Melbourne Literature Events: June Edition

It’s going to be a long, bitter winter. Aside from red wine and a warm companion to hibernate with, the next best thing is a book. Or red wine and television, or red wine and food, or red wine and rock n roll. If there were a God and not some Nordic frost spirit enchanting this fair city, you could somehow combine all these things.

Now I’m not God, nor a vengeful frost beast, but I have figured out a plan to combine most of these wonderful, wintry things. All you need is to provide your own wine. I recommend filling a hip flask, wrapping a scarf and swaggering down to The Wheeler Centre (176 Lt. Lonsdale St) on June 7 for The Writer’s Banquet – a tasty trek through literature’s greatest gastronomies hosted by Romona Koval. If you’re more into Breaking Bad than breaking bread, on June 7 Adam Zwar, scribe of Wilfred, and Robyn Butler will be offering their views on writing for television in the imaginatively titled talk – Written for the Telly.

From dogs ripping bongs to loners blowing whistles, UK journalist Barbara Gunnel leads the launch of the Griffith Review 32 with her lecture Rebel, Public Nuisance and Dreamer: Julian Assange Standing Alone on June 9. If you’re still unsure if Assange is a just a geek who graduated from browsing gangbangs on Redtube to (allegedly) groping Swedes, or the only man who can keep the bastard’s honest, a special symposium hosted by La Trobe’s Ideas and Society Program should help clarify with their investigation of everything Assange-inspired, Does Wikileaks Matter? on June 13.

If a salacious silver fox isn’t your idea of a rebel, Australia’s leading rock photographer Tony Mott can give you the low down at the launch of his new book Rock ‘n’ Roll Photography Is The New Trainspotting. Having spent 30 years shooting legends like the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan and Fleetwood Mac, this guy will no doubt be swapping stories on June 9 at Readings in St. Kilda (112 Acland St).

The Victorian Writers’ Centre has their own secrets to divulge with two events hosted at The Wheeler Centre. On June 30 Melanie Dankel will present Publishing Perspectives: Facts about Fiction Publishing, in association with Allen & Unwin, Black Dog Books and Kill Your Darlings. Discussing everything from market trends, the journey from manuscript to book and how to correctly approach a publisher, this event will keep you rugged up and indoors polishing off those undiscovered literary gems.

But if the death of the book tolls in your ears, freelance writer and woman about the web Clem Bastow is offering her guidance on Writing for the Web from June 22. From understanding the importance of ‘hits’ and ‘page views’ to the similarities and differences between old and new media, this workshop is perfect for those who want to sit around in their underwear all day lolling around on the interweb.

Of course, this list is only useful if you can’t find someone to join you in front of the fireplace on the bearskin rug.