Killer reads and deadly women@St Kilda Writers Week – Sunday September 30 -Sunday October 7

Sisters in Crime Australia is proud to announce that it will be producing three events for the St Kilda Writers Week, which is running at various venues from Sunday September 30-Sunday October 7.

Carmel Shute, a national co-convenor, said it would be like old home week for the organisation which was founded in 1991 to celebrate women’s crime writing.

“For 16 years, Sisters in Crime held its monthly Melbourne events in St Kilda, mostly in the backroom of Leo’s Spaghetti Bar, next to the men’s toilets. Its current home is the Rising Sun Hotel in South Melbourne but we’re thrilled to back in St Kilda for the Writers Week. We have a lot of members and supporters in the area,” Shute said.

Sisters in Crime will hold its first event on the opening day of the festival: Dames versus Dicks Great Crime Writing Debate: Who does it better? – Sunday September 30, 3:30 pm for 4.00pm, upstairs at Big Mouth Café.

 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 Dames are Vikki Petraitis (lead detective), Narrelle M Harris and Angela Savage while The Dicks are  represented by Robert Gott (lead detective), Andrew Nette and Hugh McGinlay. Prosecutor is Lindy Cameron.

Vikki Petraitis, the Dames’ lead detective, argues: “Everyone knows that you have to have balls to write great crime. Women’s maternal impulses always kick in – they can’t go to the dark side.”

 Robert Gott, the Dicks’ lead detective, takes the opposite approach: “Dames do it better because dames haven’t got anything better to do.”

Shute said that previous Dames Vs Dicks Great Debates have had people rolling in the aisles.

“For the St Kilda Writers Week we’re lucky to have some of the same authors from the side-splitting debate at our 2016 convention, SheKilda3 – Vikki Petraitis, Angela Savage, Robert Gott and Andrew Nette.”

Tix: https://www.trybooking.com/book/event?eid=421633&

Info: https://sistersincrime.org.au/event/dames-versus-dicks-great-crime-writing-debate-who-does-it-better/

For Killer Reads: Why crime fiction knocks the socks off capital ‘L’ Literature’ on Wednesday October 3, 6:00 pm, Jacqui Horwood will interrogate crime writers Sarah Bailey, Katherine Kovacic and Emma Viskic about the popular appeal of crime fiction at The Ember Lounge, upstairs at MEMO Music Hall.

Tix: https://www.trybooking.com/421316

Info: https://sistersincrime.org.au/event/killer-reads-why-crime-fiction-knocks-the-socks-off-capital-l-literature/

Sisters in Crime’s third event is How to get away with murder, on Thursday October 4, 6:00pm at The Ember Lounge where writers Liz Porter and Maggie Baron take a humorous stab at forensics and crime literature to reveal what works – and what doesn’t – when it comes to making a killing.

As an expert on the forensic mistakes that help put criminals behind bars, Porter says: “If you’re going to stab someone in a frenzy, make sure you’re wearing thick rubber gloves. And if you’re considering arriving at a robbery with your head covered in a stocking mask, think again …”

Tix:: https://www.trybooking.com/419539

Info: https://sistersincrime.org.au/event/how-to-get-away-with-murder/

More on the St Kilda Writers Week: https://stkildawritersweek.com

Media comment: Carmel Shute, National Co-convenor, Sisters in Crime: 0412 569 356; www.sistersincrime.org.au