Sydney Writers Festival - 20 to 26 May

Sydney Writers Festival

From 20 to 26 May at locations around Sydney

Venue: Locations around Sydney

Cost: See SWF website

Bookings Online: ww.swf.org.au (through SWF)

Sydney Writers' Festival is back for 2013 with a stellar lineup of writers and speakers. See their website for details. Gleebooks is the official SWF bookseller and will operate pop up bookshops at the festival as always.

Launch - Friday 31 May, 6.00pm for 6.30pm

ELIZABETH CLAIRE ALBERTS & CLARE POWER

Stories of the Great Turning

To be launched by Australian environmentalist John Seed

Venue: gleebooks, 49 Glebe Point Rd, Glebe

Cost: Free event

Bookings: RSVP gleebooks - 9660 2333 or email: events@gleebooks.com.au

This book of stories is written by people who decided to act, in their own lives, in response to the challenges of our time, and found their own way to make a difference. They are not stories about celebrities or gurus of the environmental movement but honest accounts from people who share a concern for the world we live in and who, in the words of one of the contributors, “just... got on with it". “A treasure trove of transformative tales told by grass roots activists.” Satish Kumar, Editor, Resurgence and Ecologist Magazine.

Dulwich Hill Salon - Saturday 1 June, 3.30 for 4.00pm

MARTIN EDMOND

Dark Night: Walking with McCahon

Venue: 536 Marrickville Rd, Dulwich Hill

Cost: $10/$7 gleeclub free

Bookings: ph. 8080 0098/ dulwich@gleebooks.com.au 

In 1984, in the palm grove in Sydney’s Botanic Gardens, the New Zealand artist Colin McCahon went missing. He was found by police early next morning in Centennial Park, kilometres away, with no memory of who he was or where he had been. In Dark Night, Martin Edmond walks in McCahon’s footsteps, past pubs and monuments, art galleries and churches, barracks and parks: to accompany him some way into the darkness of his end. Martin Edmond is a New Zealand writer who has lived in Sydney (Summer Hill) for many years.

Special Event - Tuesday 4 June, 6.00 for 6.30pm

HANNAH RICHELL

The Shadow Year

In conversation with Vanessa Radnidge 

Venue: gleebooks, 49 Glebe Point Rd, Glebe

Cost: $10/$7/gleeclub free

Bookings: RSVP gleebooks - 9660 2333 or email: events@gleebooks.com.au

On a sultry summer day in 1980, five friends stumble upon an abandoned lakeside cottage hidden deep in the English countryside. For Kat and her friends, it offers an escape; a chance to drop out for a while, with lazy summer days by the lake and intimate winter evenings around the fire. But as the seasons change, tensions begin to rise and when an unexpected visitor appears at their door, nothing will be the same again. Hannah Richell's Secrets of the Tides was one of the most widely praised fiction debuts of 2012.

Special Event - Wednesday 5 June, 6.00 for 6.30pm

Michael Fullilove

Rendevous with Destiny

In conversation with Eleanor Hall 

Venue: gleebooks, 49 Glebe Point Rd, Glebe

Cost: $10/$7/gleeclub free

Bookings: RSVP gleebooks - 9660 2333 or email: events@gleebooks.com.au

The period between Hitler's invasion of Poland and the attack on Pearl Harbor was the turning point of the twentieth century. While the American public and Congress were eager to isolate themselves from the conflict, President Franklin D. Roosevelt wanted to bring their considerable might to the aid of the Allies. Drawing on vast archival research, historian Michael Fullilove outlines this crucial moment in history. At the centre of everything, of course, is FDR himself, who moved his envoys around the globe with skill and élan. Rendezvous with Destiny is narrative history at its most delightful, stirring and important.

Special Event - Thursday 6 June, 6.00 for 6.30pm

ANNE SUMMERS

The Misogyny Factor

Venue: gleebooks, 49 Glebe Point Rd, Glebe

Cost: $10/$7/gleeclub free

Bookings: RSVP gleebooks - 9660 2333 or email: events@gleebooks.com.au

In 2012, Anne Summers gave two landmark speeches about women in Australia, attracting more than 120,000 visits to her website. Within weeks of their delivery Prime Minister Julia Gillards own speech about misogyny and sexism went viral and was celebrated around the world. Summers makes the case that Australia, the land of the fair go, still hasn't figured out how to make equality between men and women work. Summers dismisses the idea that we should celebrate progress for women as opposed to outright success.

Launch - Saturday 8 June, 3.30 for 4.00pm

Max Deutscher

In Sensible Judgement

To be launched by Vrasidis Karalis

Venue: gleebooks, 49 Glebe Point Rd, Glebe

Cost: Free event

Bookings: RSVP gleebooks - 9660 2333 or email: events@gleebooks.com.au

Opening with the landmark Mabo High Court Case in Australia and with detailed references to other significant debates of judgment in the twentieth century, Max Deutscher seeks to explore approaches to what is good, right and legal. Describing a connection between reason and grounds intrinsic to judgement he analyses and explores the tendency towards absolutism that displaces proper judgement.

