Turning seemingly improbable futures into plausible inevitabilities, bending the boundaries of genre, and sparking the reader’s imagination in thrilling ways, Siang Lu and Kate Mildenhall talk adventures and dystopias in this in-depth discussion of their latest books, Ghost Cities and The Hummingbird Effect.
Perfect for fans of Haruki Murakami, Ghost Cities is a profound and highly imaginative novel that cleverly draws on Chinese history to explore the absurdity of modern life and work. The Hummingbird Effect also considers the bizarre in our day-to-day lives, while expanding into an epic, kaleidoscopic tale traversing climate change and survival through the stories of four women connected across time. Challenge your assumptions about our future and our present with these two highly skilled authors, each with a fierce and fearless imagination.
Siang Lu’s first book, The Whitewash, won the ABIA Audiobook of the Year in 2023 and the Glendower Award for an emerging writer in the Queensland Literary Awards. Siang is the co-creator of The Beige Index and the creator of #SillyBookstagram. His latest book is Ghost Cities.
Kate Mildenhall is an author, writing teacher and co-host of The First Time Podcast. Her latest novel, The Hummingbird Effect, was shortlisted for the ABIA Literary Fiction Book of the Year and longlisted for the Stella Prize and the Indie Book Awards Fiction 2024. Her first picture book To Stir with Love will be released in October 2024.
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.
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.