Reading Like a Critic

Reading like a critic: 

A critic is more than an incisive reader; they are a bridge-builder, connecting text, history, author, and audience. In this day-long workshop, you’ll step inside a new Australian novel with a trusted critic as your guide. Together, you’ll uncover how a work reflects its moment, speaks across time, and reveals the author’s practice – the choices and risks that shape their storytelling. You’ll also learn to move beyond taste into the language of craft, to balance subjectivity with objectivity, and to unlock a text for other readers. Whether you want to begin your own critical practice, or deepen your reading, this immersive day of book-talk will connect you to the larger conversation that literature makes possible.

About Beejay Silcox

Beejay Silcox is a book critic. Her work appears in high-profile publications across three continents, and is celebrated for its resolute – some might say foolhardy – honesty. She has been described as “the most significant new Australian critic in decades". Beyond the page, she is a literary polymath: interviewer, prize judge, manuscript doctor, festival programmer, and award-winning creative writing educator. Beejay has stories to tell; she eloped to Las Vegas, escaped quicksand, and was once rescued from a picnic at Hanging Rock. 

DETAILS

Workshop Date: 27 September 2025

Time: 10am - 4pm (6hrs)

Location: Harry Hartog ANU

This workshop is best suited to intermediate and advanced writers.

IMPORTANT NOTE: For this program, participants will be asked to read Arborescence by Rhett Davis (Hachette) in advance of the workshop. The book is currently available to purchase through Harry Hartog ANU. You can also hear Rhett discuss his work on ABC Radio National’s The Bookshelf (7 August) — listen here

COST OF PROGRAM

• MEMBER TICKETS:
  $90 for members of MARION, the First Nations Australian Writers Network (FNAWN), or Canberra Society of Editors (CSE)

• GENERAL TICKETS: $110
  
  MARION offers 2 semi-subsidised places in each program for those experiencing financial hardship. This is on a first come, first served basis — email creative@marion.ink