Panel - Tuesday 11 June, 6.00 for 6.30pm

JANE CARO

Destroying the Joint

Panel discussion with Wendy Harmer and Jenna Price

Venue: gleebooks, 49 Glebe Point Rd, Glebe

Cost: $10/$7/gleeclub free

Bookings: RSVP gleebooks - 9660 2333 or email: events@gleebooks.com.au

In September 2012, commentator Alan Jones, responding to a comment by Prime Minister Julia Gillard, said: "She (Gillard) said that we know societies only reach their full potential if women are politically participating. Women are destroying the joint - Christine Nixon in Melbourne, Clover Moore here. Honestly." The twitterverse exploded with passionate, disbelieving and hilarious responses. In 'Destroying the Joint' - a provocative collection of essays edited by Caro - women reply to this comment and the broader issues of sexism and misogyny in our culture.

Special event - Wednesday 12 June, 6.00 for 6.30pm

Lorraine Elliot

Not Quite Nigella

In conversation with Maeve O’Meara

Venue: gleebooks, 49 Glebe Point Rd, Glebe

Cost: $10/$7/gleeclub free

Bookings: RSVP gleebooks - 9660 2333 or email: events@gleebooks.com.au

Lorraine Elliott has long been a food enthusiast, but decided to ditch her day job as a highly-paid media strategist to cook, eat and write – even though she's not quite Nigella. Her food blog Not Quite Nigella is now the go-to internet destination for hundreds of thousands of foodies from around the world and the book is the story behind this journey. Interspersed with a select few of Lorraine’s recipes, and much more than a celebration of food, Not Quite Nigella is a delightful memoir that will encourage you to follow your heart.

Special event - Thursday 13 June, 6.00 for 6.30pm

RICK STEIN

Rick Stein's India

Venue: gleebooks, 49 Glebe Point Rd, Glebe

Cost: $90 for 1 person / $140 for 2 people. Ticket prices each include 1 copy of "Rick Stein's India", as well as canapes and wine for each person.

Bookings: RSVP gleebooks - 9660 2333 or email: events@gleebooks.com.au

Meet Rick Stein at this cocktail party event, as he mingles with guests and introduces his new book. The evening will feature canapes from the new book along with matching wines. The menu will include vegetarian and gluten-free options. Rick searches out the soul of Indian food; the real flavours, ingredients and techniques that make up this fiery and fragrant cuisine.

Conference - Sydney Town Hall - 17 and 18 June

YOUNG MINDS CONFERENCE 2013

Venue: Sydney Town Hall

Cost:See bookings. Note: 25% discount for Gleebooks Customers, 50% off for those under 21: ask instore or email us for the Glee promotional code to use in your online booking.

Bookings Online: Click here (online through Young Minds Conference).

Gleebooks is delighted to be the official bookseller for the Young Minds 2013 conference which will run 17 and 18 June at the Sydney Town Hall. Young Minds is a unique forum exploring the vital issues facing our youth today. Delegates will be inspired by a summit of 40+ leading international and local thinkers, including his Holiness the Dalai Lama.This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for educators and anyone else with an interest in the well being and future of young people.

Launch - Tuesday 18 June, 6.00pm for 6.30pm

KIRSTEN KRAUTH

Just a Girl

Venue: gleebooks, 49 Glebe Point Rd, Glebe

Cost: Free event

Bookings: RSVP gleebooks - 9660 2333 or email: events@gleebooks.com.au

Layla is only 14. As she sits in bed with a laptop, her mother Margot sleeps in the next room. But what separates them is more than just a wall. It's every mother's nightmare. Layla cruises online. She catches trains to meet strangers. And Margot never suspects. Meanwhile, downtown, a man opens a suitcase and tenderly places his young lover inside... A Puberty Blues for the digital age, a Lolita with a webcam, it's can happen when young girls are forced to grow up too fast. Or never get the chance to grow up at all...

Special Event - Wednesday 19 June, 6.00 for 6.30pm

BOB ELLIS

The Year It All Fell Down

Venue: gleebooks, 49 Glebe Point Rd, Glebe

Cost: $10/$7/gleeclub free.

Bookings: RSVP gleebooks - 9660 2333 or email: events@gleebooks.com.au

Some events require many years before their impact is ap Some arrive as instant history. One of our most incisive and eloquent observers, Bob Ellis has reviewed the occurrences of 2011 and found it to be a year that may come to define the age.

Launch - Saturday 22 June, 3.30pm for 4.00pm

LEE ANDERSON

Unsung Heroes

Venue: gleebooks, 49 Glebe Point Rd, Glebe

Cost: Free event

Bookings: RSVP gleebooks - 9660 2333 or email: events@gleebooks.com.au

Unsung Heroes, a not for profit book, is a collection of short stories on NGOs in Cambodia and the people working with them. This is a remarkable book of photos, inspiring grass roots stories, volunteering and child safe information, traveller’s tips and more reveals insights into Cambodia most visitors would not be aware of. A must for anyone planning a trip to Cambodia.