Transforming work

Stephen and Marjorie have travelled a lot this year. Marjorie in Western Australia and Europe and Stephen in Indonesia and Stroud, and Orange, too, of course. Some great trips.

The day after Marjorie returned to Sydney from WA, she headed to a studio to record her piece ‘Plague Days’ for Sonic City, which was great fun (so have a listen).

Trips away with her writing buddy to Shoal Bay and the Hunter Valley were also inspiring.

The 2024 Sydney Writers Festival worked its magic. Highlights included: Irish author Paul Lynch discussing his 2023 Booker Prize-winning novel Prophet Song; hearing from Nobel Prize-winner Abdulrazak Gurnah (Paradise, Afterlives); and conversations featuring Australian literary legends Christos Tsiolkas (The In Between), Anna Funder (Wifedom) and Richard Flanagan (Question 7).

Since Stephen finished up with Lifeline Macarthur and Western Sydney he has been conducting a communications review for a Sydney-based non-profit. He also recently attended the Communication and Public Relations Australia Corporate Communication Forum, which he found stimulating and informative, particularly the discussion about how AI is transforming work.

This year he’s taken more great photos: of soloists and bands like Grace Petrie, Bluebottle Kiss and Soul Movers; at book events, including Caoilinn Hughes in conversation about The Alternatives; at wineries like Cha Lou and Macquariedale in Orange. His bird photography is also quite amazing. Take a look on Facebook. He’s also still Music Editor for the South Sydney Herald, and here’s the story that goes with the awesome photo illustrating this post.