Metaphorical hauntings are a dime a dozen in literary fiction, but what does it take to include ghosts or spirits in your story, without risking your novel making its way onto the horror or fantasy shelves?
In Steve MinOn’s darkly ironic novel, First Name Second Name, a dead man walks back through four generations of family estrangements to recover his lost identity. This solitary nocturnal pilgrimage to Far North Queensland deftly reckons with racial, familial and sexual identities, earning Steve the 2023 Glendower Award for an Emerging Queensland Writer.
Natasha Rai’s An Onslaught of Light is an equally stunning debut, about migration, diaspora and queer identity, following Indian-Australian protagonist Archana, and her parents Indu and Vijay, all of whom are haunted by memory, regret and complex family bonds.
Join these celebrated debut novelists as they discuss form, story and character, and the spirits haunting their work.
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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.
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This venue is wheelchair accessible. Please visit our Accessibility page or email hello@bluemountainswritersfestival.com.au if you have any other accessibility requirements.