Fed Square is adding to Melbourne’s literary scene with a new, free, year-long series Body of Work launching this August, curated by author and editor Jaclyn Crupi.
The series invites some of Australia’s most significant writers into expansive, career spanning conversations that look beyond new releases and instead explore the full arc of a writer’s creative life.
Rather than focusing on a single book, Body of Work examines the ideas, risks, obsessions and turning points that have shaped major literary voices over decades of writing.
The inaugural program opens on Thursday 6 August with one of Australia’s most celebrated authors, Helen Garner, in conversation with Michael Williams, exploring more than 50 years of work across fiction, non fiction, diaries and screenwriting.
Garner’s influence on Australian literature is widely recognised through landmark works including Monkey Grip, The Children’s Bach, This House of Grief and her recent collaborative non fiction The Mushroom Tapes.
The series continues on Thursday 24 September with Booker Prize shortlisted author Charlotte Wood joining Jaclyn Crupi for a deep dive into a career defined by emotional precision and creative risk. Across novels including The Natural Way of Things and Stone Yard Devotional, Wood has consistently explored themes of feminism, solitude, grief, spirituality and the inner lives of women.
Crupi said Body of Work offers a rare opportunity for readers and writers to step back and consider an author’s complete body of work in a deeper and more expansive way.
“Body of Work fills a gap in Melbourne’s literary landscape bringing writers and readers together to reflect on the complete works of our great writers,” she said.
“These events speak to an appreciation of context, and a deep respect for the obsessions, risks and creative choices writers make throughout their writing lives. I hope readers and writers embrace this series wholeheartedly.”
Body of Work has been designed as an ongoing series, with further authors to be announced across the year, building a broader picture of contemporary Australian writing and its evolution.
Both events will take place at The Edge and are free to attend with registration required.
