IAC Writers in Conversation
(20%)
(80%)
Bring Back Yesterday: The Hon Bob Carr on Love, Loss, and Memory (Catch up Online)[[link]]
The Hon Bob Carr was elected Premier of New South Wales in 1995. He went on to serve for over ten years, becoming the longest-serving premier in the state's history. In 2012, he served as Australia's Foreign Minister in the Gillard and Rudd governments. In 2026, Carr published his personal memoir Bring Back Yesterday, a deeply moving tribute to beloved wife Helena and a celebration of the love, companionship, humour, and shared passion for art, culture and history that shaped their life together.
Writers in Conversation with Siang Lu (Catch up Online)[[link]]
Siang Lu, born in Malaysia and raised in Brisbane, completed the manuscript of Ghost Cities in 2015. It took nearly a decade and more than 200 rejections from publishers before the book was finally published in 2024. It then picked up the most prestigious literary award in Australia. While Siang Lu was collecting rejection slips for Ghost Cities, he wrote and published his other brilliant book, The Whitewash (2022), a scathing, hilarious satire of Asian misrepresentation in the film industry.
Writers in Conversation with Tracey Holmes (Catch up Online)[[link]]
Tracey Holmes is one of Australia’s most recognised broadcasters, with a career spanning nearly 40 years across radio, television, and digital media. She is internationally respected for her work exploring the intersection of sport, politics, culture, and society on a global stage, and has built a strong reputation for rigorous reporting on the political, economic, and ethical dimensions of global sport. In 2025 Tracey Holmes published her memoir The Eye of the Dragonfly in which she reflects on her life in sports journalism while examining the deeper forces shaping global sport.
Writers in Conversation with Jumaana Abdu (Catch up Online)[[link]]
This conversation features Jumaana Abdu, an award-winning and brilliant young Australian writer. Topics covered include how Jumaana has carved out her literary career while continuing her work as a medical doctor; what fuels her literary exploration; and the emergence of new voices that are reshaping contemporary Australian literature.
Writers in Conversation with Linda Jaivin[[link]]
IAC partnered with Rochford Gallery in holding this conversation with author Linda Jaivin, artist Guo Jian and Professor Jing Han on Jaivin’s new book Bombard the Headquarters! The Cultural Revolution in China at Rochford Gallery in North Sydney. Linda Jaivin is the internationally published author of thirteen books, including seven novels, a prolific essayist and literary translator from Chinese specialising in film subtitling. Her latest book Bombard the Headquarters! China’s Cultural Revolution, published in April in the UK and June in Australia, gives ariveting account of a turbulent period in Chinese history.
Writers in Conversation with Shankari Chandran (Catch up Online)[[link]]
Shankari Chandran was born in London to Sri Lankan Tamil parents and grew up in Canberra. She studied law at the University of New South Wales and has worked as a lawyer in the social justice field for two decades. Her literary career began in 2017 with the publication of her first two novels, Song of the Sun God and The Barrier. In 2022, she published Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens, which won the 2023 Miles Franklin Award, Australia’s most prestigious literary honour. In this conversation, Shankari Chandran will share insights into the themes she explores in her work, her writing process, and why literary creation matters to her.