18 Sep 2023
Influential Australian writer Alice Pung visited Griffith City Library today to speak to students about her career and life story.
Born to ethnic Cambodian Chinese parents, Alice spoke about the trials and tribulations of the immigrant experience in Australia. Pung walked students through the horrors of the Cambodian killing fields, which her family narrowly escaped, and spoke about finding pride in her culture with the help of a school friend.
The award-winning writer also spoke about balancing her career with writing and laid out the truth about writing professionally. She spoke of the time it takes to write a best-selling novel and the profit one can expect to see. She also talked about her day job as a lawyer with the Fair Work Commission.
It was Alice’s advice on the craft of writing itself that perhaps resonated most with the group. She spoke about always keeping a notebook for anecdotes and quotes. She added, however, to make sure it was a cheap one to help overcome the fear of writing down ideas.
“The world is infinitely interesting,” explains Alice on finding inspiration, “You can find extraordinary in the ordinary. You just need to be attuned to these things.”
Thanks for speaking to our students, Alice!