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Inner city Sydney bookshop, Glebe Books was packed at the launch of   ‘A Country Too Far’  (Penguin) – a collection of  writings on asylum seekers by some of Australia’s most renowned authors – edited by Tom Keneally and Rosie Scott.

I sat between Professor Elizabeth Webby, who is at the heart of Australian literature, and Sharon Rundle editor of the anthology ‘Alien Shores’ published by Brass Monkey. I had the privilege of contributing a story to ‘Alien Shores’  which also welcomes discussion and debate.

Rosie Scott and Tom Keneally were moving as they spoke about A COUNTRY TOO FAR:-

Elliot Pearlman writes: -’It took me almost six years  to research and write… The Street Sweeper’, a novel that deals with … racism.’

‘Tom Keneally writes: One hundred and seventy thousand displaced persons came to Australia between 1947 and 1952, bearing their United Nations Displaced Persons/Refuge identity cards.’

Geraldine Brooks writes: ‘I am pretty sure that for  much of his life my father was an illegal immigrant.’

Bella Vendramini.writes: ‘I was seventeen years old when I got locked up in a Spanish jail.’

It’ll make you think, cry, hope, feel in this powerful and moving anthology which opens debate about escape from terror to find a safe place.

The post Thomas Keneally, Rosie Scott, Debra Adelaide, Elliot Pearlman ~ launches ‘A Country Too Far’ appeared first on Susanne Gervay's Blog.

Australian author Susanne Gervay (visit her website and blog) has had a very busy year this year and social justice has been high on her agenda. She is one of the contributors to Fear Factor: Terror Incognito, an anthology of short stories featuring ten Australian and ten Indian writers, edited by Meenakshi Bharat and Sharon Rundle (Macmillan Australia/ Picador India, 2010). She has been writing about her travels to India and Kiribati, a “Pacific atoll nation drowning under climate change”. She has just launched Always Jack, the third book about Jack, following on from her wonderful I Am Jack and Super Jack. Most recently, Susanne was in South Korea for the Nambook-010 Fesival, the 5th Nami Island International Children’s Book Festival. She was there because she was taking part in Peace Story, a very special project. We are very grateful to Susanne for telling us all about it here. For those of us who couldn’t be there in person, Susanne’s description and photographs are definitely the next best thing!

In these troubled times with North Korea’s military attack on South Korea, the international publication of Peace Story is poignant and important. Twenty-two children’s authors and twenty-two illustrators from twenty-two countries engaged in an international cooperative to create a unique anthology, Peace Story, for young people. Respected academic author on Irish children’s literature Valerie Coghlan and Irish Laureate for children’s literature Siobhán Parkinson were the co-editors of Peace Story.

‘Peace Story’ was part of the Nami Island International Children’s Book Festival, South Korea which was first held in 2005 to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Hans Christian Andersen. It is a six-week bi-annual festival of children’s books, the environment and peace, featuring outstanding exhibitions of children’s books and illustrations from all over the world. Much loved Korean illustrator Kang Woo-hyon, President of the Nambook-010 International Committee headed the ‘Peace Story’ project with the support of the Nami Island Minn family who published and translated some of the stories, and hosted the authors and illustrators on Nami Island. It was supported by National YMCA Korea, UNICEF and UNESCO Korea, the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism, and Nami Island the official sponsor of the IBBY Hans Christian Anderson Awards.

My Australian story ‘To East Timor with Love Australia’, illustrated by the award-winning Frané Lessac, opens the anthology Peace Story. Frané Lessac’s vibrant colours of bright pink bougainvillea and yel

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Literature, human rights, climate change, conversation about social justice – ideas are the centrepiece of the World Matters Festival at the heritage artists’ retreat called Montsalvat on the outskirts of Melbourne in Eltham.

It was like intellectually pirouetting on the great ideas of humanity:-  LOVED IT!!!!

Highlights: - Opening by Morag Fraser AM, author and Chair of World Matters 

Dr Craig’ Jurisevic’s book ’Blood on My Hands’, a powerful insight into his work as a doctor on the front line of Kosovo Liberation Army challenging moral decisions of killing – do you kill to save your life? Lead your men?

Arnold Zable the award winning author in conversation with the courageous Susan Metcalfe ‘The Pacific Solution’ - at the coal face of asylum seekers in Nauru

A vibrant personal panel on Fear Factor: Terror Incognito - an Indian-Australian anthology - with Devika Brendon, Meenakshi Bharat, Sharon Rundle and Susanne Gervay -me.

Spoke about my story ‘Days of Thailand’ and also ‘Always Jack’ – kids feel what is happening in the world and story is a way to reach them and offer them ways to work out wha it all means.

 There were tables with many associations – from climate change, Amnesty, Oxfam – and a long book table from Eltham Books. I bought a wonderful soft doll from the East Timor stall in support of women’s weacing and because I loved the doll.

