GINSIGHTS: Antoun Issa

On Friday 20 November from 6-8pm, Olims Bar and Bistro will host Ginsights with guest author Antoun Issa, a Lebanese-Australian journalist and co-founder of Deepcut News, who published Rebirth in 2026. Rebirth takes us to 1970s Lebanon, and the story of Antoun’s mother coming of age during the Lebanese Civil War. Antoun has brought to light a young woman's extraordinary journey through war, tragedy, migration and renewal.

Antoun completed his Masters of International Relations at the Australian National University, then moved to Lebanon in 2011 where he worked as news editor for Al-Monitor during the heights of the Arab Spring. Antoun relocated to Washington DC in 2015 where he spent two years at the Middle East Institute, a US thinktank, before joining The Atlantic as an editorial strategist. He returned to Australia in 2020 and worked for the Guardian Australia until his departure in 2024.

Canberra author Theodore Ell will be in conversation with Antoun. Theodore studied literature and modern languages at the University of Sydney, spent periods of further study and research in Italy and was awarded a PhD in 2010. In 2024 Theodore published Lebanon Days, a memoir of his experiences of living in Lebanon from 2018-2021 during economic meltdown, a revolution of hope and surviving the 2020 Beirut explosion.

Theodore and Antoun Issa’s conversation will explore what do we learn when we ask our parents for their stories? They will also reflect on resilience, community, and the strength that comes from understanding the past.

Ginsights provide audience members with opportunities for both a formal Q&A and informal conversations with Antoun and Theodore. Our bookseller event partner Paperchain bookstore will have copies of their books for sale and signing on the night. The Olims Bar and Bistro will be selling a cocktail of the night featuring Big River spirits, alongside a Big River G&T, in addition to their usual selection of drinks and dining options.

All are welcome to come along to join this informal reader/writer conversation sponsored by Canberra Writers Festival and supported by Big River Distilling Co, Mercure Canberra and MARION.