It takes a particular sort of mind to focus simultaneously on the specific and the immense.
Taking us to the outer reaches of space, Ceridwen Dovey’s Only The Astronauts observes humanity from the strange and magical perspectives of a series of object-astronauts: a lovelorn mannequin orbiting the Sun, the first sculpture ever taken to the Moon, the International Space Station, the Voyager 1 space probe, and more.
In Dave Witty’s What the Trees See: A Wander Through Millennia of Natural History in Australia, we are offered a stunning meditation on the remarkable insights that Australia’s trees can offer into our past. The mallee box by the 12th hole of North Adelaide Golf Course tells the story of mallee scrub and desert senna; Brisbane’s remnant blue gum evokes a time when the city was jungle; cabbage palms tell of migration and loss.
Blending science and remarkable creativity, these two writers discuss their beautiful new books with ABC Radio Sydney’s Renee Krosch.
Ceridwen Dovey is the author of several books, including Only the Animals, On J.M. Coetzee: Writers on Writers, and Mothertongues. Her science writing has been recognised with an Australian Museum Eureka Award. Her latest book is Only the Astronauts.
Dave Witty is the recipient of the 2021 Rosina Joy Buckman Award in the Nature Conservancy Nature Writing Prize, and his work appears in publications including Island, Griffith Review and Meanjin. His first book, What the Trees See, came out in November 2023.
Renee Krosch is a senior producer and presenter across a range of programmes on ABC Radio over the last 20+ years, with highlights including being a Presenter of ABC Radio Weekends and ABC Afternoon, and Executive Producer of ABC Nightlife across Australia.
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 Blue Mountains Stargazing.
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.