Interview: Jane O’Hara, director/CEO of the Brisbane Writers Festival

Monday, 27 August 2012 Books+Publishing

Over 5-9 September, Jane O’Hara will deliver her final Brisbane Writers Festival and celebrate the festival’s 50th anniversary. She spoke to Andrew Wrathall.

What do you anticipate will be the highlights of this year’s Brisbane Writers Festival?
The ‘Closing Address’ on Sunday 9 September. Not just because it’s my final as director but because the special ‘Happy 50th BWFDay Show!’, written exclusively to celebrate BWF’s 50th birthday, will include a special guest star—think Nick Earls dressed up as a talking armchair!

Also the all-night party ‘Literary Love-in’ at the Powerhouse, including Liner Notes, Page vs Stage Poetry Slam, music and bands, panel discussions on crime, music and graphic novels, along with movie screenings and hands-on workshops right through to the morning.

What sessions or which authors do you think will attract the biggest crowds?
Fireworks will fly at ‘The Great Debate’ on ‘Reading the Bible is good for you’ with Germaine Greer, Bob Katter, former Bishop of Edinburgh Richard Holloway, Queensland’s first Aboriginal magistrate Jacqui Payne, Benjamin Law and criminal investigator Rachel Sommerville.

What about your personal picks? Which authors are you most looking forward to hearing talk about their work?
That’s like asking me to choose my favourite child! There are too many to choose just one—or two for that matter. However, Chris Cleave (Gold) and Patrick Gale (A Perfectly Good Man) are going to be wonderful and warm, as will Joanne Harris (Chocolat and Peaches for Monsieur le Curé), who will be fascinating. I also can’t wait to hear Benjamin Law talk about his new book Gaysia. I’ve read an advance copy and am confident it will make a huge splash. It has been written with a journalists’ eye and Ben’s distinctive and discerning wit—an absolute gem of a combination!

What genre of writing most inspires you personally?
Fiction. I remain completely in awe of writers who start with vapour and then proceed to weave a life, a world, a mood, a moment that transports you completely away from where you currently are and causes you to think and feel differently about major (and minor) issues and moments.

How will you celebrate festival’s 50th year? And how big will the cake be?
A 50th birthday is cause for celebration and we have arranged several exciting events designed to highlight the long and renowned history of the festival. Kicking off the festival’s first night, Germaine Greer will provide the opening address on 50 years of writers’ festivals—what they are and what they contribute to the life of the nation.

BWF has commissioned local creatives, including Southern Cross Soloists and Playabout Productions, to produce work celebrating the festival’s fascinating history, and a tribute on Sunday morning will include key players such as Adele Moy, Stuart Glover, Sallyanne Atkinson, Sam Watson and John Birmingham reflecting on important festival moments over the past 50 years. Even the Women of Letters feature event will use the theme ‘Birthday Letters’. Finally, the closing address will include a special performance wishing the festival a very happy 50th birthday. As for the cake … you’ll have to wait and see!

How has the festival changed over the past four years?
The schools program ‘Word Play’ has grown from a 4000-place free program to more than 12,000 places and is now an integral component of festival programming, and its inclusion in future programming is assured.

Accessibility has been retained with some free programming.

The introduction of the Breezeway on the Maiwar Green—filled with plants, free programming and beer—is a BWF exclusive venue I’m very proud of. It represents everything a writers festival should be: listening to great writers talking about their craft while laying on the grass in the spring sunshine—bliss.

In a new innovation on the Breezeway, The Pineapple Lounge (of Woodford Folk Festival fame) shoots the Breezeway each evening with some of Australia’s finest singer-songwriters. Come down to the river and hear the stories behind the songs over a fine wine or a notorious Pineapple Lounge cocktail.

BWF is hosting the successfully crowdfunded Queensland Literary Awards. Were you surprised by the amount of support the awards have received from the Queensland literary community?
BWF is supporting the Queensland Literary Awards by hosting a session in the festival program with winning and shortlisted writers. In addition we are providing the venue for the awards evening on 4 September—just before our festival kicks off. The massive amount of support just shows you can’t underestimate the local support of reading and writing in Queensland. We are all very hopeful that the State Government will reinstitute the Queensland Premier’s Literary Awards next year and bring us back in line with the other states.

Category: Features