The Newcastle Writers Festival is a highlight of my year. Held the first weekend of April, I’ve been involved in every festival since it started in 2013. It’s now one of the largest regional literary festivals in Australia, and I know I’m biased but I feel like the vibe is just perfect – down-to-earth and very accessible while still being grand enough to attract some of the biggest names locally and internationally. I also love how the NWF gives plenty of airtime to local writers, and has worked very hard to make the festival accessible, with all main venues are accessible by wheelchair. This year I have 3 events including:
April 5th, 1pm: Ailsa Piper talking about her gorgeous new book For Life.
April 5th, 3pm: I’ll be hosting a launch of five new books from Flying Islands: The Heart’s Lush Gardens by David Adés; Tadpoems by Tug Dumbly; Bitumen Psalms by Lizz Murphy; Filmworks by Brian Purcell; Separation Blues: Poems 1994–2024 by Nathanael O’Reilly; and Stranded by Bronwyn Rodden. Plus I’ll be launching the new 100 Poets Anthology.
April 6th, 2:30pm, Writing Identity and Inequality with Jumaana Abdu, Eda Gunaydin, and Paris Rosemont.
All my sessions are free – first in best dressed and I suspect the rooms will fill up fast so best to arrive a little early!
For all the details including the full program, visit: https://www.newcastlewritersfestival.org.au/