The panel was chaired by Catherine Noske from the Westerly magazine. Participating were Amanda Gardiner who has published extensive work on infanticide, Cassie Lynch, and myself. The title was the politics of memory, a very intense and intimate debate that began with a deceptively simple question to kick it off: What is memory , and how does it work with writing/art?
We discussed the approach to writing memory ethically, identifying the challenges of raising the past to conscious attention, and making amends. I spoke about how erasing memory is applied to politics in relation to the confirmation bias which is deliberately targeted in the corporate media – in particular with relation to indigenous issues in Australia and on the international stage, notably the Palestinian people’s fight for freedom – historically close to about anything where colonial powers are held responsible, the politics of memory is applied.
With reflections on deep memory, and filled with insight and creativity, this year’s Perth Festival Writers Week will be one to keep us reading, thinking and remembering.
A big thank you to everyone who helped make it a memorable and inspiring Perth Writers Festival. And thank you to Deb for the great sketch of me. That’s a first 🙂