When Big Magic came to town

February 27, 2016

"Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear" is for those who need reassurance sometimes that the creative journey is a valuable one

Photo by Daniel Seed

In a coup for the Brisbane Writers’ Festival, renowned author of Eat Pray Love and Big Magic, Elizabeth Gilbert, visited Brisbane in an exciting ‘prelude’ to this year’s festival.

The sold-out evening at the Conservatorium Theatre, Griffith University, South Bank, marked the 10 year anniversary of Elizabeth’s international bestselling memoir Eat, Pray, Love—can you believe it has been 10 years? The book was made into a feature film starring Julia Roberts.

The evening with Elizabeth was hosted by Mamamia founder, publisher and editorial director, Mia Freedman.  (Note: former bmag deputy editor and Brisbane girl Laura Brodnik is now Associate Editor at Mamamia Women’s Network – you go Laura!)

Mia Freedman and Elizabeth Gilbert. Photo by Daniel Seed.
Mia Freedman and Elizabeth Gilbert. Photo by Daniel Seed.
Raeleen Gilliland, Jasmine Higgins, Janeen Higgins at the BWF event. Photo by Daniel Seed.
Raeleen Gilliland, Jasmine Higgins, Janeen Higgins at the BWF event. Photo by Daniel Seed.
Susan Flanders, Kathy Gardiner, Zoe Mayne, Katie Parker and Penny Sainsbury at the BWF event. Photo by Daniel Seed.
Susan Flanders, Kathy Gardiner, Zoe Mayne, Katie Parker and Penny Sainsbury at the BWF event. Photo by Daniel Seed.
Zara Henry, Penny Chalmers, Anika Claire at the BWF event. Photo by Daniel Seed.
Zara Henry, Penny Chalmers, Anika Claire at the BWF event. Photo by Daniel Seed.

If you haven’t ventured past Eat, Pray, Love, then author, creative writing teacher and reviewer, Dr. Amanda Apthorpe says “Big Magic” is well worth it.

Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear is for those, like me, who need reassurance sometimes that the creative journey is a valuable one.

“Gilbert’s spiritual leanings might frighten some away (not me), but her advice is simple: have fun, love what you do and be loved by what you do. Yes, it might sound fluffy, but I didn’t feel fluffy when I finished it. I felt a return of my resolve. Gilbert’s writing is peppered with gems such as:

“The universe buries strange jewels deep within us all, and then stands back to see if we can find them” or “You can measure your worth by your dedication to your path, not by your success or failures.” Read Dr Apthorpe’s full review – here.

The Brisbane Writers’ Festival team is busy working on finalising the program for this year’s Festival , scheduled for 7-11 September.

If you missed out on seeing Elizabeth Gilbert, fear not… this year’s program will be full of creative talent and informative workshops.

Connect with the Brisbane Writers’ Festival on their webpage, Twitter and at Facebook.

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.