Cirrus@Austlit

Grenville puts the case that: 'The voice of debate might stimulate the grey cells, and the dry voice of "facts" might lull us into being comfortable, even relaxed. But it takes the voice of fiction to get the feet walking in a new direction.' She illuminates her discussion with references to Thea Astley's A Kindness Cup and to official reports of the punitive raid on the Aboriginal people of Botany Bay in December 1790.

Mungo MacCallum compares his experiences at the Melbourne Writers' Festival and the Byron Bay Writers' Festival.

Williamson reflects on his career as a playwright and his place in Australian theatre culture.

Anita Heiss canvasses a range of books by Aboriginal writers from across Australia. Each book gives an account of the writer's relationship to a particular place, land and space. Heiss emphasises that, at the beginning of the twenty-first century, 'the largest concentration of the Aboriginal population lives in greater Sydney.' This does not mean that Aboriginal people are unaware of their 'clan or language groups', but it does mean that connections are made through familial, political, social and other cultural associations to particular places. It also means that many urban Aborigines 'choose to write about the desecration of significant spaces in cities...'

Carroll argues that: 'It is the business of each culture, at home in its own backyard, to cultivate its singular understandings of mortal life. It is the business of all humans, wherever they dwell, to defend cardinal moral laws and universal human rights. Then, civilisations will be more likely to cohabit than clash.'

Peter Corris muses on the possibility of losing manuscripts, books and documents in a house fire.

Broinowski writes about some potential disasters facing humankind.

Lucashenko 'would like to think that essays are the new journalism' but fears that increasingly fast-paced lives are not conducive to appreciating the essay style.

Peter Singer asks: 'Do writers, whether of fiction or nonfiction, have special ethical responsibilities when they turn to political issues?' His answer is 'yes', but acknowledges that it is difficult to say exactly what these responsibilities are.