On Friday March 2, Penguin Plays Rough is turning its focus off-shore.

Fully wet-suited and flippered, we will present to you:

1) Norwegian novelist JOHAN HARSTAD.

Johan’s first novel, Buzz Aldrin, What Happened to You in All the Confusion? has been described as “A modern saga of rocketships, ice floes, and dreams of the Caribbean.” It’s won awards, and has even been made into a TV series starring The Wire’s Chad Coleman. We’re incredibly lucky to be able to host Johan at PPR this March.

2) Boxer, baker and BMX-rider MONIQUE SCHAFTER.

Monique is a Walkley Award winning producer/reporter who co-hosted the ABC’s current affairs program Hungry Beast. Monique writes a weekly column for Australia’s highest circulating queer newspaper, Star Observer, and currently works with “grown ups” on 7.30.

3) Associate Artistic Director of the Tamarama Rock Surfers, playwright, performer and Australian acquisition from the United Kingdom, PHIL SPENCER.

Phil Spencer was responsible for curating the recent and very excellent Horse’s Mouth festival at the Old Fitz last year, for which he also baked a cake on stage, and stuffed his audience full of sugar. We’re not saying he’s going to do the same at PPR, we’re just saying that’s the type of person Phil is.

4) New Scientist reporter and soon-to-be researcher for ABC’s Catalyst, WENDY ZUKERMAN.

Apparently, Wendy will be reading a story about using decomposing pig carcasses to predict the time of death of a drowning.

We promise there will be no props or audience participation for Wendy’s story.

Also, don’t forget to bring your own one page stories. Think ice floes, whales, pirates, offshore processing of refugees, Atlantis, islands, underwater caves, krill, lonely polar bears, & etc.