Back to All Events

ADAPT OR PERISH Peter Goldsworthy and Pip Williams in conversation with Sarah Macdonald

  • Katoomba Community Centre 81-83 Katoomba Street Katoomba, NSW, 2780 Australia (map)

Screen adaptations are considered the holy grail for many authors, with the promise of increased income, a wider audience, international recognition, and the chance to see the story you created in a new light.  

Bestselling novelist Pip Williams and award-winning author, poet and playwright Peter Goldsworthy chat rights, process and form in this focused discussion on the art of adaptation, with ABC Radio Sydney’s Sarah Macdonald.  

How does it feel to see another writer, or indeed actors and directors, interpret your work? Does writing for different forms feel different on the page? And, what are the glories and pitfalls of each subset of the arts and entertainment industry?  

Pip Williams is best known for her companion novels, The Dictionary of Lost Words and The Bookbinder of Jericho. Since 2020, The Dictionary of Lost Words has won a number of major awards, was chosen for the Reese Witherspoon Book Club, and went on to be a New York Times best seller. The Bookbinder of Jericho was published in 2023 and was the bestselling Australian novel for that year. 

Peter Goldsworthy combines writing with the practice of medicine. He has won several awards including the Commonwealth Poetry Prize, the FAW Christina Stead Award for fiction, and, together with composer Richard Mills, the inaugural Helpmann Award for Best New Work. His most recent book is The Cancer Finishing School

Sarah Macdonald is an Australian journalist, author and radio presenter, and has been associated with several ABC radio programs, including Triple J and Radio National. She is also known for her book Holy Cow! An Indian Adventure

This venue is wheelchair accessible, but please visit our Accessibility page or email hello@bluemountainswritersfestival.com.au if you have any other accessibility requirements.

Blue Mountains Writers’ Festival will have Auslan interpreters available for the Festival and will schedule them into sessions on request. Please complete the Auslan request question at checkout.

This session is presented in partnership with solicitors Benetatos White.


Festival Ticket Information

To take full advantage of all the events on offer, we recommend purchasing a weekend or day pass. Subject to availability, a strictly limited number of single tickets may become available, see below. 

Previous
Previous
2 November

CULTS, CLUBS AND PYRAMID SCHEMES Lech Blaine, Ernest Price and Karen Viggers in conversation with Hayley Scrivenor

Next
Next
2 November

WRITTEN IN THE STARS