Hollywood stars sign on for Brisbane Writers Festival
'We've got books that the other festivals can't program, because they weren't out when the festival was on,' Ryan says.
For example, Sally Hepworth (The Secrets of Midwives) will be participating to discuss her brand new book, Mad Mabel, which doesn't hit shelves until the week preceding the festival.
One major theme that emerged in planning this year's event was Hollywood. US actor Ione Skye, who has starred in films alongside Keanu Reeves and John Cusack, is attending to present her memoir, Say Everything, while actor-director Griffin Dunne will talk about his memoir, The Friday Afternoon Club.
Skye is famous for the 'boombox' scene in the film Say Anything..., while Dunne, who starred in An American Werewolf in London and Martin Scorsese's After Hours, is part of a literary dynasty including Vanity Fair journalist Dominick Dunne (his father) and author Joan Didion (his aunt).
'It's not too often you get a memoir that's unputdownable, but it's one of the best family memoirs I've ever read,' Ryan says.
Continuing the filmic theme will be an appearance from author Vicki Hastrich. Hastrich has written a biography of legendary author and Hollywood producer Zane Grey, detailing Grey's adventures in Australia and New Zealand hunting sharks in the 1930s.
Sadly, the late critic David Stratton had also agreed to appear, prior to his death this week.
Pulitzer Prize finalist Sophie Gilbert, author of Girl on Girl: How Pop Culture Turned a Generation of Women Against Themselves, will be on hand to discuss the impact of 'feuds', such as Jennifer vs Angelina, on today's feminism.
Food is another major theme, with appearances from UK pastry chef Helen Goh, processed food opponent Lucie Morris-Marr, MasterChef judge Melissa Leong and aficionado of the Australian Women's Weekly cookbooks, Lauren Samuelsson.
Other Aussie greats appearing include Di Morrissey, Helen Garner, Anita Heiss, Anne Summers, Sophie Wainwright and Michael Robotham.
Ryan says that ticket sales for the event have doubled since 2022 and now account for half the festival's income.
She believes literary festivals highlight the importance of reading to a society's wellbeing.
'It's one of those skills that if you don't use it, you will lose it. I have people telling me they find it hard to find time to read a book, and when they do, they find it hard to concentrate.
'It's a core tenet of democracy… if you can't read, you're just having to receive.'
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Sydney Morning Herald
11 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Hollywood stars sign on for Brisbane Writers Festival
This year sees some big changes to the four-day Brisbane Writers Festival. It's been moved from the State Library to the larger venues of the Brisbane Powerhouse. It has also been moved from May to October to capitalise on late-year releases and to provide more distance from writers' festivals in other states. 'We've got books that the other festivals can't program, because they weren't out when the festival was on,' Ryan says. For example, Sally Hepworth (The Secrets of Midwives) will be participating to discuss her brand new book, Mad Mabel, which doesn't hit shelves until the week preceding the festival. One major theme that emerged in planning this year's event was Hollywood. US actor Ione Skye, who has starred in films alongside Keanu Reeves and John Cusack, is attending to present her memoir, Say Everything, while actor-director Griffin Dunne will talk about his memoir, The Friday Afternoon Club. Skye is famous for the 'boombox' scene in the film Say Anything..., while Dunne, who starred in An American Werewolf in London and Martin Scorsese's After Hours, is part of a literary dynasty including Vanity Fair journalist Dominick Dunne (his father) and author Joan Didion (his aunt). 'It's not too often you get a memoir that's unputdownable, but it's one of the best family memoirs I've ever read,' Ryan says. Continuing the filmic theme will be an appearance from author Vicki Hastrich. Hastrich has written a biography of legendary author and Hollywood producer Zane Grey, detailing Grey's adventures in Australia and New Zealand hunting sharks in the 1930s. Sadly, the late critic David Stratton had also agreed to appear, prior to his death this week. Pulitzer Prize finalist Sophie Gilbert, author of Girl on Girl: How Pop Culture Turned a Generation of Women Against Themselves, will be on hand to discuss the impact of 'feuds', such as Jennifer vs Angelina, on today's feminism. Food is another major theme, with appearances from UK pastry chef Helen Goh, processed food opponent Lucie Morris-Marr, MasterChef judge Melissa Leong and aficionado of the Australian Women's Weekly cookbooks, Lauren Samuelsson. Other Aussie greats appearing include Di Morrissey, Helen Garner, Anita Heiss, Anne Summers, Sophie Wainwright and Michael Robotham. Ryan says that ticket sales for the event have doubled since 2022 and now account for half the festival's income. She believes literary festivals highlight the importance of reading to a society's wellbeing. 'It's one of those skills that if you don't use it, you will lose it. I have people telling me they find it hard to find time to read a book, and when they do, they find it hard to concentrate. 'It's a core tenet of democracy… if you can't read, you're just having to receive.'
