When it comes to gothic literature and poetry, one would assume the writing reference would be to 'The Raven' and 'The Pit and The Pendulum' father, Edgar Allan Poe.
In Australia, we have our own penman of the dark and melancholy, one Nick Cave.
A shadow is cast wherever he stands / Stacks of green paper in his red right hand / You’ll see him in your nightmares, you’ll see him in your dreams / He’ll appear out of nowhere, but he ain’t what he seems / You’ll see him in your head, on the TV screen / And hey buddy, I’m warning you to turn it off / He’s a ghost, he’s a god, he’s a man, he’s a guru / You’re one microscopic cog in his catastrophic plan / Designed and directed by his red right hand – Nick Cave, ‘Red Right Hand’
The Warracknabeal-born, Wangaratta-raised writer, musician and actor has been at the heart of poetic songwriting and storytelling since 1973 and now his words are going under the microscope as part of Local Word Writers Festival.
Into Your Arms – Celebrating the Word & Music of Nick Cave
- When: Saturday 24 August, 5:30pm – 7:30pm
- Where: Geelong Library & Heritage Centre, 51 Little Malop Street, Geelong
- Tickets: General public, $65 | Library Members (free to join), $55
- Link to book: https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1246594
Stay up to date with what’s happening within the region’s art scene here.
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The event Into Your Arms – Celebrating the Word & Music of Nick Cave at Local Word Writers Festivals presented at Geelong Regional Libraries on Saturday 24 August will combine the words and music of Nick Cave.
Showcasing the anthology Into Your Arms – Nick Cave’s Songs Reimagined (Fremantle Press 2023), this Local Word Festival evening event will draw on the powerful music and words of Nick Cave to bring to life three original and unsettling tales of crime, faith, violence and love, themes riddled throughout Cave’s macabre catalogue.
Into Your Arms – Nick Cave’s Songs Reimagined features 21 stories from some of Australia’s favourite creative writers, responding to Cave’s visionary genius by extracting the characters within his lyrics and transporting them into their own narratives. From an automaton of Nick Cave, to a man who can’t keep his blood out of the food he is preparing; from a vengeful Uber driver to a spinner of souls; and from a boy caught up in a robbery to a girl desperate to save a failing greyhound, the reimagining’s of the dramatis personae are diverse and equally as captivating as their original tale.
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The Into Your Arms – Celebrating the Word & Music of Nick Cave evening, which kicks off from 5.30pm and will round out at 7.30pm, will see readings from three local writers and collaborators on the book, Rhett Davis, Toni Jordan and Mark Smith. Each story will be supported by the acclaimed six-piece Stereo Stories band.
Accompanied by MC Vin Maskell, this special event will combine words and music in a way that is guaranteed to inspire the storyteller in all of us. Tickets include canapes and drinks (18+) during the interval.
It’s just one of the exciting events featured in the Local Word Writers Festival program. The annual festival, which will take place from Friday 23 to Sunday 25 August 2024 at the Geelong Library & Heritage Centre, plus several libraries around Geelong Regional Libraries’ network, presents many sessions designed for local writers – established, emerging and aspiring. The full Local Word Writers Festival program can be explored here.
The Into Your Arms – Celebrating the Word & Music of Nick Cave event is a highlight on the Local Word Writers Festival program and one not to be missed. Tickets can be purchased here.
