Helen Garner in conversation with Claire Scobie
In a rare Sydney appearance, acclaimed author Helen Garner will talk to Claire Scobie about her stunning new novel, The Spare Room.
Where & when: 6.30 for 7pm, Thursday, April 10 2008 at gleebooks, 49 Glebe Point Rd, Glebe

Sydney Writers' Festival 2008

Chasing Bohemia and Finding Nimo - panel discussion
Carmen Michael left her job in London, took a holiday to Rio and never came back. Marc Llewellyn abandoned the rat race for an isolated Mediterranean island to learn to fish and barter for his daily bread. They talk about throwing caution to the wind and making new lives with Claire Scobie.
Where & when: 1-2pm Friday, May 23; Bangarra Theatre Pier 4/5, Hickson Road, Walsh Bay

Naldo Rei in Conversation
Naldo Rei was just six months old when Indonesia invaded East Timor in December 1975. He spent the first three years of his life in the jungle, where his family had fled for safety. After his father was murdered for his work in the resistance movement, nine-year-old Naldo joined the clandestine resistance and began his own extraordinary journey fighting for East Timor's freedom. Throughout his teenage years, Naldo was imprisoned and tortured regularly for his covert opposition to the brutal Indonesian regime. Eventually, in too much danger to remain in his homeland, he escaped to Indonesia and then Australia for several years. Now living in an independent East Timor, Naldo Rei can tell his incredible story. His life is proof that no amount of danger and loss can crush the human spirit. Resistance: A Childhood Fighting for East Timor is his story. He speaks with Claire Scobie.
Where & when: 2 – 3pm, Saturday May 24 2008, Sydney Theatre, Richard Wherrett Studio
22 Hickson Road Walsh Bay

Brazil
Doesn’t everyone want to visit Brazil? Hired to contribute to Lonely Planet’s Brazil guidebook, Thomas Kohnstamm’s traveller’s tales are a darkly hilarious, killer read as he unveils the underside of the travel industry and invites us into his world of compromising and scandalous situations in one of the most exciting countries as he races against an impossible deadline. Carmen Michael, a travel industry executive, visits the city of Rio de Janeiro for a holiday and finds herself embracing Latin American life with all its colour, danger, and unpredictability. They talk about their Brazilian adventures with Claire Scobie.
Where & when: 3.30 – 4.30, Saturday, May 24 2008, Pier2/3, Upstairs Writers’ Salon,
Hickson Road Walsh Bay