In a cafe at Circular Quay, one of Australia’s most popular crime writers, Ashley Kalagian Blunt, shares with me an early childhood memory about writing.
“When I was a kid, I loved books. I had to write a story in grade one. I was living in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. And I wrote this little story called ‘The Wizard Who Had a Cat’. And I’m sure it was wildly plagiarised from some picture book my parents had read me. But it got selected to be in the school district anthology – the Young Saskatchewan Readers. So, I was convinced at the age of seven that I was, like, a real writer.”
The Canadian-born multi-genre author has published several books. Her first work was a creative mix of genres: a novella, a memoir and essays combined in one volume, My Name is Revenge, that focused on her Armenian heritage and the struggles of that nation. She then started writing crime novels.
Kalagian Blunt’s current bestselling book, Like, Follow, Die, is a psychological thriller that explores toxic masculinity and the dark side of the internet.
Kalagian Blunt is also passionate about reading. “There’s research that shows that when people are reading in public, that encourages other people to pick up a book. Also, most people have good memories of reading as a kid, whether that’s with parents or teachers or of books they love. So many people in adulthood become lapsed readers because they don’t have time, but by creating spaces and by reading a book in public, it actually encourages people to pick up a book again.”
This is why she initiated the Reading Takeover at Randwick Town Hall. The event, taking place on 28–29 November, will feature a range of activities for readers and writers.
“As part of the public programming, I wanted to create a space and time dedicated to reading.” On Sunday 29 November, there will be a reading and writing drop-in session open to everyone. “We’ve got tables and chairs, but we’re going to have a bunch of beanbags and there’ll be snacks. It’s just come and read with other people.”
Kalagian Blunt believes that reading and connecting with local bookshops is a small way we can create community in our society. “This can actively work against the attention economy that the tech industry has created. It’s a way to bring nuance back into our discussions in communities and to slow down.”
Find out more about Randwick’s Reading Takeover here.
