The Fest For The Text

“I think that whole idea of writers' festivals being an oldies event, something that's proper and all about drinking Earl Grey tea is a complete lie,” says Benjamin Law, Sydney Festival invitee and three-panel speaker. “There's plenty of opportunities to get drunk…  I think there's this perception that it's this high end, high tea drinking event, but the best [writing festivals] I've been to are loud and a chance to throw ideas around – writer's festivals are just an exchange of concepts or ideas or things we've had going on in our head. A novel can bring out anything from war to lesbian aesthetics and when you get around and talk about that at a festival then of course you want to continue that debate and talking later in the pub, and that's what I love about it. I especially encourage young people to go as well because if you've got a brain and you're interested in stuff, there's always something for you.”

A (rightly) well-loved indie writer who's gone from niche darling to the mainstream press effortlessly, Law has written as a serious, and humourist, commentator, a journalist and a novelist. While this is his first appearance at the Sydney Writer's Festival (following gigs at Melbourne and the Young Writers' Festival), he's appearing across several events at the festival including panels of bullying, gay marriage and writing the truth. But, he's not actually there to spruik anything of his own. “My book [Gaysia: Adventures In The Queer East, September release with BlackInc] won't be out by then, but it's not the reason I'll be there. It's just a great opportunity to talk about and spread ideas, which is what they're all about.”

While being textless may leave him as something of a 'token', Law's happy with that too – being just an interested party, a fan, an example of where writing can take you and why it's engaging no matter what angle you want to approach it from. “My whole life is about being the token one. I'm either the token young person or homosexual or Asian; I'm literary grout, I'm there to fill gaps.” He suggests warmly. “And I'm happy to do it, I'd rather be there as that than have no representations [of those demographics] at all, but however you want to use me, that's okay with me.” Indeed, Law can write, and talk, about a wide range of things, and while he's keen to make clear that writers' festivals are for everyone, is he ready for the inevitable audience of 'ladies of a certain age', who may not be used to some of his usual topics of consideration? “Those ladies are always the filthiest.” - he doesn't miss a beat yet still, somehow, with impeccable charm - “About ladies of a certain age – we always have an idea about what those ladies are like but remember they've seen it all before. They were the ones who came of age when Germaine Greer was first doing her thing; they're the biggest filth pots of all. I've had conversations with lots of people about this and they tell me this repeatedly, you have to remember they were there when Germaine was putting her ankles behind her head and talking about her cunt; they've seen some stuff. If anything these ladies make me relax.”

The Sydney Writer's Festival takes place across various venues until Sunday 20 May.