Inspiration guaranteed – the 60th anniversary Brisbane Writers Festival program has just dropped
Grab your pens and start jotting down a list, as the 60th anniversary Brisbane Writers Festival program has been revealed, with a city-wide celebration of more than 200 events taking place over six huge days from May 3–8. As Brisbane’s seminal literary event, the festival is full of engaging storytelling and celebrations of the written word. This year, the festival will feature a superstar line-up of legendary authors and familiar voices that are set to entertain and enlighten.
Exhilarating, illuminating and inspiring are just some of the ways you can describe this year’s Brisbane Writers Festival (BWF) program. Created with a little help (and a dose of magic) from guest curators Ellen van Neerven, Benjamin Law, Anne-Marie Te Whiu, Michaela Kolowski and Rhianna Patrick, this year’s event combines BWF fan-favourite programs with a handful of sparkling new initiatives. Fresh-faced events include The Country of Focus initiative, which presents a roster of more than 30 Aotearoa New Zealand and Pasifika talents, and the Nick Earls-curated Brisbane as a Storied City, which pairs ten uber-talented writers and poets with the places they have drawn inspiration from. Also making its festival debut is Book Design Exhibit, Books by Artists and Concrete Poetry Exhibit, a program of events exploring the intersection between books and visual arts at the State Library of Queensland.
After premiering at the 2021 festival, First Word and Last Word return to open and close the festival with help from one Australia’s finest Indigenous writers, Tony Birch, whilst In Your Suburb will once again see beloved authors visiting libraries across the city for a series of free events. Word Play, BWF’s program for school-age students, is back with a bunch of riveting workshops and presentations, and Love YA returns to Brisbane Square Library with author panels, games, giveaways, book signings and workshops. Other highlights include a tastebud-tempting and thought-provoking banquet dinner with author and journalist Benjamin Law at Sunnybank’s Landmark Restaurant, Yumi Stynes in conversation with Pig City writer Andrew Stafford at Fortitude Valley favourite The Zoo, and a special presentation of Clare McFadden’s The Flying Orchestra with Queensland Youth Orchestra at Brisbane City Hall.
Hungry for more? The six-day festival also includes a decadent Mother’s Day high tea at Customs House with bestselling author Sally Hepworth and Those Two Girls’ Lise Carlaw and Sarah Wills, plus a special family-friendly picnic event at South Bank Parklands featuring everyone’s favourite blue heelers, Bluey and Bingo. Punters can also look forward to seeing literary legends battle it out at Literary Death Match at The Princess Theatre or catch acclaimed Aussie actor Bryan Brown discuss Sweet Jimmy, his debut collection of crime fiction short stories. This year also welcomes the arrival of the festival’s new smartphone app, which acts as a guide that brings Brisbane’s local anecdotes to life as users journey through the places these tales occurred.
This is just a small taste of the accomplished writers, thinkers and opinion makers that will be appearing at the Brisbane Writers Festival – to peep the entire program and score tickets, head to the BWF website. Oh, and if you’re keen to get on the festival’s 60th anniversary guest list (this includes invitations to exclusive events and discounts on festival tickets, passes and online and special events), you can become a Festival Friend for just $75.
This article was written in partnership with our friends at Brisbane Writers Festival.
To find out more about what’s on in Brisbane, head to our Event Guide.
