NOBEL Prize winner Professor Peter Doherty is coming to the Bellingen Readers & Writers Festival.

An Australian immunologist and pathologist, Peter, with Rolf Zinkernagel of Switzerland, received the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1996 for their discovery of how the body’s immune system distinguishes virus-infected cells from normal cells.

Including the Covid years, Peter will talk about his personal and professional experiences.

He has penned many published works, most recently the book ‘An Insider’s Plague Year’ (2021).

Appearing live streamed from New York, Kevin Rudd will discuss his past political experience, the post-Prime Ministerial years and his latest publication: ‘The Avoidable War’.

His book is described as demystifying the actions of both China and the United States, explaining and translating them for the benefit of the other.

Geopolitical disaster is still avoidable, he writes, but only if these two giants can find a way to coexist without betraying their core interests through what Rudd calls “managed strategic competition”.

Fran Kelly is billed as Australia’s leading political and current affairs broadcaster.

In 1990 she became a reporter for ABC Radio National’s current affairs programs AM and PM.

She soon became Canberra bureau chief, chief political correspondent with AM and PM, political editor for ABC’s Radio National Breakfast and ABC television’s The 7:30 Report, and ABC’s Europe correspondent.

In 2005 she returned to Australia to host Radio National’s flagship Breakfast program, presenting the role for 17 years before stepping down in December 20021 in the pursuit of more sleep.

She is currently working on other projects for the ABC.

Environmental educator, landscape architect, a man with a passion for plant, Costa Georgiadis is the much-loved host of one of the ABC’s most iconic and Logie award-winning programs, Gardening Australia.

His presenting work with Gardening Australia has been acknowledged with a Silver Logie.

Costa is also involved with regenerative agriculture and holistic practices that deal with the issues arising from a rapidly urbanising world.

His work with pre-schools, primary and high schools, TAFE colleges and universities, industry groups and community organisations reflects his ability to convey his knowledge of a permanent self-sustaining culture to any audience.

Costa is a national ambassador for Junior Landcare.

Melbourne-based writer Jessica Au has worked as deputy editor at the quarterly journal Meanjin and as a fact checker for Aeon magazine.

Her novel, ‘Cold Enough for Snow’ won the inaugural Novel Prize in 2021 and is published by Giramondo, New Directions and Fitzcarraldo Editions, and has been translated into fourteen languages.

Jessica’s first novel, ‘Cargo’, was published to wide acclaim in 2011.

Internationally recognised Australian actor Bryan Brown became an author last year publishing his first novel, ‘Sweet Jimmy’, a series of crime fiction short stories.

In a 40-year career Bryan has appeared in over 80 films and worked in some 25 countries.

This achievement earned him the prestigious Longford Lyell Award at the 2018 AACTAs recognising his contribution to Australian cinema.

Emily Bitto is an award-winning Melbourne-based writer of fiction, poetry and non-fiction.

Her debut novel, ‘The Strays’, was shortlisted for the Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for an Unpublished Manuscript, and the published novel went on to win the Stella Prize in 2015.

It was also shortlisted for the Indie Book Award for Debut Fiction, the NSW Premier’s Prize for New Writing, and the Dobbie Literary Award, and was longlisted for the Dublin IMPAC prize.

Her second novel, ‘Wild Abandon’, was published in 2021.

Emily has been teaching for over a decade, and is currently a tutor and course director at the Faber Writing Academy.

 

By Andrea FERRARI