Thursday 25 May
Title: Question Time
Location: Pier 2/3 The Loft
Time: 1.30 - 2.30pm
Point of order on the grounds of weirdness. From the Senate to the House of Reps, Australian politics just keeps getting stranger, thanks to leaks, spills and other hazardous accidents. Join the Guardian’s Bridie Jabour in conversation with political editors Mark Di Stefano from BuzzFeed, the ABC’s Chris Uhlmann, long-time political reporter Steve Lewis and writer Jeff Sparrow as they recount – and attempt to explain – some of the latest goings-on in Canberra and beyond.
Friday 26 May
Title: Jeff Sparrow: On Paul Robeson
Location: Pier 2/3 Curiosity Stage
Time: 3.45 to 4.25pm
Jeff Sparrow’s No Way But This: In Search of Paul Robeson explores the life of the scholar, footballer, singer, Hollywood actor and activist. The son of an escaped slave, Robeson stunned audiences with renditions of Ol’ Man River and his acting in Othello. He had everything – and lost it all defending his principles. His passion for social justice led him from Jazz Age Harlem to the mining towns of Wales and Stalin’s Russia. Jeff tells Robeson’s story, accompanied by recordings of Robeson’s songs.
Title: Sincerest Form of Flattery
Location: Pier 2/3 Club Stage
Time: 6.30pm to 7.30pm
Sincerest Form of Flattery is a show like no other. Some of the Festival’s most daring guests find themselves standing on the shoulders of giants (and then metaphorically riding those giants on a comedy-rampage, destroying entire villages in their wake). Each guest is tasked with writing and performing a piece in the style of a literary great. Hosted by Ben Jenkins, this event unfolds like a literary covers night, starring Mark Di Stefano, Richard Fidler, Rebecca Shaw and Jeff Sparrow.
Sunday 28 May
Title: Mikhail Zygar: All the Kremlin's Men
Location: Pier 2/3 The Loft
Time: 10-11am
Mikhail Zygar’s All the Kremlin’s Men understands that being a journalist in Putin’s Russia is a dangerous job. For 21 of his colleagues, it has been fatal. Mikhail was Editor-in-Chief of Dozhd, Russia’s only independent TV station, before it faced unrelenting attacks from the Kremlin. His book is an unprecedented series of interviews with Putin’s inner circle. It provides us with a surprising view of Russian politics that has made it a bestseller in Russia. With Jeff Sparrow.