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Cunard to host Australian Literature Festival at Sea

Cunard, in partnership with Australian bookstore chain Dymocks, will host the first Australian Literature Festival at Sea aboard Queen Elizabeth’s five-night sailing from Sydney to Tasmania on December 11, 2024.

Helen Hutcheon, Australasia correspondent

November 8, 2023

1 Min Read
Credit: Seatrade Cruise News

Cunard is also launching its first Literature Festival at Sea in the UK, in conjunction with the Cheltenham Literature Festival, The Times and the Sunday Times, aboard Queen Mary 2’s upcoming November 19 trans-Atlantic crossing.

Writing workshops

English-born Australian author Fiona McIntosh and British author Alexander McCall Smith will share their experiences and conduct writing workshops on board.

McIntosh is the creator of the Jack Hawksworth crime series, with its fourth instalment ‘Dead Tide’ ranked #1 bestselling Australian fiction in the first week of its release.

McCall Smith, author of more than 100 books, is best-known for his acclaimed series ‘The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency’ which sold more than 20m copies in the English language alone.

Time to read at sea

‘On the great liners of the past, people had time to read books and talk about them,’ McCall Smith said. 'What a magnificent thing it is that Cunard has decided to recreate this wonderful occasion.' 

About the Author

Helen Hutcheon

Australasia correspondent

Helen Hutcheon did her cadetship on a shipping magazine and worked in P&O’s Sydney office for seven years as a public relations journalist.

For 19 years she was deputy editor of Travel Week, which was Australia’s leading trade newspaper that covered major local and international industry events.

In 2008 the late legendary Rama Rebbapragada presented her with an award from Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd ‘in recognition of her outstanding contribution to the cruising industry.’

In 2010 she won the Neil Frazer Award for ‘outstanding contribution to the cruise industry,’ elevating her to CLIA Australasia’s hall of fame.

She has been the Australasia correspondent for Seatrade Cruise Review since 1997 and for Seatrade Insider (now Seatrade Cruise News) since its launch in 2000.

 

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