FOR many writers the idea of writing is not a choice but something they feel compelled to do.
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That’s how Castlemaine writer Kirsten Krauth sees it and it’s one of the many reasons she looks forward to sharing her work with others at this year’s Newstead Short Story Tattoo.
Krauth is preparing for her night under the stars as she joins six storytellers, poets and performers for the Fire Stories session on Saturday night. She will be speaking about her book just_a_girl, which follows the story of 14-year-old risk-taker Layla, who meets men she’s chatting with on the internet in hotel rooms.
“Layla lives in the Blue Mountains and most of her tales will probably scare parents as much as ghost stories,” Krauth said.
“She’s disconnected from her parents and the world, and tries to seduce the pastor of the local church that her mother attends. I’ll be talking about this encounter.”
Inspired by listening to teenage girls on her regular commute from the Blue Mountains to Kings Cross, Krauth was interested in exploring how a 14-year-old girl has changed over the past 30 years. What she found was that the main focus for the change in girls from the different eras was the impact of digital communication, something that will be further explored on her visit to Newstead at the weekend.
“The novel has had a great response from teenagers, mothers and grandmothers, in particular, with many over 30 describing it as disturbing; not so much for the younger readers, as it’s their world, and they are more confident negotiating it.”
While Krauth looks forward to sharing her story, she said she also looked forward to seeing the likes of authors Christos Tsiolkas and Clementine Ford.
“There is something about sitting near flames, contemplating words and music,” she said. “Every festival has a different flavour and the best thing about them is the chance to meet established writers, newbies and, most importantly, share your work with readers.”
Fire Stories will take place at the Newstead Racecourse on Saturday, May 2 from 7pm.
The info ...
WHAT: Newstead Short Story Tattoo
WHEN: May 1-3
WHERE: Various venues in Newstead
TICKETS: www.newsteadtattoo.org
