AS part of the ongoing “Where You Are” festival, TEDxCanberraCountdown is presenting “Flattening the Climate Curve”, a live virtual event showcasing five brilliant ideas for climate action from Canberra youth. The young people’s pitches will be accompanied by talks from local change-makers, performances by Canberra artists, short films, and networking opportunities. Friday, August 14, 5-7pm. Program details at risecanberra.com and registrations to eventbrite.com.au

CANBERRA Qwire has altered its name from “Canberra Gay and Lesbian Qwire” and its constitution now reads, “Canberra Qwire welcomes members from the diversity of sexual orientations and gender identities across the LGBTIQ+ communities, and allies”. The Qwire has added a new verse to the recorded Global Movement for Climate Action #resolution2020 song, “World on Our Shoulders” to the effect that: “As our forests burn and our birds have molten wings/We will raise our voice, we will sing for change, right now”. View at YouTube.com.

ART Song Canberra’s next live concert, “Songs Around the Piano”, will be given by soprano Susannah Lawergren with Maciej Pawela on piano twice, because of physical distancing requirements. Wesley Music Centre, Forrest at 3pm and 4.15pm, Sunday, August 16. Book here.

THE 5th annual Canberra Writers Festival, coming up on August 12-16, believes it will be the first writers’ festival in Australia to offer live events, with 17 live and streamed and 10 streamed-only events. Following its theme, “Power Politics Passion”, the focus wil be on issues more than literature, with sessions like “The Truth Will Set You Free, But First It Will Piss You Off” featuring feminist Gloria Steinem. Book here. 

A NEW children’s book, “Vote 4 Me”, published by Wild Dog Books, makes preferential voting easy to understand. Written by author and electoral educator Krys Saclier, with illustrations by political cartoonist Cathy Wilcox, it is set in the fictional Mount Mayhem Public School and elections for a new class representative. 

GEOFF Page’s Poetry at Smiths will join “That Poetry Thing at Smiths” for the rest of the year on Mondays September 7, October 6, November 9 and December 7. Because of COVID-19 the program will mainly be on Zoom, with interstate poets performing online and some Canberra poets performing live from Smiths. View via Facebook by searching “That Poetry Thing”.