BENJAMIN LAW

WRITER, AUTHOR, COLUMNIST

I was happiest when … I was recently in Tokyo with my boyfriend, at a place in Akasaka that served nothing but homemade gyoza (dumplings) and French champagne. You wouldn’t know it but … I mostly type with two fingers. My most embarrassing moment … well, there are too many from which to choose. I manage to mortify myself most days. The last time I cried was … probably hearing that one of my mates had given birth. The last book I read was … Anaesthesia by Kate Cole-Adams and Why I Am No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge. My favourite films are … In the Mood for Love, Aliens, Brokeback Mountain and The Hours. I really want to … have a day that’s so completely empty I can fill it with swimming, reading, seeing my boyfriend, friends and family, and cooking up a disaster. My guilty pleasure is … The Real Housewives franchise. It’s Shakespeare but with arguably more bloodshed. And cocktails. Life has taught me … you can save a lot of time and hassle simply by not being a jerk to other people. I’m about to … release a Quarterly Essay on the Safe Schools saga. Out in newsagents and bookshops on Monday.

Benjamin Law will lead a masterclass on freelance writing as part of the Tasmanian Writers and Readers Festival. Friday, 11am-2pm, at Hadley’s Orient Hotel. Tickets are $88 or $66 for TasWriters members and concessions. He will also be a panellist at Social Media: The New Addiction with Bradley Trevor Greive on Saturday, 3.30-4.30pm, then at Writing For the Screen: Where Do Our Screen Stories Come From? on Sunday, 1.30-2.30pm. Both are $22 or $17 members/concession