Melbourne Writers Festival offered a glimpse of its international line-up for 2019 today, announcing some of the world’s biggest names in music, literature and civil rights activism.
International guests at MWF19 will include:
· Kim Gordon, experimental rock writer and performer, co-founder of Sonic Youth, visual artist, and author of internationally acclaimed memoir Girl in a Band
· Holocaust historian Deborah Lipstadt, who was sued for calling David Irving a Holocaust denier, and then went on to prove it in court. Her latest work is Antisemitism: Here and Now.
· Activist, author and podcaster DeRay Mckesson, who joined the protests in Ferguson USA after police killed an unarmed 18-year-old, and became a driving force in the Black Lives Matter movement.
MWF Artistic Director Marieke Hardy said the guests would open three entirely different windows on the world for festivalgoers.
“We are so thrilled and excited these exceptional human beings are joining us in Melbourne,” Ms Hardy said.
“Each of them is a trailblazer. Kim Gordon revolutionised alternative music and changed perceptions about women in music. Deborah Lipstadt interrogates antisemitism on a global scale, while DeRay Mckesson puts his heart on the front lines in the war against racism. We open ourselves up fully to hear their stories and their passions; what they fear, what they hope for and what they love.”
Deborah Lipstadt will appear with Jewish studies academic Dvir Abramovich, reflecting on the rise of antisemitisim the world over.
DeRay Mckesson will discuss his path to activism, his book On the Other Side of Freedom, and – as the first person to have someone thrown off Twitter – the power of social media.
MWF19 will run from 30 August to 8 September. Tickets for these three events will be on sale from 10am on 24 June. These guests will also part of Sydney’s ANTIDOTE program.
The full MWF19 program will be launched on 10 July. Visit mwf.com.au to join the mailing list.
