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Once More with Failing

11 Oct
BOOK

ABOUT THE SHOW

Elaine Castillo, Josh Silver, Jordan Prosser & Max Easton in conversation with Carody Culver

Failure, resentment, disappointment: the holy trinity of millennial experience, as rendered by four of the sharpest observers in the trade. These exceptional novels of love, longing and loserdom traverse the agonies and (limited) ecstasies of adulthood in the 2020s, where desire and ambition collide with digital anxiety and the cold, dead hand of late-stage capitalism.

PART OF BRISBANE WRITERS FESTIVAL

White logo with a bold geometric shape on the left and the text Brisbane Writers Festival in large, white, sans-serif letters on a black background.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Named one of “30 of the Planet’s Most Exciting Young People” by the Financial Times, Elaine Castillo’s novel Moderation was longlisted for the 2026 Women’s Prize in Fiction and named one of the Top Ten Books of 2025 by The Atlantic, Slate, and a Best Book of 2025 by The New Yorker, TIME, and more.

A painting of a seated man and woman in formal attire with heads distorted by vertical streaks, a black dog nearby. The book title MODERATION and author Elaine Castillo are overlaid in bold white text.

Josh Silver grew up on a farm in England’s Lake District, before moving to Manchester with his family, where he spent his teenage years loving the city. He trained as an actor at the prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and went onto perform in the West End and on Broadway. After deciding to change careers, Josh now works with teenagers as a mental health nurse. Josh lives in Manchester, UK.

Book cover for Fruit Fly by Josh Silver. A fruit fly sits on an orange against a bright green background, with positive review quotes and the title in large bold letters at the top and the authors name at the bottom.

Jordan Prosser is an author and screenwriter based in Naarm/Melbourne. He won the Peter Carey Short Story Award in 2022. His debut novel, Big Time, was shortlisted for the Matt Richell Award for New Writer of the Year at the ABIAs and the Aurealis Award for Best Science Fiction Novel.

Book cover for Blue Giant by Jordan Prosser, featuring bold orange text on a blue background, with a cream-colored shape and an orange-toned planet centered inside it.

Max Easton is a writer from south-west Sydney. Now, Autonomy is his third novel with Giramondo, sharing characters and plot threads with The Magpie Wing (longlisted for the 2022 Miles Franklin Literary Award) and its acclaimed follow-up, Paradise Estate.

Book cover for Now, Autonomy by Max Easton. The left side displays the title and author, while the right features a vertical column of patterned fabric swatches, including stars, animal prints, and geometric designs.

Carody Culver is the editor of Griffith Review. She’s also a writer and a literary interviewer. Her work has appeared in Australian Book Review, Meanjin, Sydney Review of Books, Kill Your Darlings, Books+Publishing and more, and she’s been a contributing editor for Peppermint magazine. Her chapbook, The Morgue I Think the Deader It Gets, was published by Cordite in 2022.

BOOK

PERFORMANCE DATES & TIMES

Sun 11 Oct 2026
12:30PM

VENUE

Fairfax Studio

TICKETS

Adult
$29.90*
Concession
$25*
*$7.20 transaction fee applies to all ticket purchases

DURATION

60 minutes

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Suitable for all ages

18 months and under free on the knee; all other ages must hold a valid ticket

ACCESSIBILITY

  • wheelchair_accessible

Accessiblity Information at Brisbane Powerhouse

Presented by Brisbane Writers Festival in partnership with Brisbane Powerhouse

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Named one of “30 of the Planet’s Most Exciting Young People” by the Financial Times, Elaine Castillo’s novel Moderation was longlisted for the 2026 Women’s Prize in Fiction and named one of the Top Ten Books of 2025 by The Atlantic, Slate, and a Best Book of 2025 by The New Yorker, TIME, and more.

A painting of a seated man and woman in formal attire with heads distorted by vertical streaks, a black dog nearby. The book title MODERATION and author Elaine Castillo are overlaid in bold white text.

Josh Silver grew up on a farm in England’s Lake District, before moving to Manchester with his family, where he spent his teenage years loving the city. He trained as an actor at the prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and went onto perform in the West End and on Broadway. After deciding to change careers, Josh now works with teenagers as a mental health nurse. Josh lives in Manchester, UK.

Book cover for Fruit Fly by Josh Silver. A fruit fly sits on an orange against a bright green background, with positive review quotes and the title in large bold letters at the top and the authors name at the bottom.

Jordan Prosser is an author and screenwriter based in Naarm/Melbourne. He won the Peter Carey Short Story Award in 2022. His debut novel, Big Time, was shortlisted for the Matt Richell Award for New Writer of the Year at the ABIAs and the Aurealis Award for Best Science Fiction Novel.

Book cover for Blue Giant by Jordan Prosser, featuring bold orange text on a blue background, with a cream-colored shape and an orange-toned planet centered inside it.

Max Easton is a writer from south-west Sydney. Now, Autonomy is his third novel with Giramondo, sharing characters and plot threads with The Magpie Wing (longlisted for the 2022 Miles Franklin Literary Award) and its acclaimed follow-up, Paradise Estate.

Book cover for Now, Autonomy by Max Easton. The left side displays the title and author, while the right features a vertical column of patterned fabric swatches, including stars, animal prints, and geometric designs.

Carody Culver is the editor of Griffith Review. She’s also a writer and a literary interviewer. Her work has appeared in Australian Book Review, Meanjin, Sydney Review of Books, Kill Your Darlings, Books+Publishing and more, and she’s been a contributing editor for Peppermint magazine. Her chapbook, The Morgue I Think the Deader It Gets, was published by Cordite in 2022.