Outspoken is run by Steven and Tyyni Lang and has operated as an extended writer’s festival in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland since 2010.
Based in Maleny, Outspoken has a proven record of bringing many of the most significant writers in Australia, and the world here, while, at the same time, giving precedence to the support of local emerging authors.
The idea grew out of the couple’s experience hosting author events while booksellers (they established Rosetta Books in Maleny).
“Our mission has always been, and continues to be, to provide a unique and important forum for the discussion of ideas about writing, culture, politics, music, art, science and history in this region,” they shared. “Our core belief is that intelligent debate should not be restricted to writers’ festivals in Melbourne and Sydney.”
For the last eight years they have been producing audio recordings of events and publishing them as podcasts, under the banner of Outspoken Maleny; there are now 55 episodes available on Apple Podcasts, or through their website.
Outspoken’s next event will be with Tasmanian author Heather Rose.
Heather’s memoir, ‘nothing bad ever happens here’, was released on November 1st and describes her extraordinary life-long search for meaning. Many of us can claim to have been seekers but few can have given the commitment to the search that Heather has. She spent time in a remote monastery in Thailand, engaged for four years in the remarkably harsh sun dances of the Lakota people in America – including fasting, sweat lodges, vision quests – while at other times she tried drugs. Meanwhile she manages to be a mother of three children, a successful advertising executive, and a multi-award winning novelist. The evening will commence with an interview with – speaking of remarkable people – Peter Hudson. Peter has recently had a retrospective, with a handsome catalogue containing images of all the paintings and essays by luminaries such as Kev Carmody. He will be discussing his career as an artist, what inspires him to go to the canvas every day.
The program for next year will include the Scottish author, Alexander McCall Smith, who will be touring Australia to celebrate 20 years of the Number One Ladies Detective Agency.
