"I think capitalism follows the model of fire. And so when a fire reaches a certain size, and this is something you're painfully familiar with, it is unstoppable."
My conversation with @johnvaillant.bsky.social at last year's @byronwritersfest.bsky.social is now live with @drilledmedia.bsky.social.
See the one and only Bob Brown in the Northern Rivers this October!
Bob will be joined by former magistrate David Heilpern to discuss Defiance: Stories from Nature and Its Defenders.
Monday 13 October 6:30pm
A&I Hall, Bangalow
Get tickets www.byronwritersfestival.com/events/bob-b...
The Festival extends its support to the Meanjin editorial and production team, particularly editor Esther Anatolitis who appeared at the 2025 Festival to promote Essays that Changed Australia. (4/4)
Indeed, MUP's own recent publication 'Essays that Changed Australia: Meanjin 1940 to Today' charts how, for decades, Meanjin has shaped the national cultural agenda, in addition to providing a vital platform for writers producing new creative work and criticism. (3/4)
The meaning and value of culture cannot be captured in market terms, and the cultural loss of Meanjin will far exceed what can be measured on a balance sheet. (2/4)
Meanjin logo with white text on black background
Byron Writers Festival is deeply concerned by the shuttering of Meanjin, one of Australia's oldest, most revered and influential literary magazines, for 'financial' reasons. (1/4)
A photo of the man doing the finger horns gesture, while holding up a copy of the book of mortal gestures, a pale hardback with blue hands on the cover
While in Byron for @byronwritersfest.bsky.social, I walked into the Book Room Collective and defaced these hardbacks ruinously.
If you’re a local, please help me cover up this crime by buying these books.
Byron Writers Festival 2025 Cancelled Due To Weather: We are devastated and we share our community's disappointment and loss that comes with a festival cancellation. We will be in touch as soon as possible with updates www.byronwritersfestival.com/festival
The Byron Writers Festival program has been launched. I'm looking forward to yarning w/ Michael Williams, Vincent Fantauzzo, Gail Jones, & Grace Lucas-Pennington, PLUS doing storytime w lit.tle ones on Sunday. AND being inspired by all the other writers.
www.byronwritersfestival.com/festival/pro...
See you at Byron Writers Festival where I’ll be talking cultural and political nation-building in four big sessions! Such an honour to speak alongside greatly admired writers including Thomas Mayo, Barry Jones, Tom Keneally and more. Tix will sell fast: www.byronwritersfestival.com/festival/wri...
Cover of the book "Fire Weather" by John Vaillant.
If you're in the area and can drop in to Byron Writers Festival next week, I'm on a couple of sessions, including one on the Friday at 2pm where I'll be talking to the author of this exquisite book about climate change and the fire that consumed an Canadian oil town in 2016.
Come say hi.
Spend this weekend with some of the world's best writers. Plan your big literary escape at Byron Writers Festival '25.
www.byronwritersfestival.com
So looking forward to this!
It's almost here! Byron Writers Festival '25 features more than 160 extraordinary writers on Bundjalung Country this 8-10 August.
Explore the program and plan your visit >>
byronwritersfestival.com/festival
