 1.30pm

Thursday 23rd October Peter Carey Time: 7.30pm – 8.30pm

Tuesday 28th October The Fifth Estate Time: 6.15pm – 7.15pm Wednesday 29th October A Woman’s Place is in the House (and in the Senate) Time: 6.15pm – 7.15pm Wednesday 29th October Thomas Keneally Time: 7.00pm – 8.00pm Thursday 30th October Class Act Time: 12.45pm – 1.30pm Friday 31st October Yotam Ottolenghi Time: 6.30pm – 7.30pm Wednesday 5th November Now Read This: Emily Bitto and Ceridwen Dovey Time: 6.15pm – 7.15pm

Thursday 6th November Graeme Simsion: Asperger’s In (My) Fiction Time: 12.45pm – 1.15pm Thursday 6th November The Novella: Forgotten Stories Time: 6.15pm – 7.15pm

Thursday 13th November Robert Dessaix Time: 12.45pm – 1.45pm

Wednesday 26th November The Future of Sex Time: 6.15pm – 7.45pm

Thursday 13th November Children on Democracy Time: 6.15pm – 7.15pm

Wednesday 26th November Words and music: Elena Kats-Chernin and Helen Garner Time: 7.00pm – 8.00pm

Thursday 6th November David Walsh Time: 7.30pm – 8.30pm

Friday 14th November Good conversation. Great wine: Michelle de Kretser Time: 7.00pm – 10.00pm

Sunday 9th November Melbourne Citizens’ Forum Time: 10.30am – 5.30pm

Monday 17th November Cover Girls Uncovered Time: 6.15pm – 7.15pm

Monday 10th November Patrick McCaughey in Melbourne Time: 6.15pm – 7.15pm

Tuesday 18th November IQ2: Coal-ired Power will Soon be Obsolete Time: 6.30pm – 8.30pm

Monday 10th November The Next Big Thing Time: 6.15pm – 7.15pm

Wednesday 19th November Question Time: Transport Time: 6.15pm – 7.15pm

Tuesday 11th November The Fifth Estate Time: 6.15pm – 7.15pm

Thursday 20th November The Hard Sell: Dee Madigan on Political Advertising Time: 12.45pm – 1.30pm

Tuesday 11th November Patrick McCaughey in Queensclif Time: 6.30pm – 7.30pm

Thursday 20th November Erotic Fan Fiction Time: 7.30pm – 8.30pm

Wednesday 12th November Art & Health Time: 6.15pm – 7.15pm

Monday 24th November Women on Women Time: 6.15pm – 7.15pm

Wednesday 12th November Matthew Reilly Time: 7.00pm – 8.00pm

Tuesday 25th November Men on Men Time: 6.15pm – 7.15pm

Thursday 27th November Intersex Bodies and the Society that Shapes Them Time: 12.45pm – 1.15pm Thursday 27th November The Trans Body Politic Time: 6.15pm – 7.15pm Friday 28th November Queer Writing Unconference Time: 1.00pm – 4.30pm Friday 28th November Queering the Margins Time: 6.15pm – 7.15pm Saturday 29th November Woolf & Wilde: A Queer Party Time: 8.00pm – 11.00pm Monday 1st December The Next Big Thing: Hot Desk Edition Time: 6.15pm – 7.15pm Thursday 11th December The Show of the Year Time: 7.30pm – 9.30pm

The Venue

wheelercentre.com

The Wheeler Centre is located in a wing of the State Library on the corner of Swanston Street and Little Lonsdale Street.

Most events are ilmed and uploaded to our website for your debate and discussion.

The Wheeler Centre entrance is in Little Lonsdale Street. The venue is serviced by Swanston Street trams and Melbourne Central train station. Parking is available opposite in the QV complex.

Booking Tickets

Further Information Visit wheelercentre.com or call 03 9094 7800 during business hours.

All Wheeler Centre events held within our performance space are FREE â&#x20AC;&#x201C; with events at larger, external venues usually charged at $20 and $12 concession or $35 and $20 concession per ticket. All tickets can be booked at wheelercentre.com Bookings strongly recommended. The Wheeler Centre reserves the right to add, withdraw or substitute artists from time to time.

Creative by Actual Size