Join PEN Syden and the Uyghur community for a celebration of poetry, music and food. Guests include: Ahmatjan Osman, Fatima Seyyah and Mamtimin Ala Money raised goes to the World Uyghur Writers Union.
Where is freedom of speech in the Russian Ukraine war? Has truth been a victim of the conflict? How are Russian and Ukrainian writers, journalists and poets responding to the war?
When Behrouz Boochani became the Voice of Manus he revealed the chaos and cruelty of a secret regime and made a nation take notice. But five years on from finding freedom in New Zealand who is Behrouz Boochani now?
Sean Turnell and Ma Thida both survived incarceration in Myanmar's notorious Insein prison. What hope do these important players in Myanmar’s government and politics hold for the return of democracy three years after the military seized power in a coup? In conversation with Catherine Renshaw.
How safe is it to blow the whistle in Australia? Recent high-profile prosecutions of whistleblowers - Witness K, David McBride, Richard Boyle have shown that blowing the whistle can land you in jail. And journalists who protect their whistleblowing sources risk gaining a criminal record. What is the cost to our democracy? Keeping the bastards honest has never been more dangerous for whistleblowers and the journalists who bring their stories to light.
Former Senator Rex Patrick – Advocate for whistleblowers
Anneliese Cooper - Lawyer with the Whistleblower Project
Moderator - Journalist Michael West
With more speakers to be announced
We live in an era of unprecedented access to information, yet power and authority often present fiction as fact.
As a writer and lawyer, Shankari Chandran recognises fiction’s limitations in delivering justice. But her interviews with survivors of Sri Lankan genocide inform her novels, which provide a powerful opportunity to explore and reveal stories, history, war and injustice. Fiction is a crucial space for truth-telling, especially when official channels are blocked.
In this lecture, hear the Miles Franklin Literary Award winner speak to her use of fiction as a living, communal archive.
