Author Charlotte Wood opens literary conference at ANU

This year's convention is entitled 'The Literary Interface' because of the connections literature has to so many parts of our lives. A major literary symposium hosted by The Australian National University (ANU) has opened with a keynote speech by Australian author Charlotte Wood in which she challenged the notion of "relatability" in literature. The five-day Literary Studies convention brings together the research and work of local and international scholars and authors to examine the importance of literature in society.  Organiser of the event, Dr Julieanne Lamond of the ANU School of Literature, Languages & Linguistics said the goal of the conference is to show that literature is part of what we live and breathe every day. "This year's convention is entitled 'The Literary Interface' because of the connections literature has to so many parts of our lives. The connection between what we read and what we experience, the connection between a writer and reader, the critic and the broader community," she said. In her Barry Andrews Memorial Address, entitled " Grit in the Oyster: Why Literature needs disturbance" Ms Wood examined her reaction to art she found unsettling and, applying this to challenging literature concluded that, as readers, we need to be taken out of our comfort zone now and again.