I’m very excited to be the bookseller for the Bayside Literary Festival this year as the programme looks great.  There are some many interesting authors to hear, but some of the sessions I’m most looking forward to are:

• In Search of the Secret to Eternal Youth where Sandy Mackinnon talks about his travels as captured in his two books The Unlikely Voyage of Jack de Crow and The Well at the World’s End.  For a sneak preview, you might want to check out the video below.

• Through the Looking Glass Darkly.  Two of the authors presenting at this session, Y.A Erskine and Honey Brown, had reviews of their new books The Betrayal and After the Darkness in The Age last weekend (click here for these reviews).  Honey Brown’s previous novel,  The Good Daughter, was longlisted for the Miles Franklin in 2011.
• First Pages where debut Melbourne novelist Paul D. Carter will be one of the authors speaking on his new book Eleven Seasons which won the 2012 Vogel Prize for Fiction this year and whose book the store’s two bookclubs are reading for our June book.
• Life Stories: Journeys and Realisations at which the lovely Alice Pung will be talking about her books Growing Up Asian in Australia, Unnpolished Gem, and Her Father’s Daughter.  I’ve had many customers tell me how wonderful her session was at the Adelaide Writers’ Festival this year.
• The History of Australian Wine Long Lunch.  What more can I say – food, wine, and a knowledgable guide.  (Not sure if I’m going to be able to partake of the first two!)
• My daughter is very excited as she is coming to help me during one the sessions during the school holidays where children’s book author Andy Griffiths will be talking about his books including his latest  Just Doomed.

For more details on these and other sessions, you can find the Festival programme here or by dropping into the store and picking up a copy.