We’re still thrumming from the Brisbane night that was Storyology After Dark. It was a new experiment for the Walkleys, inspired by events like Pop-Up Magazine and The Moth: Ten journalists brought a magazine to life onstage. Beloved author and actor William McInnes talked about his childhood in southwest Queensland. Star U.S. radio reporter Tonya Mosley dug into her own prejudices to understand those of her nation. Veteran freelancer Jo Chandler told us how she tracked down Maria Von Trapp’s adventures in Papua New Guinea.
William McInnes telling “I’ll Be Buggered,” while Michelle Duff and Dan Box look on, and emcee Trent Dalton incubates in what appears to be an egg. Rob MacColl/The Walkley Foundation
And then, at the end, the show took a sharp left turn and dived off a cliff to sail around in the cosmos, with Trent Dalton’s tale of the life of Leong Lau—sometime doctor, stem cell researcher, BHP engineer, opera director, desert adventurer, fisherman and jazz musician, whose singular record from the 1970s became a much-hunted rarity. Lau whirled around the stage as he punctuated his own story with ethereal whoops and flute-flutters: The Dragon Man.
Leong Lau. Rob MacColl/The Walkley Foundation
Trent Dalton tells Leong Lau’s story. Rob MacColl/The Walkley Foundation
It wasn’t like any journalism we’ve seen before. Yet somehow it was the essence of what we strive for in telling other people’s stories, a jubilant mind-meld.
A huge shout-out to Griffith University photojournalism student Tim Marshall, who shot these photos for us.
Merit Over Mates: Tracey Spicer, Tonya Mosley and Kay McGrath listen to Kathy McLeish talk about how women can get ahead — and men can help. Tim Marshall/The Walkley Foundation
What a crowd!
Jo Chandler, who has traveled from Antarctica to Africa for her stories, recounted a time that she felt herself becoming a pawn in a local power play, and urged journalists to be clear about what they’re there for. Tim Marshall/The Walkley Foundation
Madonna King, moderating the Queensland’s Life of Crime panel. Tim Marshall/The Walkley Foundation
John Patterson and Patience Hodgson, cracking up the crowd at Streets of Your Town, about the Brisbane creatives who are staying and slaying instead of seeking glory in bigger cities. Tim Marshall/The Walkley Foundation
Andrew Quilty in conversation with Paul Barclay, on being a photojournalist in Afghanistan. Tim Marshall/The Walkley Foundation
Amy McQuire, whose independent podcast Curtain sheds light on Indigenous injustices. Thirty-eight episodes in, she says the team won’t quit until the incarcerated man whose wrongful conviction case inspired the podcast is freed. Tim Marshall/The Walkley Foundation
Aaron Glantz came to Storyology from California, where he’s a senior reporter for Reveal/Center for Investigative Reporting. He’s been following the paper trail of Trump’s closest associates. Tim Marshall/The Walkley Foundation
Our own Quentin Dempster, a Walkley Trustee and longtime chronicler of Queensland corruption. What are you praying for, Quentin? Tim Marshall/The Walkley Foundation
ABC journalist Katherine Feeney works with student reporter Chantelle Bringas on her story. Catch all the student coverage here on the Walkley Magazine’s Storyology page. Tim Marshall/The Walkley Foundation
The New Newsroom panel: on new storytelling formats that are becoming accessible to all journalists. Nicola Harvey of BuzzFeed Australia, Simon Elvery from ABC, Chris Jones of the Courier-Mail and Sunday Mail, and Irene Jay Liu of Google News Lab. Tim Marshall/The Walkley Foundation
