Coming up at
The Wheeler Centre

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May 18
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Chad Harbach and Jeanette Winterson
May 19
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This Isn't a Movement, It's a Moment: When Public Space, Politics and Art Collide
May 20
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Can Art be Both Beautiful and Effective?
May 20
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Jeff Kinney - Diary of a Wimpy Kid
May 21
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1.4 Billion People in Poverty. Now That Everyone's an Artist, and Everyone's a Journalist - Who Will Tell Their Stories?
May 21
Debut_mondays
Debut Mondays
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This Week: Eugenides, Winterson, Doyle, Rimington and more
Latest Essay: Tony Birch on Short Australian Fiction
City of Literature Calendar: Add your event now
This Sunday: Children's Choice Author of the Year, Jeff Kinney
The Moat Café/Bar/Restaurant: Now Open
Friday Night with Jeanette Winterson

Highlights

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Texts in the City: Cosí

File under: Videos (17 May 12)

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Working with Words: Ruby J. Murray

Debut novelist Ruby J. Murray speaks to us about her writing career so far, the importance of having people to share your rejection letters with, and her favourite writing advice: you can't edit a blank page.

File under: Dailies (17 May 12)

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Modernist Romantic: Jeffrey Eugenides at the Comedy Theatre

When the Wheeler Centre's Michael Williams interviewed Jeffrey Eugeindes at the Comedy Theatre last night, they talked humour in fiction, dressing like James Joyce, becoming a writer, experiments with form ... and why you should never put a bandana on a character.

File under: Dailies (16 May 12)

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AWG 50th Anniversary: David Williamson State of the Industry Address

File under: Videos (15 May 12)

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Not in the Mood: Clementine Ford on Bettina Arndt

Clementine Ford attended Bettina Arndt's Lunchbox/Soapbox on Why Sex Matters So Much to Men at the Wheeler Centre last Thursday. Clementine tells why she vehemently disagrees with Arndt's views on men, sex – and whether women should say 'yes' to their partners even when they're not in the mood.

File under: Dailies (15 May 12)

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Lunchbox/Soapbox: Chris Stedman: Faithiest: How an Atheist Found Common Ground with the Religious

File under: Videos (14 May 12)

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Cancer, Sex, Art and Mortality: Joshua Cody

The Wheeler Centre's Jo Case reviews Joshua Cody's brilliant memoir of cancer, sex, mortality, art and New York. She calls it a virtuoso performance by the young composer; a brilliant meditation on the position of illness (and art) within a life and on the way we craft our own stories.

File under: Dailies (13 May 12)

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Friday High Five: Art Stars, Cool Doppelgängers, Procrastination and a Send-Off for Sendak

In this week's Friday High Five, we celebrate cutting-edge art, search for our other selves, water our creativity and farewell Maurice Sendak.

File under: Dailies (11 May 12)

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Australian Literature 101: Judith Wright: Poems

File under: Videos (10 May 12)

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Lunchbox/Soapbox: Bettina Arndt on Why Sex Matters So Much to Men

File under: Videos (10 May 12)

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Sjón and the Literature of Iceland

Hannah Kent, deputy editor of Kill Your Darlings, has spent time living and writing in Iceland, the setting for her forthcoming debut novel, over the past eight years. She provides a perfect introduction to Icelandic literature – and next week's Wheeler Centre guest Sjón in particular – in this passionate appreciation.

File under: Dailies (10 May 12)

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George Megalogenis: The Australian Moment

File under: Videos (10 May 12)

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Thank You for Phoning: Mobile Phones and Cancer

Do you speak on your mobile for 30 minutes a day or more? If so, a major study reports you have a 40% higher risk of some brain tumours. Leading neurosurgeon Charlie Teo has gone public with his concerns that mobile phones may be causing a rise in brain tumours; and that we need better research to find out what we're facing. Author and scientist Devra Davis has written about the dangers of mobile use in 'Disconnect'. She also has tips on how to use your mobile safely.

File under: Dailies (09 May 12)

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Lunchbox/Soapbox: Ken Haley on Why Everyone Should Be in a Wheelchair

File under: Videos (09 May 12)

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Working with Words: Tony Birch

In our latest Working with Words, we talk to current Miles Franklin shortlistee Tony Birch about writing, teaching creative writing, finding your mentor on the page, and dreaming of being Atticus Finch's son.