The Age
11 hours ago
- The Age
Hollywood stars sign on for Brisbane Writers Festival
This year sees some big changes to the four-day Brisbane Writers Festival. It's been moved from the State Library to the larger venues of the Brisbane Powerhouse. It has also been moved from May to October to capitalise on late-year releases and to provide more distance from writers' festivals in other states. 'We've got books that the other festivals can't program, because they weren't out when the festival was on,' Ryan says. For example, Sally Hepworth (The Secrets of Midwives) will be participating to discuss her brand new book, Mad Mabel, which doesn't hit shelves until the week preceding the festival. One major theme that emerged in planning this year's event was Hollywood. US actor Ione Skye, who has starred in films alongside Keanu Reeves and John Cusack, is attending to present her memoir, Say Everything, while actor-director Griffin Dunne will talk about his memoir, The Friday Afternoon Club. Skye is famous for the 'boombox' scene in the film Say Anything..., while Dunne, who starred in An American Werewolf in London and Martin Scorsese's After Hours, is part of a literary dynasty including Vanity Fair journalist Dominick Dunne (his father) and author Joan Didion (his aunt). 'It's not too often you get a memoir that's unputdownable, but it's one of the best family memoirs I've ever read,' Ryan says. Continuing the filmic theme will be an appearance from author Vicki Hastrich. Hastrich has written a biography of legendary author and Hollywood producer Zane Grey, detailing Grey's adventures in Australia and New Zealand hunting sharks in the 1930s. Sadly, the late critic David Stratton had also agreed to appear, prior to his death this week. Pulitzer Prize finalist Sophie Gilbert, author of Girl on Girl: How Pop Culture Turned a Generation of Women Against Themselves, will be on hand to discuss the impact of 'feuds', such as Jennifer vs Angelina, on today's feminism. Food is another major theme, with appearances from UK pastry chef Helen Goh, processed food opponent Lucie Morris-Marr, MasterChef judge Melissa Leong and aficionado of the Australian Women's Weekly cookbooks, Lauren Samuelsson. Other Aussie greats appearing include Di Morrissey, Helen Garner, Anita Heiss, Anne Summers, Sophie Wainwright and Michael Robotham. Ryan says that ticket sales for the event have doubled since 2022 and now account for half the festival's income. She believes literary festivals highlight the importance of reading to a society's wellbeing. 'It's one of those skills that if you don't use it, you will lose it. I have people telling me they find it hard to find time to read a book, and when they do, they find it hard to concentrate. 'It's a core tenet of democracy… if you can't read, you're just having to receive.'
Perth Now
a day ago
- Perth Now
Jennifer Aniston 'fought for her Horrible Bosses wig'
Jennifer Aniston "fought" to wear a wig in Horrible Bosses. The 56-year-old actress played the flirtatious Dr. Julia Harris in the 2011 comedy movie, and Jennifer has revealed that her brunette wig was a point of contention before the cameras started rolling. The Hollywood star told Vanity Fair: "I fought for that wig, by the way. That was not an easy battle. "I wanted her to look different. And the argument from the studio — I'm sorry to call you out — was that, 'We're just afraid it won't look like you.' And I said, 'That's kind of the point.'" Jennifer - who starred in the movie alongside the likes of Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis, Kevin Spacey, Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx - doesn't have any regrets about the wig. The actress said: "I just still think it might look a little bit like me, but I'm glad I fought for it, and I stuck to my guns." Jennifer is best known for playing Rachel Green in Friends. However, she relished the challenge of playing the flirty dentist in Horrible Bosses, noting that her character was "so far away" from her real-life self. She said: "I think I was always seen as the girl next door, the ingenue. "It was fairly fun to play somebody like this, because it's so far away from anything that I am. And I think that's what the director liked, was that, 'Oh, this is so not what we would expect from this gal'. "That was the fun of it, though. I think that's what made it more creatively exciting for me, obviously. I remember when I read this script, I was pretty excited about it." Jennifer's distinctive haircut in Friends - which was known simply as The Rachel - proved to be hugely influential in the 90s. However, the actress previously admitted that she wasn't a fan of the style. She told Marie Clare magazine in 2013: "The Rachel was ... horrible and ... high maintenance." Jennifer also joked that she felt frustrated with her hairstylist Chris McMillan at the time. The actress likened maintaining the style to undergoing "surgery". She quipped: "I'd curse Chris every time I had to blow-dry."
