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Alexis Wright explores storytelling and censorship at the 2018 Stephen Murray-Smith Memorial Lecture

Media release

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Monday 05 November 2018


Boisbouvier Chair in Australian Literature and Miles Franklin and Stella Prize-winning writer Alexis Wright will speak about censorship and the future of storytelling at this year’s annual Stephen Murray-Smith Memorial Lecture at State Library Victoria on Monday 3 December.

In her lecture titled Censorship and telling the untold stories, the acclaimed writer will examine the changing attitudes to storytelling in a censored world.

“Are we already controlled to the point that we do not even recognise how we are being censored from speaking out, or telling the truth, because we know the consequences of creating waves?” Ms Wright said.

“I wonder what would become of humankind if we no longer told the stories of who we are.”

The Stephen Murray-Smith Memorial Lecture will be held at 6pm on Monday 3 December in the Village Roadshow Theatrette at State Library Victoria. It is a free event but bookings are essential via Eventbrite.

About Alexis Wright: Alexis Wright is a member of the Waanyi nation of the southern highlands of the Gulf of Carpentaria. The author of the prize-winning novels Carpentaria and The Swan Book, Wright has published three works of non-fiction: Take Power, an oral history of the Central Land Council; Grog War, a study of alcohol abuse in the Northern Territory; and Tracker, an award-winning collective memoir of Aboriginal leader, Tracker Tilmouth. She is the Boisbouvier Chair in Australian Literature at the University of Melbourne and the only author to win both the Miles Franklin Award (in 2007 for Carpentaria) and the Stella Prize (in 2018 for Tracker). Tracker also won the University of Queensland Non-Fiction Book Award at the 2018 Queensland Literary Awards.

About the Stephen Murray-Smith Memorial Lecture: This annual lecture commemorates the contribution to Australian intellectual life made by Stephen Murray-Smith, founding editor of Overland magazine. The lecture promotes research and debate in the broad areas of Stephen's interest and influence.

For more information or to arrange an interview with Alexis Wright please contact Media and Public Affairs Coordinator Lilly O’Gorman on 0466 772 298.