I’m excited to be part of this year’s Sydney Writers’ Festival, especially since they gave the go-ahead for my unusual ‘Read & Ride’ event in the Blue Mountains on May 25.
First I’ll appear in a panel session with Emma Ayres, the author of Cadence, who cycled from England to Hong Kong with only a small violin for company, and Chris Flynn, author of The Glass Kingdom. The event is titled ‘Life on Two Wheels’ and will be held at The Bar at the End of the Wharf, Sydney Theatre Company, Pier 4/5 Hickson Rd, The Rocks, on Thursday May 22 from 10am to 11am. It’s a free event, but you’ll need to book.
Next I’ll be on a panel titled ‘Simple Living’ with Luke Slattery (Reclaiming Epicurus), Inga Simpson (Mr Wigg) and the Finch Memoir Prize winner. Our interlocuter will be 702 ABC’s Richard Glover, which makes me slightly nervous. It’s at Sydney Dance 2, Pier 4/5, Hickson Road, Walsh Bay, on Saturday May 24 from 11:30am to 12:30pm. Again, it’s free, but you’ll need to book.
Finally, the grand event, a ride through the Blue Mountains! After a chat with Gregg Borschmann, environment editor at ABC Radio National, we’ll head off on a two-hour cycle tour from Katoomba to Wentworth Falls and back. Titled ‘Changing Gears: Read & Ride‘, this event will be held at Blue Mountains Cultural Centre, 30 Parke Street Katoomba, on Sunday 25 May from 10:00am. (The talk will be from 10am to 11am, and the ride from 11:15am to 1pm.)
Here’s the flyer:
A lot of work has gone into organising this last one, so there’s a cost of $15 for the talk or $30 for the talk plus ride, and you’ll need to book in advance.
A few people have emailed me asking about the ride: will it be too onerous? Don’t worry folks, this will be a fun, comfortable ride, not a race. It’s about enjoying the outdoors, not getting to the finish line first. (In fact, the finish line is actually a cafe in Leura, where we’ll swap stories about cycling.)
The ride will be lead by Tristan from Bikeminded bicycle store, who can adjust his pace depending on people’s riding ability. You can view a rough map of the route on Bikely:
And in case you’re wondering, no, I’m not cycling to Sydney like I did last time. (I don’t have two weeks to spare!) Instead, I’m taking the train and staying in accommodation, which will make a nice change from the crappy Aldi tent.
That’s it for now. Hope to see some blog readers in the audience.