I’ll be speaking about Nora Heysen and her phenomenal triumph as the first woman to break the tight, seventeen-year-long male grip on the prestigious Archibald Prize. This is the first time the vibrant precinct of Bunjil Place has been selected to host the Victorian leg of this mighty touring exhibition. I am thrilled to be invited to participate. To join me in conversation about the wonderful Nora and this prize that the country has embraced since its inception click here

Three women writers, two debut novels, and a non-fiction foray into the fascinating world of early Perth’s red light district - join me in conversation with novelists Emma Young (The Last Bookshop) Karen Herbert (The River Mouth), and historian and writer Leigh Straw (The Petticoat Parade - Madame Monnier and the Roe Street Brothels). Stay on after the conversation focussing on new works and current reading, and enjoy an open discussion with the audience about these three featured books in the Big Winter Read at Mandurah Library

Join me in conversation with Sue Boyd, Australian career diplomat with an extraordinary life story to share. The release of her new book Not Always Diplomatic - an Australian woman’s journey through international affairs offers readers an insight into a world that is often little revealed due to the very nature of the diplomat’s role.

For art lovers this Valentine’s Day join me at Contemporary Art Spaces Mandurah (CASM) for the opening weekend of the new exhibition on portraiture Oh Gosh! Is That Me. I’ll be talking about Nora Heysen’s approach to what she called ‘the tricky business of getting a likeness’. Booking for this free event can be done here

Julie Sprigg’s extraordinary book tells of her experience as a Physio in Ethiopia and being a founding lecturer for the country’s Physiotherapy Degree program. It is a story of ingenuity, creativity, and passion. I am looking forward to launching Small Steps A Physio in Ethiopia in person with Julie for a Q&A.

I’m looking forward to taking a flight to Geraldton to speak at the Women Inspiring Better Business event. Nora Heysen was a woman who simply got on with the job, her commitment and perseverance to reach her goals are an inspiration. I am looking forward to sharing aspects of Nora’s life, her work ethic and her life-long passion for her art . Tickets available here

Looking forward to joining a great line-up of writers presenting at the festival. Mandurah is a vibrant city - come along, hear some wonderful writers speak about their latest books, and maybe grab some famous fish and chips waterside! I’ll be bringing Nora to the table, hope to see you there. For information visit https://www.mandurah.wa.gov.au/facilities/libraries/readers-and-writers-festival-mandurah

The Lester Prize for portraiture is one of Australia’s richest art prizes with a purse of $50,000. If Nora Heysen were still with us she would be having a go! As the first woman to win the Archibald Prize Nora was a portraitist of great skill yet she said, “There’s this awful thing called a likeness and portrait painters are always up against it with every commission. It has to look like the person and everyone has a different idea of how a person looks …”. I will be speaking in the Centenary Gallery surrounded by the Lester Prize finalists at the Art Gallery of Western Australia about the challenges Nora faced and how she navigated her life as artist and that pesky issue of ‘getting a likeness’. You can register for this free event here

Join me for a lunch time talk at the Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery on the UWA campus, home of the Cruthers Collection of Women’s Art, Australia’s largest specialist collection of women’s art. Nora Heysen is well represented in the collection and I will discuss her pictures held at LWAG, their significance in Nora’s oeuvre and how they are representative of pivotal times in her remarkable life. She was the first woman to win the Archibald prize in 1938 and Australia’s first female official war artist. Despite her early successes Nora was to remain in relative obscurity post war until she was ‘rediscovered’ in the 1980s after forty years out of view. Get to know Nora a little better at LWAG’s Friday Talk, you can reserve your place here.

Booktoberfest is a fun event for all the family with early readings for the children and adult fare from the stable of new books by Freo Press authors - including me! Themed with an Oktoberfest in mind, come and enjoy the City of Perth Brass Band, bratwurst, beer and books in the beautiful grounds of the Fremantle Arts Centre. You can search more information here.

As part of the Literary Lyceum programme at the Karrakatta Club in Perth I will speaking about Nora Heysen and the writing of her life. This is the first biography of Nora and has been written with the permission of the Heysen family and Trustees of the Nora Heysen Foundation. Born in 1911, Nora was a woman driven by an undeniable drive to draw or paint, but also by a desire to live her life the way she saw fit. It was not an easy road. Join me for morning tea followed by my presentation. Guests may also book to stay on at the Club for an À la carte luncheon. To book visit the Club’s website October Events here .

Join me for conversation with AGNSW curator Denise Mimmocchi to learn more about the extraordinary life of Nora Heysen. An intriguing and puzzling woman often in the shadow of her famous father Hans Heysen, Nora Heysen’s life is one of commitment and passion – both personal and professional.

