I have to admit that at first I wasn't exactly looking forward to heading up to Byron Bay for a writers' festival. I wasn't sure what to expect from a place which had a reputation for being a hangout for hippies, a kind of middle class Nimbin. Boy, was I wrong!
This was a superb festival held at a fantastic venue and with a fun crowd. It was a family carnival atmosphere, and there was no shortage of writers and books for kids and young adults sharing the big stages with authors catering for bigger kids.
One of the stars of the festival was Imran Ahmad, whose terrific book Unimagined (which I reviewed here) managed to sell in bucketloads. Here's a pic of Imran standing next to a somewhat less prominent writer.
The authors had their own separate space called the Green Room. At Byron, our room consisted of a separate white tent.
It was amazing who you could bump into at the Green Room. Here is author and speechwriter Bob Ellis ...
... and here is historian Thomas Keneally ...
... and here is the very funny Gretel Killeen seated on the left ...
... and here is the also very funny Mungo MacCallum standing next to one of his biggest fans ...
All in all it was a superb way to spend a long weekend. I feel like writing another topical book just so that they will call me back next year! More details and photos later.
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