- 4pm, Sunday May 22 at Carriageworks, Sydney. FREE.
SBS Voices has teamed up with the Sydney Writer’s Festival in 2022 to present a panel event on memoir storytelling, with special guest, writer and broadcaster, Benjamin Law.
The panel event, called ‘?’, promises to be a lively discussion on the perils and pitfalls of using your life as a literary canvas, especially for writers from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
On the agenda for discussion: How do I broach sensitive subjects like sex, politics and family secrets? Will I alienate my community with my storytelling? How do I make sure I’m not stereotyping and causing more harm? Can I ever face family dinners again after my work is published? And seriously, what if my mum reads it?
"In some ways, writing a memoir can feel like a borderline sociopathic thing to do,'' Law says.
"You want to tell your story, but unless you’re a hermit, that story involves other people. And depending on your cultural background, navigating how to do that can be extremely tricky."
Accompanying Law at the panel event are SBS Emerging Writers Competition alumni , and . Yen and Hicks are the 2021 and 2020 competition winners, respectively, while Bailey was a finalist and will have her debut novel published this year.
SBS Voices senior writer and presenter Sarah Malik will moderate the event.
SBS Voices managing editors Natalie Hambly and Danielle Teutsch, founders of the, said a panel event centring on memoir storytelling was a natural choice for the festival.
“We’re thrilled to have a presence at the festival for the first time. As the SBS Emerging Writers’ Competition centres on the memoir genre, it makes sense to answer those questions that entrants struggle with,’’ they said.
“Memoir is a powerful form of storytelling, and can bring about a great sense of freedom - but can come at a personal cost. How much do you give of your story, and how much do you keep for yourself? These are all the questions our panel will be grappling with.”
May 22, 4:00pm-5:00pm at Carriageworks, Eveleigh, NSW.
Free, no bookings required.
The Sydney Writers' Festival runs from 16 to 22 May. swf.org.au.
Listen to SBS Voices' new podcast, , in the , , , , or wherever you listen to podcasts. In the Caitlin Chang and Sarah Malik discuss their must-see events at this year's Sydney Writers' Festival.