Nora Heysen made Sydney her home in Sydney 1938, after returning from studying in London. The Art Gallery of New South Wales collection holds an important survey of Nora’s life’s work, thanks to early benefactions by art patron Howard Hinton, strategic purchases by the Gallery over the decades and gifts from Nora herself. Please book your tickets here.

I’m heading to Collie in the southwest for the town’s brilliant arts festival to take part in the Chatterbox Series at the Collie Public Library where all things books will be celebrated. I’ll be talking about Nora Heysen and her life’s work, her famous dad Hans, and the love she found in war time that altered her direction and challenged the society of her day. Nora’s was a rich life, born in 1911 she lived to age 92 and witnessed many periods of great change. She remained constant to her pursuit of life as artist, not an easy quest for a woman of her day. You can find information about Festiv Arty here .

Tom McKendrick and Elliot Langdon are the authors of Built a new publication by Fremantle Press that looks at Perth’s architectural heritage and delivers the reader inside information on fifty of the city’s iconic buildings. Join me as I host a panel discussion with Tom and Elliot about what it is that gives Perth its unique ‘built’ feel. You can find more information here.

If you’re in New South Wales – or somewhere near halfway between Sydney and Brisbane! – please join me as I present the Howard Hinton Lecture as part of NERAM’s 2019 Packsaddle Lecture Series.

The Packsaddle Lecture Series invites guest speakers to explore aspects of Australian and international artistic practices and history, providing the community with an opportunity to explore themes and ideas related to some of the museum’s key collection areas.

The Howard Hinton Collection features a number of key Nora Heysen works, including Eggs 1927 (pictured) and other notable paintings that I discuss in the book.

Read more and book tickets here: https://www.neram.com.au/event/packsaddle-lecture-nora-heysen-a-portrait/

Join me in Canberra for “War & Love – Nora Heysen”, a talk and reading focusing on Heysen’s experiences as Australia’s first female official war artist.

Love became a complicated matter in war time for Nora Heysen. But falling for a married man in the jungles of Papua New Guinea did not distract her from her important role as Australia’s first female official war artist. She recorded the hardships facing troops and medical personnel in the Pacific in over 250 works held by the AWM, including the groundbreaking malaria research of the man she loved, Captain Robert Black, a tropical medical specialist.

It was a tumultuous time on all fronts and I will be discussing her time in the armed forces, something her father was not in favour of, saying she would see things she would never forget. This was true of the challenging conditions she worked in, but she was proud of her contribution.  

Nat Williams, The James and Bettison Treasures Curator at the National Library of Australia, came to know Nora as he prepared a major retrospective exhibition of her works in 2000. Nat has invited me to read from my book and engage in conversation about his friend, Nora.

Book tickets here: https://www.nla.gov.au/event/nora-heysen-a-portrait-by-anne-louise-willoughby

A winter book club at Strange Company.

I’m looking forward to a book discussion over vino. Nora loved sherry and single malt whiskey, I think she’d approve of this plan. Come and join me at this treasure of a bar in Fremantle for a chat and Q&A about writing Nora’s life.

I’m looking forward to visiting Eaton Library with fellow author Amanda Curtin to talk about two great Australian women artists.

Nora Heysen followed in Kathleen O’Connor’s footsteps when she boarded a ship for London. To study abroad was every young artist's dream, but for a woman artist it was quite a different challenge when not many years before it would have been unthinkable for one to attend art school unchaperoned. Join us in conversation about my book and Amanda’s Kathleen O’Connor of Paris.

While copies are already on booksellers’ shelves around the country, Anne-Louise’s book will be officially launched at The Cedars, the Heysen family’s original residence. Allan Campbell, Chairman of The Nora Heysen Foundation and curator of The Cedars, will join Anne-Louise in conversation after a reading from the book.

Incidentally, on the same day, Open Gardens South Australia will be conducting a History Festival Tour of The Cedars. Allan will take attendees through the Heysens’ splendid house and garden, as well as the artists’ (Nora and her father, Hans) studios.

Anne-Louise in conversation with Amanda Curtin, author of Kathleen O’Connor of Paris.

Nora Heysen followed in Kathleen O’Connor’s footsteps as a young artist in Europe, attempting to make a life as a career artist. Anne-Louise and Amanda will discuss the trials and triumphs of the two women, and share how the artists navigated a male-dominated world that did not exactly welcome them with open arms.

Read more and book tickets here: https://www.melvillecity.com.au/things-to-do/events/whats-on/nora-heysen-a-portrait.

Surrounded by Nora Heysen’s paintings as part of the National Gallery of Victoria retrospective, Hans and Nora Heysen – Two Generations of Australian Art, Anne-Louise will read from her biography, Nora Heysen: A Portrait, and take questions from the floor.

More information about attendance and ticketing here.