How do you write a book that’s sprawling in scope yet crafted with precision? Stories that feel vast yet fiercely intimate.
Beloved literary critic Beejay Silcox joins acclaimed novelist Christos Tsiolkas and debut author Steve MinOn in conversation as they reflect on their latest novels, exploring themes of desire, masculinity, ageing, class and queerness.
Author of Loaded, Damascus and The Slap, Christos offers possibly his most tender novel yet with In-Between, a contemporary love story between two middle-aged men, told with wisdom, grace and heart. Steve’s award-winning debut, First Name Second Name, tracks family histories alongside a startling nocturnal journey of its recently deceased protagonist. Genre-bending and expansive, the novel’s rendering of the body manages to be both grotesque and hauntingly subtle.
Beejay Silcox is a writer and book critic. Her work appears in high-profile publications across three continents and is renowned for its resolute (some might say, foolhardy) honesty. She has been described as “the most significant new Australian critic in decades”.
Christos Tsiolkas is the author of eight novels, Loaded, The Jesus Man, Dead Europe, The Slap, Barracuda, Damascus, 7 1/2, and The In-Between, as well as the short story collection, Merciless Gods. Christos is also a playwright, scriptwriter and film reviewer. He is a patron of Writers Victoria and a past winner of the Melbourne Prize for Literature.
Steve MinOn was an internationally awarded advertising copywriter and a restaurateur before becoming a writer of fiction. His debut novel First Name Second Name was awarded the Glendower Award for an Emerging Queensland Writer in the 2023 Queensland Literary Awards. Steve has written often about outsiders and his family’s mixed-race ancestral history, and his articles and short stories have been published in SBS Voices, Mamamia and various anthologies.
-
This event is part of the Main Program and included as part of Platinum, Gold, Silver and Saturday Bronze Passes.
Subject to availability, a limited number of single tickets may become available 9 September.
-
This venue is wheelchair accessible. Please visit our Accessibility page or email hello@bluemountainswritersfestival.com.au if you have any other accessibility requirements.