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Australia Reads announces Volume symposium program

Australia Reads has announced the program for Volume, a free day-long symposium dedicated to creating a stronger reading culture in Australia, to be held on 21 September.

The symposium, first announced in June, features various experts in literacy and reading as well as specialists in behaviour change, research, health and social campaigning. The organisers aim to ‘bring the book world together with professionals from other sectors to learn how together, we might build a reading nation’.

The program will have an opening keynote from Yuwaalaraay author and performer Nardi Simpson about the relationship between reading, storytelling, and place in Australia. This will be followed by the panel Roadblocks to Reading, to discuss issues affecting reading participation and look at the challenges and opportunities in increasing rates of reading for pleasure. The panel will include Macquarie Business School researcher Jan Zwar, Indigenous Literacy Foundation CEO Ben Bowen, University of Sydney CREATE Centre co-director Robyn Ewing and Libraries Tasmania director of strategy and engagement Anita Planchon.

In a series of Lightning Talks, experts will share insights into innovative ways to engage with different types of readers of all ages, with a focus on the ‘Pathways to Teenage Reading’ study by Deakin University research fellow Bronwyn Reddan, along with Tandem Collective founder and director Naomi Bacon and Tough Guy Book Club director Shay Leighton.

Case studies from the UK market will look at how three national agencies planned and implemented successful national reading programs, featuring Scottish Book Trust head of reading communities Philippa Cochrane, National Literacy Trust chief executive Jonathan Douglas and The Reading Agency creative director Debbie Hicks.

The Elements of Success panel will hear from specialists on the need to change behaviour and reach new audiences, with author Jess Scully, communications expert and trainer Mark Chenery, innovation executive, strategist and performing artist Nithya Solomon and BehaviourWorks Australia education manager Sarah Kneebone.

This will be followed by the Making Change panel, which will explore real-life examples of successful social change campaigns across a variety of audiences and outcomes, with former Australian Senator Scott Ludlam, Nyungar technologist, writer, and digital rights activist Kat Gledhill-Tucker, lawyer and writer Elizabeth O’Shea, Matterworks co-founder Kylie Robertson and SAARI Collective CEO Sandeep Varma.

The final panel will feature a number of speakers from across the book industry, who will discuss what the future of Australia as a reading nation could look like. The full list of panellists is yet to be announced, however Scully has been announced as chair of the session and writer, arts and cultural consultant Kate Larsen will be a panellist.

See the full program on the Australia Reads website.

 

Category: Local news