A successful talk about Cecil Beaton at Ashfield Library

Photo by Thang Ngo

I did one of my Saturday illustrated lectures at Ashfield Library yesterday and it went swimmingly.

The subject was the fabulous and glamorous Cecil Beaton.

Cecil Beaton and Alice B. Toklas

Good numbers, which was encouraging. I spent some money, for the first time, on doing a sponsored post on Facebook, and I think this made a difference - more of my friends came than usual, I am sure because they had noticed the post. Not sure it had any impact in bringing in new faces, though, but there were certainly plenty there.

I was happy to note quite a few people who usually only go to weekday sessions coming along to a Saturday morning talk, so that was good.

The celebrity-studded audience included Women's Weekly astrologer Jessica Adams, Lindfield Bookshop owner Scott Whitmont, lecturer and literary historian Joanna Penglase and writer and guru Maggie Hamilton.

The talk went seamlessly, except for one slip-up where I showed a slide and said it was Greta Garbo when it was in fact Katharine Hepburn. Embarrassing :-) But they were a forgiving crowd, and I soon got over that little slip up.

These talks take  up a lot of time and requires hours and hours of reading a research, so I am glad that people come along and enjoy them. These kinds of activities are an increasingly important part of the public service that libraries offer their communities, but they can only continue if people actually support them. To see so many there yesterday was heartening indeed. The program at Ashfield Library is particularly good, rich and varied - do check it out, and do schedule in all of the amazing talks and activities you can.

On that note, here are some of my upcoming activities at Ashfield Library:

Hope to see you there!

Get Your Poetry Up and Out There - Free literary event in Parramatta, May 2015

It's great to have interesting arts events in Western Sydney, and Felicity Castagna's curated series of literary explorations is fantastic.

I'll be going along to this month's which concentrates on poetry, and I hope to see you there. It's also a part of the Sydney Writers' Festival:


Get Your Poetry Up and Out There

 Thursday, May 21 2015         6:30 PM - 7:30 PM         Free, no bookings
    Parramatta Artists Studios, Level Two, 68 Macquarie St, Parramatta


From taking the traditional route of magazine and book publishing to performing, blogging and YouTubing, this panel gives you all the advice you need to get your poetry out there.

Featuring some of the most innovative and prolific poets and editors in Australia right now: Elizabeth Allen (Vagabond Press), Fiona Wright (Giramondo Publishing), Michelle Cahill (Mascara Literary Review) and Ahmad Al Rady (Bankstown Poetry Slam). Come for a drink, a chat and a listen. BYO your own material for the open mic.

Supported by the University of Western Sydney and Parramatta City Council

Talk with Susannah Fullerton at Leichhardt Library - 12 February 2015

Susannah Fullerton

One of the things I always tell writers and creatives in my classes and workshops is that the best way to get excited about your own creative projects is to go and see a genuinely creative person in action. I get many of my best ideas in attending talks, classes and workshops, and find the careers, interests and habits of other writers endlessly fascinating.

If you're in Sydney in February you have the opportunity to see one of this city's most creative and energetic writers in action - and all for free! The fabulous Susannah Fullerton is really one of my teachers and mentors, and I am in awe of her energy, her commitment to writing, literature and education and her skills as a writer and speaker. I can genuinely say I am a fan boy, and I go to see her at every opportunity.

On the evening of the 12th of February Susannah is at Leichhardt Library talking about Sydney’s literary visitors, drawing from her tremendous book Brief Encounters. I'm going, and I know a lot of other people will be as well, so I really recommend you book your free spot now.

Details:


Evening Talk with Susannah Fullerton @ Leichhardt Library
When:
12 Feb 2015
What time:
6:30 PM  - 8:00 PM
Where:
Leichhardt Library
Piazza Level -Italian Forum, 23 Norton St
Leichhardt , NSW, Australia
Event Details:
Join renowned literary lecturer Susannah Fullerton for a discussion of her popular book 'Brief Encounters : Literary Travellers in Australia'. Free event. Bookings - Online or call 9367 9266.
More information:
In Brief Encounters Susannah examines a diverse array of distinguished writers who came to Australia in the 19th and 20th centuries - Darwin, Trollope, Conrad, D.H. Lawrence, Twain, Agatha Christie, Kipling, H.G. Wells and others.

D. H. lawrence

Why did they make the long and arduous trek to Australia, what did they do when they got here, how did the Australian public react to them, and how were their future works shaped or influenced by this country?
Thursday 12 February
6:30pm
Leichhardt Library
Free event - All welcome - Refreshments served
Bookings - online or call 9367 9266

Swedenborgian Talk in Sydney, Friday 23rd November

One of the most formative philosophies in the self-help movement is that of Swedenborgianism. Many of the earliest writers in self-help were interested in the writings of Swedenborg or had direct links to the Swedenborgian New Church.
On the 23rd of November my dear friend Julian Duckworth, himself a Swedenborgian New Church Minister, is giving a really fascinating talk at the Swedenborg Centre in North Ryde. Here are the details:

Can we change who we are and if so, how?
Speaker: Julian Duckworth
FRIDAY 23TH NOVEMBER 2012 at 7.45pm
1 Avon Road, North Ryde
Cost: $7; concession $5 (including refreshments)

One of the great questions of all time is whether or not we human beings can change. That question throws up many others... What do we mean by "change"? Are we perhaps predisposed to be who we are by nature? And what exactly might that be? Is the fact that trying to change is so difficult pointing out that we can't or maybe that we are not trying hard enough? And why should we think about changing ourselves anyway? Can't I just be me?
We will take a good hard long look at this whole idea of us changing and try and keep a balance between reality and wishful thinking. We will draw in some spiritual points and also look at a few case-histories. And if we come to the point of thinking that we can change, we'll try and open up some possible ways.



Julian Duckworth is the Minister at the New Church in Roseville, a Swedenborgian-based church which sees the Bible and Christian teachings through Swedenborg’s spiritual writings. He has regularly presented talks at both the Swedenborg Centre and around New South Wales and further afield, and he enjoys spreading out to come into contact with many other rich and wholesome spiritual approaches, while valuing the Swedenborg base he feels privileged to have received.










Swedenborg Association of Australia Inc.
North Ryde Group - Telephone: (02) 9888 1066
website: www.swedenborg.com.au

Maggie Hamilton and the Fairies - Friday December 11

My wonderful friend and colleague Maggie Hamilton has brought out the most remarkable book on a most interesting topic - Fairies.
Maggie will be speaking at the New Church in Roseville on Friday the 11th of December at 7.30pm about the fascinating story behind the book, and I hope you'll all come! The evening is free, though donations will be accepted for the Loving Arms orphanage in Nepal.
The new book, Meeting Fairies, is a collection of writing about fairies made by R. Ogilvie Crombie (or ROC, as he was affectionately known), a modern-day mystic and one of the founders of the Findhorn community.
He was convinced of the reality of Fairies, and in fact had many encounters with them.
Maggie had access to ROC's archives and private papers, and has assembled a magical book that explores the message of the nature spirits, and their importance in Western mythology.

Meeting Fairies - an Evening with Maggie Hamilton
The New Church
4 Shirley Rd
Roseville
7.30pm Friday December 11
All welcome!
Entry by donation - all proceeds go to the Loving Arms Children's Home in Nepal