Author Talk: Claire Thomas - On Not Climbing Mountains

Join acclaimed Melbourne author Claire Thomas, in conversation with fellow author Toni Jordan. The pair will discuss Claire's new novel, On Not Climbing Mountains, written during her residency at the Fondation Jan Michalski in Switzerland. Claire’s previous works, Fugitive Blue and The Performance, were both longlisted for the Miles Franklin Literary Award and received wide critical acclaim.

You can purchase a copy of Claire Thomas' novels from Fairfield Books on the night.

About Claire Thomas:

Claire Thomas is a writer from Naarm/Melbourne. Her first novel was Fugitive Blue, which won the Dobbie Literary Award for women writers, and was longlisted for the Miles Franklin Literary Award. Her second novel, The Performance, also longlisted for the Miles Franklin, was internationally published to critical acclaim, and shortlisted for the NSW Premier's Literary Award Christina Stead Prize for Fiction in 2022. Claire holds a PhD from the University of Melbourne and has worked as a mentor, lecturer, supervisor and teacher for many years. On Not Climbing Mountains was written with the support of residency at the Fondation Jan Michalski in Montricher, Switzerland.

About Toni Jordan:

Toni Jordan is the author of the international bestseller Addition, which was longlisted for the Miles Franklin Award and adapted into a feature film, in cinemas in 2026. Her novel Nine Days was awarded Best Fiction at the 2012 Indie Awards; Our Tiny, Useless Hearts was longlisted for the International Dublin Literary Award; and her two Schnabel family novels, Dinner with the Schnabels and Prettier if She Smiled More, were critically acclaimed. Toni holds a Bachelor of Science in physiology and a PhD in Creative Arts and lives in Melbourne. Her latest novel is Tenderfoot.

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