Dames versus Dicks Great Crime Writing Debate: Who does it better?

St Kilda Writers Week, 30 September – 7 October

On trial is the wit of some of Australia’s finest crime writers. The Dames and The Dicks argue each other’s case for Who does it better?, the question that lies at the criminal heart of the battle of the sexes.

The Prosecutor: Lindy Cameron
The Dames: Vikki Petraitis (lead detective), Narrelle M Harris and Angela Savage
The Dicks: Robert Gott (lead detective), Andrew Nette and Hugh McGinlay

Lindy Cameron wears many hats: a purple velvet beanie to keep ideas under control when crime writing; a top hat to store all the craziness of being an independent publisher; and a captain’s cap to command the Sisters on the high seas as President of Sisters in Crime Australia.

Vikki Petraitis is a true crime author who just hopes she has enough talent as a comic debater to beat the men while arguing that men do it better. NB: ‘beat’ as in ‘win’. There will be no physical violence at the debate.

Narrelle M Harris writes crime, fantasy and romance, often all at once because she is a woman who wants it all, or is perhaps only easily bored. She writes both straight and queer Holmesian fiction as well. See previous explanations. Is she mentally agile enough to argue that men are better crime writers? That’s elementary.

Angela Savage, award-winning author of the Jayne Keeley PI series, enjoys procrastibaking and knitting endangered species. She is Director of Writers Victoria, a job that sounds much better paid than it is, and recently completed her PhD in Creative Writing, fulfilling a lifelong ambition to be known as Doctor Savage. When her partner gets his PhD next year, she will fulfil another lifelong ambition – to be a doctor’s wife.

Robert Gott writes crime novels. If he were a woman, they might be better. Obviously. I mean seriously. Obviously. Why are we even talking about this? He was also born in Queensland so, you know, case closed.

Andrew Nette is a crime fiction writer and pulp scholar. His latest crime novel is about an alcoholic, small-town, ex-private detective who comes out of retirement for one last case when all of literary Melbourne mysteriously goes missing.

Hugh McGinlay ran one of the worst private detective agencies ever known in the early noughties. He never got a case, which was a shame because he had the two things he needed: a love of amber fluids, and a female sidekick who was smarter than he was. Retired from this, he now writes crime fiction. His lead character, Catherine Kint, has a love of clear fluids (amongst others) and is smarter than he is. A pattern emerges, right?

Venue:
Big Mouth
cnr Acland and Barkly Streets
St Kilda

Tickets:
$20 (no concession)

Bookings:
Trybooking