2 weeks Ago By Alanna Tomazin
LISTENING to stories is an age-old tradition and Newcastle Writers Festival director Rosemarie Milsom says that is what this year's event has been all about. Login or signup to continue reading "The festival brings an intense quality to the listening, you could hear a pin drop at these events," she said. The three-day festival took place from April 4 to 6 and staged an in-depth reflection on the state of the Hunter, its past and its future, led by the country's best wordsmiths.
"It's not often in your life you get to stop and just listen to conversation. It's an age-old tradition of listening to stories being told, so we're not doing anything new. It's just that we're providing a space for it," Ms Milsom said.
"And of course Newcastle is an amazing setting for this festival." Sunday morning saw the launch of the festival's primary school program where children travelled from as far as Jerrys Plains and Abermain to indulge in the event. "We published a book of selected stories from the kids and it was so lovely seeing these primary school children so proud of having their work published in a book," Ms Milsom said.
She said people travelled from as far as Sydney, Forster and the Blue Mountains to join a strong local audience for this year's event. "It's been a really extraordinary response. We've been turning people away from free sessions, it shows how popular it has been.
Newcastle also really turned it on weather-wise and the writers are buzzing," she said. "Overall, there's a kind of upbeat energy. I'm proud of how we have evolved.
It's been five years since Covid and this actually feels like a pre-Covid festival." She said highlights included sessions by Aboriginal activist Thomas Mayo and Australian writer Markus Zusak. Next year's festival dates have been announced and the event will be held from March 27 to 29.
Alanna is a journalist at the Newcastle Herald with a focus on education. She takes pride in regional journalism which she believes is crucial to informing our towns and cities. Have a story? Email her at alanna.
[email protected] Alanna is a journalist at the Newcastle Herald with a focus on education.
She takes pride in regional journalism which she believes is crucial to informing our towns and cities. Have a story? Email her at alanna.tomazin@austcommunitymedia.
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