Fear Factor Terror Incognito. Stories from India and Australia, published by Picador – unock the personal in terrorism, open discussion as a way towards peace.

The 6th Annual  World Matters 2010 Writers – Disturbing the Peace

Dates: October 27 & 30-31

Venue: Montsalvat, Hillcrest Avenue, Eltham

An International and Regional Programme featuring: Fear Factor Terror Incognito Indo-Australian Authors’ Anthology Panel, chaired by Sharon Rundle:-

-with excerpts of short stories from a unique Indo–Australian collaboration, which includes David Malouf, Salman Rushdie, Kiran Nagarkar and Yasmine Gooneratne;

-followed by an in-depth discussion, by authors Susanne Gervay, Devika Brendon, Jeremy Fisher and author and Professor of Literature at Delhi University, Meenakshi Bharat.

- Titi Amaral and Jude Conway’s audio visual narrative of East Timor Women’s brave stories of resistance and survival from the anthology Step by Step, this is Supported by East Timor Women Australia and an Exhibition and sales of East Timor textiles in the Resident Artist’s Gallery

- Ouyang Yu, The English Class, Roger Averill, Keeping Faith

-  Jane Carswell Under the Huang Jia Tree: Two Journeys in China through story and memoir

Please pass the word wherever you can, here are some additional websites:

http://www.montsalvat.com.au/News/BOOKFESTIVALAweekendofliterarybrilliance.aspx

http://apwriters.org/general/world-matters-2010-writers-disturbing-the-peace-near-melbourne-aus

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Nearly 150 people partied at The Hughenden for this grand celebration of 3 years of passion, committment and idealism to bring FEAR FACTOR: TERROR INCOGNITO to Australia at last.

This important anthology driven by Indian Professor Meenakshi Bharat and Australian academic Sharon Rundle, has connected Australia and the world through the commonality of us all when faced with terrorism. They sought to open discourse on terrorism as a pathway to peace.

Highlights:-

Melina Marchetta’s speech launching Fear Factor: Terror Incognito

David Malouf generously signing and relating to fans

Andrew Kwong’s story of escaping as a boy from the Chinese Cultural Revolution

Rosie Scott’s passion for social justice

Support from so many divergent groups

-including writing groups, teachers, authors, the media – from ABC radio to 2UE

Sharon Rundle summarised the feelings -  ‘It was a magical event’

Where?: UTS Art Gallery, Sydney

What? An evening in discussion about the impact of terror on our lives

How?  With a panel of 5 authors and 2 editors  from the anthology ‘Fear Factor: Terror Incognito’

Who?

Panel Chair: Devleena Ghosh, Director of Transforming Cultures, Associate Professor Social Inquiry Program UTS

Editors: Professor Meenaskshi Bharat University of Delhi; Sharon Rundle, Lecturer UTS

Authors: Andrew Kwong, Susanne Gervay, Rosie Scott, Sujata Sankranti, Meenakshi Bharat

Audience: Academics, authors, students, general public.

Special guests: Authors Mabel Lee renowned translator of Nobel Prize winning Chinese author Gao Xingjian’s ‘Soul Mountain’

Authors: Hazel Edwards and Moya Simons

Storytellers: Sue Alveraz

Outcome?: Exciting discussion opening a wide range of views and emotions on terrorism from refugees by Rosie Scott, escape from China by Andrew Kwong, young people drawn into terrorism by Sujata Sankranti and recognition of the difficult and important journey by Australian editor Sharon Rundle and Indian editor Meenakshi Bharat to create an anthology that opens vital discourse on terrorism.

Thankyou to Sujata and husband for their hospitality in their home and a fabulous Indian dinner. The white marble floors keep their house cool and beautiful. I loved the Ganesha Hindu Elephant Gods in her home. The God of wisdom and success.

Love Sujata’s  book, ‘The Warp & the Weft’ a collection of short stories published by Srishti India. Meenakshi Bharat, Professor of Literature University of Delhi wrote – Sankranti’s stories are ‘a celebration of the complexities of human existance.’

Sharon Rundle Writer and Editor Australia wrote, ‘they are an absolute delight to read.’ I agree. Sujata will be in Australia for the launch of ‘Fear Factor: Terror Incognito’ on 21st March at the Hughenden in Sydney.

Sujata is softly spoken, a lecturer at the Unievrsity of Delhi, and a Princess of Serala. Today her palace is a State Heritage Site, but she was born there. She’s happy that people can visit it and see her heritage and the Indian heritage.

Fear Factor: Terror Incognito  ed
Bharat, Meenakshi and Rundle, Sharon

Just released in India and to eb released in UK and Australia

Picador Australia has The Australian edition on their website with a March release.

http://www.panmacmillan.com.au/display_title.asp?ISBN=9780330426213&am