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Byron Writers Festival announces first guests for 2021 event

The Byron Writers Festival, scheduled to run 6 to 8 August this year, has announced its first guests.

Julia Baird (Phosphorescence, Fourth Estate), will appear on a number of festival sessions; Tony Birch (The White Girl, UQP) will appear following the publication of his new poetry collection Whisper Songs (UQP, June) and short story collection Dark as Last Night (UQP, August); Alice Pung will appear following the publication of her new novel One Hundred Days (Black Inc., June); Malcolm Turnbull will discuss his memoir (A Bigger Picture, Hardie Grant) and ‘the Canberra bubble, climate change policy and Australia’s future’; Goorie/Koori poet and writer Evelyn Araluen appears following the 2021 release of her debut poetry collection Dropbear (UQP); and South African Jewish lawyer Hayley Katzen will discuss her memoir Untethered (Ventura Press).

The 2020 Byron Writers Festival was cancelled due to the pandemic, with some content delivered online. The festival has since received federal Restart Investment to Sustain and Expand (RISE) funding and received emergency funding from the Copyright Agency in 2020.

‘We are delighted to be welcoming our guests and audiences back to the beautiful festival grounds at Byron Bay for three days of stimulating conversation, ideas and shared experiences,’ said festival director Edwina Johnson. ‘Our 25th anniversary is a significant milestone for the festival and we cherish this opportunity to come together to reflect, connect and celebrate with such incredible literary talent.’

Sunday Locals’ passes for the event are on sale now. The full program will be announced and all tickets will be on sale on 23 June. For more information see the Byron Writers Festival website.

 

Category: Local news