File under: Dailies (08 May 12)

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Dava Sobel and Barbara Arrowsmith-Young

Who says science is dominated by men? Well, it might be, but these two remarkable women – Barbara Arrowsmith-Young and Dava Sobel – are at the top of their fields. Barbara Arrowsmith-Young…

File under: Calendar

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Trolls, Donkeys and Bigots: Is Freedom of Speech Over-rated?

As an opinionated lady who shares those opinions for a living, writer and broadcaster Clementine Ford is no stranger to debates about freedom of speech. She explains why freedom of speech is often misread to mean a licence to spread bigotry – and why true freedom of speech can never be over-rated.

File under: Dailies (07 May 12)

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Hisham Matar

Hisham Matar was born in New York City to Libyan parents and spent his childhood first in Tripoli and then in Cairo. His first novel, *In the Country of Men*, was published in 2006 and was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize, The Guardian First Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award in the US.

File under: Presenters

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The Fifth Estate: Educational Principles

File under: Videos (06 May 12)

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Sarah L'Estrange

Sarah L’Estrange is a producer on Books and Arts Daily, ABC Radio National.

File under: Presenters

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Friday High Five: David Simon blogs, rejected New Yorker covers

In this week's Friday High Five, we visit David Simon's blog, share rejected New Yorker covers, watch a savvy Belgian attempt to stop teens from texting-and-driving, read Jason Epstein on why books have a future, and view art made out of schoolbooks.

File under: Dailies (04 May 12)

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Australian Literature 101: Henry Handel Richardson: The Getting of Wisdom

File under: Videos (03 May 12)

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Texts in the City: Interpreter of Maladies

File under: Videos (03 May 12)

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Chad Harbach and Jeanette Winterson

Some writers – and readers – like to play it safe. Others test the cutting edge of literature, defying conventional wisdom to invent new genres or dare to follow their obsessions. Chad Harbach has…

File under: Calendar

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Page to Screen: Franzen, Hemingway and The Hobbit

News broke today that the much-talked-about television adaptation of Jonathan Franzen's The Corrections has fallen through, with HBO rejecting the star-studded pilot. To cheer you up, we look at some literary adaptations currently in the works, from Clive Owen and Nicole Kidman as Hemingway and Gellhorn, to the first images from the set of Ang Lee's Life of Pi.

File under: Dailies (02 May 12)

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Snowblind

What could be better on a cold winter’s night than curling up in a nice intimate spot to hear some of your favourite writers spin a tale? This winter we present three nights of storytelling in The…

File under: Calendar

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Housewife Superspy: Stella Rimington

Stella Rimington has been called Britain's most famous spy and is rumoured to be the inspiration for Judi Dench's Bond character M. But Rimington scoffs at Bond; she's more of a Le Carre woman. And like Le Carre, she's a spook-turned-spy novelist, with her bestselling Liz Carlyle series. Here, we learn about the 'quiet revolution' that enabled her to be the first woman to head a major intelligence agency, the 'tap on the shoulder' that brought her into the business, and juggling her personal life with the everyday business of espionage.

File under: Dailies (01 May 12)

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Joshua Cody

Joshua Cody's first book is *[sic]*, a memoir about cancer, creativity and twentysomething life in New York City.

File under: Presenters

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Good Things End

Spain's Librería General de Arte Martínez Pérez, open since 1890, is one of those bookshops that looks like it's always been and always will be. So when Ailsa Piper received word of its closure, it felt like more than simply the demise of a business.

File under: Dailies (30 Apr 12)

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Texts in the City: Growing Up Asian in Australia

File under: Videos (30 Apr 12)


What is the
Wheeler Centre?

Melbourne has a new kind of cultural institution, the Wheeler Centre. The Centre, and its website, are dedicated to the discussion and practice of writing and ideas.

Through a year-round programme of talks and lectures, readings and debates, and an evolving site featuring video and live blogging, we invite you to join the conversation.

Where to
find us

The Wheeler Centre Auditorium

176 Little Lonsdale Street
Melbourne
Victoria 3000
Telephone enquiries: (03) 9094 7800

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