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Author Q&A with Carmel Bird – Thurs 14 Dec, 8pm AEDT

We'll be chatting with award-winning Australian author Carmel Bird on from 8pm AEDT on Thursday 14 December to celebrate a new award for digital short stories and the launch of Bird's new digital collection, The dead aviatrix: eight short stories.

Is there anything you'd like to know about writing short stories or publishing online? Don't miss this chance to put your questions to an experienced and talented writer. No need to wait until 14 December either – post them as they come to you.

If you'd like a bit of inspiration, have a read of some of Carmel's work:

The Dead Aviatrix, a story from her new collection: https://tablo.io/carmel-bird/the-dead-aviatrix-and-the-stratemeyer-syndicate
An essay on her new collection: https://tablo.io/carmel-bird/the-dead-aviatrix-the-story-of-the-stories

Carmel Bird has written novels, short stories, essays and books on the art of writing, in addition to editing anthologies of essays and stories. She was awarded the Patrick White Award in 2016.

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Hi Carmel, great book! And I'm brimming with questions. Here's one: In ‘Love Letter to Lola’ readers are given a moving bird’s eye view of the extinction of the Spix’s Macaw. In fact, the narrator is a Spix’s Macaw, who sees ‘the gloved hand’ followed by the arm of a human entering the nest and shattering the eggs – ‘The yolks bloodstreaked, flow and drip into the bottom of the nest’. What research did you do to get yourself into the mind of a bird? If you were to write about another threatened species, which would be the next animal on your list?

For the Spix's Macaw, authors might have studied its habitat, Among Us IO behavior, mating rituals, and interactions with humans. They may have also delved into the history of its decline and the efforts being made for its conservation.

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Hi! Thank you so much for your kind words, and I'm thrilled that the book resonated with you! To answer your question, I spent a lot of time reading about the behavior, habitats, and challenges faced by the Spix's Macaw, immersing myself in documentaries and conservation articles to understand their world. If I were to write about another threatened 1v1 lol species, I think I'd focus on the vaquita, a critically endangered porpoise, to explore the human impact on marine life.

During the Q&A session, word hurdle attendees will likely have the chance to ask questions about her writing process, her literary works, and any upcoming projects.

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