Author Talk Nedlands Library
Category: blog (page 3 of 12)
The Palace of Angels – Coming Soon!
It’s been an extremely busy and eventful last six months. Those who know me are well aware that I spend most of my time away from social media and poke my head up from time to time. This post is not a discussion about the pros and cons but simply an update of what I’ve been up to, especially keeping in mind the forthcoming September release (1st September 2019) of the trilogy of novels: The Palace of Angels – pre-orders are already being shipped out to customers world-wide so make sure you get your copy!
However before I go into the news about The Palace of Angels, which has taken most of my time, I’d like to write a few words about some of the incredible people that have come across my path.
In March I visited the Margaret River Public Library and gave a talk titled Living In The Strange. But it was also an opportunity to stay with some very beautiful people who opened up their home to me and Zaki. Thank you Melanie, Simon, Seth and Hugh for having us at your incredible home built to feel as if you’re outside while still being inside!
I gave a great talk at The Margaret River High School in conjunction with a talk at the Margaret River Library in the centre of town.
I’ve also been giving talks at libraries around Perth and was also on my way to Karratha when flights jumped to almost a thousand dollars return overnight, breaking every budget in the book. We’re hoping to get that happening though, very soon!
I was also at Lesmurdie Library where so many fantastic people turned up and there are talks scheduled for Nedlands and Rockingham libraries, so keep your eyes on the upcoming section!
The cover of The Palace of Angels is smashing, thank you Debra Billson and the fantastic Palestinian/Israeli artists that have contributed to the cover. The book has been so well received with praise from near and far. In Australia, Randa Abdel-Fattah wrote recently:
“I did not think my heart could both break and soar any more over my father’s homeland. I did not think I had more tears or laughter. And yet Mohammed Massoud Morsi’s The Palace of Angels took me by surprise. It moved me deeply, reminding me of the power of story-telling to reveal how living under occupation packages the absurd and the tragic, despair and compassion, into individual and collective lives. Morsi is a tremendous story-teller who pulls off this ambitious, big work because he pays attention to the details, treating his characters with tenderness even at the moments when the reader thinks they least deserve it. This is a book to be read and re-read.”
In the coming weeks, the Wild Dingo Press team and myself will be creating as big a buzz around The Palace of Angels as possible, posting reviews from authors and media, and also announcing who will be launching the book in Perth and possible on the east coast later on this year!
There will also be the chance of participating in a small competition and winning a set of books 🙂
Look forward to seeing you there!
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 🙂
I had the absolute pleasure to give an inspirational author talk at the Mundijong Community Resource Centre. Yes, it’s a small place but a beautiful place with beautiful people. The audience was so engaged and I cannot express how thankful I feel for having been so welcomed. I spoke about media, identity, my work on taking another angle on conflict resolution as well as reading from my latest novel, The Palace of Angels. A special thanks to Jan, Lisa and Rob ( Robert Richings ) who took all the beautiful photographs. (And as soon as those BW group photos are developed I’m sure to post them here). A big thank you to everyone at Mundijong Public Library and to the Serpentine Jarrahdale Library Friends.
Hey everyone,
Westerly 63.2 has been published. It holds amongst many inspiring stories, my photographs and words in a creative non-fiction piece, Tevy.
Since 1956, Westerly has been publishing lively fiction and poetry as well as intelligent articles.
The magazine has always sought to provide a Western Australian-based voice, although its contributors and subject matter have never been geographically exclusive. It covers literature and culture throughout the world, but maintains a special emphasis on Australia, particularly Western Australia, and the Asian region.
Westerly has a strong international reputation, and is listed in some of the world’s major cultural indexes. It has been instrumental in the careers of many of the regions most prominent and internationally renowned writers. These include major Western Australian writers such as Randolph Stow, Dorothy Hewett, T.A.G. Hungerford and Elizabeth Jolley; highly-awarded contemporary writers, including Tim Winton, Kim Scott, and Sally Morgan; and important local poets like John Kinsella, Tracy Ryan, John Mateer, and Lucy Dougan.
It is published at the Westerly Centre (formerly the Centre for Studies in Australian Literature) at the University of Western Australia, with assistance from the Western Australian State Government by an investment in the project through the Department of Culture and the Arts, and the Australian Federal Government through the Australia Council for the Arts. Our Writers’ Development Program is supported by Copyright Agency Ltd.’s Cultural Fund.
The print magazine is published twice a year in July and November, while the website publishes content throughout the year, including two Online Special Issues available for free digital download.
Cover image: Chaikom, Colourful Autumn Leaf. © Chaikom.