Duncan Richardson is a writer of history, fiction, poetry and educational texts. He is an amateur historian and keen to uncover the hidden stories of Brisbane’s past. In his writing for children, he has brought bog-bodies and dinosaurs back to life and his novel Jason Chen and the Time Banana features the Great Fire of Brisbane in 1864. He has just published Year of Disaster a history book about the various disasters of that year.
1. Have you been to the Sandcliffe Festival Before?
Yes – I ran a workshop for kids and did a poetry reading in 2015 and a poetry reading the time before that.
2. What are you looking forward to and how did you become involved in it this year?
I became involved because Adele Invited me. I’ve known Adele since the early 90s when we were in FAW Qld. I’m most looking forward to meeting lots of people who are enthusiastic about books.
3. What is the main focus of what you will be speaking about at the festival (a short sneak peek to get people interested)
In telling a little of my journey with writing, I’d like to focus on the difference between false friends or muses and true living
sparks, when it comes to inspiration. I’ve known both and it took a while to learn the difference. If I can help new writers to save time by avoiding the false, that would be great.
4. If you could choose to a favourite literary character, who would you be and why?
In some ways, HG Wells anonymous time traveler would have to be a favourite just because he gets to experience other times. But he’s not much of a flesh and blood character. Many of the really interesting characters have such major flaws that I wouldn’t want to be them but I would like to meet them; Holden Caufield for example in Catcher in the Rye or Virginia Woolf’s Orlando, Naipaul’s Mr Biswas or Kate Grenville’s Lilian, based on Bee Miles.
You can find out more about Duncan HERE
Unique Journeys
April 29th commencing 9am
Bracken Ridge Library, 77 Bracken St, Bracken Ridge
Join authors Duncan Richardson, June Perkins, and Michael Aird as they talk about their inspiration and ideas and what compels them on their creative journey, where they are today, and where they hope to be in the future.
Gumboootspearlz 