Creative writers and academics will celebrate their love of love stories in Fremantle this month at the inaugural Elizabeth Jolley Conference on Reading and Writing Romance in the 21st Century.
Run in association with the Romance Writers Association of Australia conference, Riding the Waves, –which is also being held in Fremantle – the Elizabeth Jolley Conference will take place at the Esplanade Hotel on 16 August.
The conference celebrates Curtin University’s connection with the late author Elizabeth Jolley and the continuing appreciation of her literary works.
Conference organiser Dr Liz Byrski, Curtin academic and novelist, explained this year’s inaugural event would contain a wide variety of papers and discussion topics relating to the theme of romance literature.
“Romance writing is more than just putting a love story down on paper,” Dr Byrski said.
“Authors and academics from around Australia will be presenting their diverse research into character development, contemporary issues relating to romance and sexual development as well as looking at geographical, social, cultural and historical influences present in romantic literature.
“This conference is to honour Elizabeth Jolley as a great contributor to the Creative Writing course at Curtin and to promote the diverse and interesting variations and adaptions involved in the telling of love stories.”
Imelda Whelehan, author of The Feminist Best Seller, will be the keynote speaker at the event. Professor Whelehan’s work examines the ongoing dialogue between feminism and popular fictions such as romance, particularly in the form of “chicklit”.
Papers presented by Curtin staff in this rich and diverse program include:
- Counting on Love?: mental illness and romantic engagement in Toni Jordan’s Addition, Dr Rachel Robertson
- Swashbuckling Girls and Foppish Men: the unusual pleasures of Georgette Heyer’s Regency romances, Dr Jane Armstrong
- Love After the Closet: transforming the lesbian romance plots, Dr Deborah Hunn.
More information on the Elizabeth Jolley Conference can be found at:
http://blogs.curtin.edu.au/elizabeth-jolley-conference/
The Riding the Waves conference will be held from 17-18 August.
