Oliver Freeman in conversation with Wendy McCarthy AO and Dr Mark Tredinnick

ABOUT THE EVENT:

On Wednesday 9th April at The Royal Oak, Balmain, Oliver Freeman will be joined in conversation with Wendy McCarthy AO for the launch of his new memoir, Intimacy, followed by a conversation with Dr Mark Tredinnick discussing Freeman's new poetry collection, Owed To A Nightingale.

Copies of Intimacy and Owed To A Nightingale will be available for purchase at the venue through Roaring Stories, with Freeman signing copies after the discussion.

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ABOUT THE VENUE

Attendees are asked to arrive at 6.30pm for a 7pm start. Seating is unallocated – another reason to arrive early to secure an optimal spot. Why not make a full evening of it, too, by ordering a meal at the Royal Oak before or after the event? One of Balmain's oldest and most loved pubs, it serves a delicious range of food and beverages.

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ABOUT INTIMACY

Oliver Freeman invites readers on an intimate journey through his life, love, failures, and triumphs. Through candid reflection and heartfelt prose, Freeman shares his profound experiences with intimacy and the complexities of being a man in todays word. With the wisdom gained from three marriages, Freeman explores the evolving dynamics of relationships. He confronts the prevalent notion of male ownership over female partners, shedding light on the demand for freedom and equality in love and marriage. At first glance, some may question what a man with multiple marriages has to offer on the subject of love and intimacy. Yet, Freeman challenges this scepticism with sincerity and depth. His memoir transcends stereotypes, offering genuine insights and vulnerability.

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ABOUT OWED TO A NIGHTINGALE

Oliver Freeman invites readers to share the emotional and intellectual journey he has made as a poet from small beginnings when he was a child in London to his adult reflections on love, life, family and more - initially in England and for the last 40 years in Australia. The book title honours his debt to John Keats and the romantic British poets not forgetting the poetry greats before and after those times - Blake, Hopkins, Donne, Eliot and Graves. Oliver is skeptical about much post-modern poetry and is a traditionalist in the sense that he loves a good rhyme! His subject matter is strongly influenced by love and loss but he has a deep interest in the way poetry can address social and worldly matters as well as the aching heart.

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ABOUT OLIVER FREEMAN

Oliver holds MAs from the University of Oxford and the University of Essex. He is a former vice-president of the Australian Publishers Association and chairman of the Copyright Agency Limited, Viscopy, and UNSW Press. Starting in publishing in 1967, he became Managing Director of several entities with a focus on academic, business, and professional topics. An internet entrepreneur, he co- founded www.ebooks.com in 1998 and www.leagle.com in 2005. A futurist, he has led scenario planning workshops in Australia for 20 years. Oliver has written poetry since the 1960s and lives in Rozelle with his wife, Susie, and their family.

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ABOUT WENDY MCCARTHY AO

Wendy McCarthy's story is one of a determined country girl who was the first in her family to go to University and that opportunity is reflected in her commitment to the education of women and girls. It is a story of how her generation of women changed Australia. In contemporary Australia, Wendy is recognised as an influential, trailblazing leader. Wendy has held many significant roles in key national and international bodies including serving as Chair of Plan Australia, Headspace, the National Youth Mental Health Foundation and Circus Oz; Deputy Chair of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Chancellor of Canberra University, Deputy Chair Goodstart Early Learning; and Non-Executive Director of IMF Bentham. Wendy McCarthy is considered one of Australia's most influential women leaders. She is a recognised speaker and facilitator and regularly comments on social and political issues. She is particularly interested in supporting women's philanthropy and the role it can play in the leadership of Teal candidates at the upcoming election. Over decades of feminist activism, Wendy has encouraged women to find and trust their voice. Don't Be Too Polite Girls', Wendy's most recent book reflects her own journey In finding her voice.

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ABOUT DR MARK TREDINNICK

Dr Mark Tredinnick, the Managing Editor of 5 Islands Press, is a much-awarded poet, essayist and teacher. Among his many books, the most recent are House of Thieves and Nine Carols (2023). The Little Red Writing Book and his other books on the craft are much loved and widely used in schools and colleges and by aspiring writers. In 2020 he received a Medal of the Order of Australia for services to literature and education; in 2023 he won China's highest honour for a "foreign" poet, the Golden Tibetan Antelope International Poetry Prize. He has taught writing at the University of Sydney and elsewhere for thirty years. A lawyer and publisher before his emergence as a poet, Mark is now a publisher again, having revived the poetry press 5Islands, at the end of 2023. The father of five, the keeper of dogs and horses, he lives and writes in Gundungurra Country, Bowral, with his wife and father, at the foot of Little Mountain.

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TERMS & CONDITIONS

Refunds

Please note that tickets are non-refundable unless the event is cancelled or postponed due to extenuating circumstances. Refunds are not issued within 48 hours notice of event date. Humanitix fee is nonrefundable.

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This event is presented by Roaring Stories Bookshop Balmain. 

With thanks to our venue partner The Royal Oak.

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