Swimming Salon

Four writers, Laura McCluskey (The Wolf Tree), Katia Ariel (The Swift, Dark Tide), James Bradley (Deep Water), and Mark Smith (Three Boys Gone) read on the theme of swimming, followed by a winter dip.

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LAURA MCCLUSKEY is a writer, editor and actor. As well as writing novels, she has penned several film and television projects for her production company Sibylline Films. Laura is also co-founder of Three Fates Theatre Company, and has performed across theatre, film, and television. The Wolf Tree is her debut novel. She lives in Naarm/Melbourne.

KATIA ARIEL is an award-winning author, book editor and educator from Melbourne/Naarm. She was born in Odesa, Ukraine. Her memoir, The Swift Dark Tide, was shortlisted for the 2024 Stella Prize and was the winner of the 2024 Society of Women Writers NSW Non-fiction Prize. Katia has been published in a variety of literary journals, including Womankind, Archer and Antithesis. She was the recipient of the Varuna Residential Fellowship (in 2022) and Bundanon Writing Residence (in 2024). Ferryman: The Life and Deathwork of Ephraim Finch is her second book.

JAMES BRADLEY is a writer and critic. His books include the novels Wrack, The Deep Field, Clade and Ghost Species, a book of poetry, Paper Nautilus, and a work of non-fiction, Deep Water. His essays and articles have appeared in The Monthly, The Guardian, Sydney Review of Books, Griffith Review, Meanjin, the Weekend Australian and the Sydney Morning Herald. In 2012 he won the Pascall Prize for Australia's Critic of the Year, and he has been shortlisted twice for the Bragg Prize for Science Writing and nominated for a Walkley Award. He lives in Sydney.

MARK SMITH has written four young adult novels including the highly acclaimed Winter Trilogy. The first book in the series, The Road to Winter, was a finalist for multiple awards and has become a popular teaching text in schools throughout Australia. The sequel, Wilder Country, won the 2018 Australian Indie Book Award for Young Adults. Beyond his novels, Mark is an award-winning writer of short fiction, with his work featured in prominent publications both in Australia and overseas. He has also co-curated two short story anthologies: Minds Went Walking: Paul Kelly's Songs Reimagined and Into Your Arms: Nick Cave's Songs Reimagined.