Inaugural Berry Writers Festival program announced

The full program for the inaugural Berry Writers Festival, to be held 21–23 October in Shoalhaven, NSW, has been announced.

The three-day program includes panel discussions, conversations, performances, author signings, workshops and social events featuring over 40 established and emerging authors.

Program highlights include author and scientist Tim Flannery presenting the keynote address at the festival’s opening ceremony; ‘Loss and Belonging’ with Anita Heiss in conversation with Lisa Heidke; Jane Caro, Anne Maria Nicholson and Suzanne Burdon in ‘How Far is Too Far?’; ‘Climate Change, Conscience and Catastrophe’ with Flannery, Scott Ludlam, Danielle Celermajer and Robyn Williams; and ‘Family, Identity and Freedom’ featuring Omar Sakr, Nigel Featherstone and Mark Tredinnick.

Former publisher and literary agent Mary Cunnane will be demystifying the publishing process in the workshop ‘Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Publishing but Were Afraid to Ask’. Other workshops include the craft of writing poetry, novels and children’s books.

Berry Writers Festival founder and artistic director Suzanne Burdon said: ‘The Berry Writers Festival has come together as a celebration of this beautiful village and its deep-rooted engagement with books and writers. The enormous enthusiasm for the festival, from far and wide, means we will be sharing the insights of many talented authors and thinkers and re-imagining the world in all of its joy and complexity.

‘We hope to inspire those who attend to consider important social, political and environmental issues, as well as to ponder the human condition and, above all, to enjoy reading and storytelling.’

For more information on the festival and the program, see the festival website.

Category: Local news