There is something for everyone when it comes to regional literary festivals in Victoria. From the buzz brought by a particularly striking keynote, to the more intimate environment of a writers’ panel, regional literary festivals hold a special place in the heart of Australia’s literary landscape.
As a part of our commitment to exploring some strategies to increase the profile of the Victoria literary Festival sector, the Melbourne UNESCO City of Literature Office throughout 2019 has commissioned a selection of writers artists from an open callout, to attend regional literary festivals around Victoria and report on their experiences.
Our Regional Social Media Reporter initiative is part presentation/creation, part reflection, where our Social Media Reporters actively engage with their chosen festival via social media (using the hashtag #FestivalsRoadtrip), and then create a creative piece (of art and/or writing) in response to their festival experience.
This year our artists have attended Clunes Booktown Festival, Bendigo Writers Festival, Phillip Island Festival of Stories, Williamstown Literary Festival, Queenscliffe Literary Festival and the Word for Word Non-Fiction festival.
Read, watch, listen and enjoy our social media reporters accounts as they road trip around Victoria’s regional literary festivals!
Melbourne’s calendar of festival offerings caters to readers interested in a variety of genres, forms and niches, as seen in the Fitzroy Children’s Literature Festival, Williamstown Literary Festival, Continuum, Reading Matters, Freeplay and Word for Word.
This extends to our regional areas as well: Bendigo Writers Festival, Clunes Booktown Festival, Mildura Writers Festival, Newstead Short Story Tattoo, Woodend Winter Arts Festival, Ex Libris Port Fairy Festival of Words, Castlemaine Children’s Literature Festival, and Words in Winter. Curious to see all of the regional festivals we have? We have a map of them here
Festivals are often a launching pad for the public personas of writers and authors, to expose their work to a wider network of readers. They also provide ample opportunities for dialogue and discussion around current events and social factors, thus becoming an integral part of our cultural identity.
Read more about Melbourne’s literary festivals, and check out our calendar of Literary Festivals here.
#FestivalsRoadtrip 