Festival Days.

Abstract

'What do women want?' Even if Sigmund Freud didn't have writers' festivals in mind when he framed his famous question, it is apt enough in the context of the many pleasant-faced, intelligent-looking, female ticket-holders at these celebrations of readerly jouissance. Mingling with them during the first three days of the Western Australian Writers' Festival - one of the activities of the cutely named PIAF, or Perth International Arts Festival - what Armstrong wanted was to find out why they were there, other than to hear celebrity speakers such as Michael Palin (Booked Out).