Past Event

Book Launch: Joyful Strains edited by Kent MacCarter & Ali Lemer

24th Jan 2013

Event Image

Presenter: Affirm Press
Website: http://www.affirmpress.com.au
Event Duration: 120 minutes

Joyful Strains collects twenty-seven memoirs from writers describing their expatriation to Australia. These are stories about what they found, who they became and what they now think of Australia – stories that provide entertainment, perspective and cause to celebrate our increasingly diverse nation. This is an insightful, compelling and sometimes confronting collection for all Australians.

Contributors include: Alice Pung, Danny Katz, Mark Dapin and Diane Armstrong, with an introduction from Arnold Zable.

'From the affectionate to the bitter to the hilariously funny to the probingly intelligent, this is a collection not to be missed.’ JM Coetzee

‘The stories in this challenging collection show suffering and heroism, happiness and laughter, and above all hope and vindication of the visionary ideal of multiculturalism. I am, you are, we are Australian. Joyful strains indeed.’ Mungo MacCallum

Editors

Ali Lemer - Born and raised in New York City, writer and editor Ali Lemer arrived in Melbourne in 2005 with just two large suitcases. After finishing a post-grad degree in editing at the University of Melbourne, she went on to work as an editor and writer for Melbourne-based travel guide publisher Lonely Planet for five years. The author of three travel guidebooks for Thomas Cook and a host of articles for LonelyPlanet.com, Ali has also had her work published in Meanjin, Eureka Street and the University of Melbourne Postgraduate Review.

Kent MacCarter is a writer and editor in Melbourne.  He's the author of two poetry collections – In the Hungry Middle of Here (Transit Lounge, 2009) and Ribosome Spreadsheet (Picaro, 2011). MacCarter sits on the board of The Small Press Network and is active in Melbourne PEN. He is Managing Editor of Cordite Poetry Review. He was recently awarded a Fulbright Travel Award to read in Indonesia, promoting American literature.