“Sensible adults take leave from work, hand over money, farewell loved ones and pets and travel across continents to knit tea cosies together.  They do!” Loani Prior, Queen of the Tea Cosies, says that when those industrious individuals arrive at her Wild Knitting Workshops and unravel their wool and needles, their inner child appears. 
With workshops, displays and Festival appearances, Loani’s “knit change’ is in full swing since the publication of her first book, Wild Tea Cosies, in 2008.  After Wild Tea Cosies became a national best seller, Loani set herself the task of knitting up a sequel. REALLY Wild Tea Cosies, released in April, also hit the national Top Ten, two weeks running.  Said Byron Bay Writers Festival Director Jeni Caffin “That’s a publishing coup: it’s rare to find a craft book on that list, among the Stieg Larssons and literary fiction. She’s hit the zeitgeist.”
Loani insists everyone has a tea cosy story.  Tea cosies are iconic, like meat pies and footy, part of the Australian psyche.  A cosy embodies social history, an evocation of keen memories of grandmothers, mothers and friends.  Tea cosies thread a woolly link to our heart.  Add whimsy to that thread and people smile.  Loani’s tea cosy designs are clever, witty and boast artistic integrity. Sydney’s Powerhouse Museum certainly thought so: from March to May her work was exhibited. Her little knitted sculptures abandon the shape of the tea pot, forming peaks and horns and concertinaed mushrooms, all in joyous colours, in buoyant balance, yet still perfectly functional.
The cosies have graced the windows of sixty bookstores from Cairns to Adelaide and all points in between.  Proprietors have had to disappoint customers, wanting to buy her creations, but they are not for sale.  So if you can’t own an original Loani Prior tea cosy, learn from the master herself.

Loani Prior will give a two day workshop on 2 and 3 August as part of the Byron Bay Writers Festival.  If you can knit a stitch, purl a stitch, cast on and cast off, you’ll love this class. You can also join Loani for a literary breakfast at St Elmo, Byron Bay, on Friday 6 August.

Tickets to workshops, breakfasts and all Festival events are now on sale at www.byronbaywritersfestival.com or by calling Jetset on 02 6685 6262.

Some of the most interesting conversations you’ll ever have are at the Byron Bay Writers Festival and the tip is, you don’t even have to say a word.
Said Festival Director Jeni Caffin “In among the panel discussions and group events, the program is peppered with one on one, or two on one, conversations. I love giving writers the space to expand their views, to dig beneath the surface of the topic. The most powerful Festival moments occur when speakers actively engage and this often takes place in the intimacy of a shared Conversation, when the audience almost feels they are eavesdropping.”
Two of the most keenly anticipated Conversations will occur in the Byron Theatre and will feature two of the headlining Festival guests.
ABC Radio National Book Show presenter Ramona Koval will tackle legendary New York Times best selling author Bret Easton Ellis on Friday 6 August at 7pm, for a delve between the covers of his long awaited follow up to Less than Zero, the brilliant Imperial Bedrooms. Said Jeni, “When Bret Easton Ellis publishes a new book, the literary world sits up and takes notice. It’s an event. This iconic writer, who defined a generation and created an instant cult classic with American Psycho, will be in our gorgeous Byron Theatre, an arms length away from his audience, in a conversation that will be not only a highlight of the Festival, but of my tenure as Director. Where else would you be but front and centre?”

In a conversation that hovers at a different extreme of the literary spectrum, the razor tongued Kathy Lette will settle into a Saturday afternoon scrum with ABC Radio and Lifestyle Food presenter Simon Marnie. Simon, like Ramona, is a Festival favourite and has manfully agreed to spend an hour at the mercy of the queen of the quip. Jeni laughs “It’s essential that audiences are exposed to the widest possible variety of writers, ideas and experiences. I love Kathy’s irreverence and her take no prisoners brand of humour. Conversation with Kathy has the bite, bubble and effervescence of the best champagne. I intend to savour every drop on Saturday 7 August at 5pm.”
Two hours, two writers, two worlds apart. Tickets to these events must be booked separately.
The entire list of Festival writers, along with complete program and full range of tickets, including feature events, literary lunches, launches and workshops, is online at www.byronbaywritersfestival.com. Book online or by calling Jetset Byron Bay on 02 6685 6262

Byron Bay Writers Festival workshops offer practical advice
The Byron Bay Writers Festival has served up a smorgasbord of opportunities for both emerging and practising writers to hone their craft and get those creative juices bubbling.
There are 19 compelling workshops and seminars on offer, beginning Monday 2 August and concluding Thursday 5 August: what better place to be than in a cosy classroom developing practical skills with eminent writers and industry professionals?
Festival Director, Jeni Caffin, has programmed this year’s event to allow for as much participation as the willing Festival-goer desires. The workshop series is about involving writers at any level, from the wishful and tentative beginner to professional published authors and journalists.

“Any writer, no matter how experienced, will confess to the fear and trepidation of embarking on a new book,” Jeni says. “At the same time, those bravely venturing forth on their first project, be it a book, magazine article or short story, are often seeking assurance that they are not alone in their aspirations and struggles. These workshops really are for everyone”.

Among the top writers sharing their time and expertise is Sam Everingham, who has had three books published and acknowledges a passion for bringing to life unknown aspects of Australia’s rich history and great eccentrics. His most recent biography, Madam Lash, has predictably sparked bold debate. Sam’s Festival workshop is entitled Digging up the dirt: writing a killer biography. The workshop is recommended for anyone writing life stories, whether for publication or family enjoyment and will teach participants valuable research tips and show how to shape narratives which are both engaging and meaningful for the reader.

One of 2010’s most eagerly anticipated, and acclaimed, books was the debut novel from Kirsten Tranter, The Legacy. Daughter of legendary literary agent Lyn Tranter and poet John Tranter, Kirsten has lived a life steeped in words and ideas. Her fascinating workshop New stories out of old: the fine art of adaptation will be a perfect launchpad for writers wanting an intense immersion in the art of storytelling: short, sharp, and guaranteed to inspire.

Other workshops on offer cover crime fiction, short story writing, memoir, travel writing, editing, even Vietnamese cooking and wild wonderful knitting. The business of how to get published is also dealt with in practical, essential industry seminars.
Workshop program and all Festival tickets are available at www.byronbaywritersfestival.com or through Jetset Byron Bay on 02 6685 6262.
The Byron Bay Writers Festival takes place 6-8 August at North Beach, Byron Bay.