In conversation with Craig Silvey

Listen to this ANU/Canberra Times Meet the Author conversation on Experience ANU SoundCloud channel

Craig Silvey will be in conversation with Irma Gold on Craig's new novel Runt, a heart-warming, funny, beautifully told story for readers of all ages from the bestselling author of Jasper Jones and Honeybee.

A new book from Craig Silvey is a publishing occasion. Runt is truly something special and destined to become an immediate classic. 11-year-old Annie Shearer, a solitary girl with a compulsion for fixing things, lives in the country town of Upson Downs with her best friend, an adopted stray dog called Runt. The two share a very special bond.

After years evading capture, Runt is remarkably fast and agile, perfect for herding runaway sheep. But when a greedy local landowner puts her family's home at risk, Annie directs Runt's extraordinary talents towards a different pursuit - winning the Agility Course Grand Championship at the lucrative Krumpets Dog Show in London.However, there is a curious catch: Runt will only obey Annie's commands if nobody else is watching. With all eyes on them, Annie and Runt must beat the odds and the fastest dogs in the world to save her farm.

Runt is a heart-warming and hilarious tale of kindness, friendship, hurdles, hoops, tunnels, see-saws, being yourself and bringing out the best in others.

International best-selling author, Craig Silvey, is based in Fremantle, Western Australia. His bestselling novel, Jasper Jones ( 2009), which has sold over 400,000 copies since publication, has become recognised as a modern Australian classic and been adapted into a critically acclaimed film and stage play. Jasper Jones was the Australian Book Industry Awards Book of the Year for 2010. Craig's third novel Honeybee (2019), which sold over 100,000 copies in its first edition, won Best Fiction at the Indie Book Awards 2021 and Dymock's Book of the Year for 2020. Craig has been shortlisted for the International Dublin Literary Award and the Miles Franklin Literary Award.

Irma Gold is an award-winning Canberra author and editor of books for adults and children. Irma's debut novel, The Breaking, won the Canberra Critics Circle Award and was shortlisted for the ACT Notable Awards. Irma's short fiction has been widely published and her collection, Two Steps Forward, was critically acclaimed. She is also the author of five picture books for children, most recently Seree's Story and Where the Heart Is, which was read by the Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson, on Storytime. Irma is Ambassador for the ACT Chief Minister's Reading Challenge and Co-host of the writing podcast Secrets from the Green Room.

This event is in association with Harry Hartog Bookshop. Books will be available for purchase on the evening in the Cultural Centre foyer. Pre-event book signings will be available from 5.30pm, and available again after the event.

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A podcast will be made available after the event.