JLF Adelaide, November 1-3, 2019
Adelaide Festival Centre

Witches, Women and Power

1:15 PM TO 2:15 PM,
NOVEMBER 02, 2019 BANQUET ROOM

Hannah Kent and Intan Paramaditha in conversation with Laura Kroetsch

The struggle for women to assume and retain power in patriarchal societies has always been fraught with tension. A session with prominent fiction writers from different cultures, that draws on folklore, myth and the fantastical. Hannah Kent’s The Good People is a novel that draws on the rural folklore of 19th century Ireland. Intan Paramaditha’s Apple and Knife draws on fairy tales, myths and horror stories in an effort to explore women’s power. In conversation with Laura Kroetsch they have an insightful interrogation on the power of the feminine.

A Heart is Still a Heart: Gender in the 21st Century

3:45 PM TO 4:45 PM,
NOVEMBER 02, 2019 STAR KITCHEN AND BAR

Lok Fung, Intan Paramaditha and Omar Sakr in conversation with Shameem Black

Interpreter - Patricia Huang

The language of gender marks the shift from a binary understanding of identity to a more diverse spectrum in contemporary literature and popular culture. Poet and critic Lok Fung considers fairytales, cross-dressing and the idea of male in Hong Kong cinema. Writer Intan Paramaditha talks about sex, death, feminism and prejudice. Arab-Australian and queer poet Omar Sakr explores what it means to control the narrative. In conversation with Shameem Black, these writers share a session of readings and conversations.

Landscape of Fear

10:45 AM TO 11:45 AM
NOVEMBER 03, 2019 QUARTET BAR

Claire G.Coleman and Intan Paramaditha in conversation Laura Kroetsch

Described as 'subversive feminist horror at its best', Intan Paramaditha’s Apple and Knife explores the dangers, fear and power conflicts that lurk when women carve out a space for themselves in today's world. Sheng Keyi’s haunting novel Death Fugue is a political allegory, one that is a product of the Tiananmen moment. Claire G. Coleman is the author of Terra Nullius which dwells on the scars of colonisation. Her latest is The Old Lie where she turns to speculative fiction and themes of intergalactic warfare. Together with Laura Kroetsch they discuss the concept of fear as it snakes through gender, sexuality, politics and culture.