We hope you’re ready for this year’s festival. Jam-packed with events and activities, the Brimbank Writers and Readers Festival 2023 is as colourful and diverse as the Brimbank community and features plenty of talent from Melbourne’s West.
Bookends, opening and closing night panels
Explore literature and life from the unique perspective of Aboriginal and African-Australian women.
Opening night join Aunty Fay Muir, Aunty Joyce Cooper and Celeste Liddle in a panel facilitated by award winning author Sue Lawson, with her passion for the true history of Australia’s First Nations People.
Closing night is The Diar Panel. ‘Diar’ means ‘women’ in Dinka. Five South Sudanese women, each of them an artist, creator, to explore literature, identity, belonging and community from through the eyes of African-Australians.
For kids, young people and young at heart
Take the stage at an open mic event hosted by Brimbank Youth Arts in partnership with GenZine Perfecty to try out new material or maybe just perform your favourites in public.
Explore the art of manga drawing with artist Kenny Chan or learn about being safe around water at Water Safety Storytime.
Families can learn and ask questions in an interactive children’s First Nations language workshop with Bunnwarrung Elder, Aunty Fay Muir and co-author Sue Lawson.
For budding writers and readers exploring writing
Enter the Microfiction Competition – Our World Out West, judged by award winning Melbourne author Max Barry. Learn about building an author platform: from idea to publication with Alice Robinson. Explore Poetry, by reading and writing your own, with award winning poet Rose Lucas.
For the foodies
Get Nonno and Nonna wisdom from Jaclyn Crupi with tips for the garden and the kitchen which carefully capture the hardworking and loving spirit of those colourful family characters you recognise from their bountiful gardens and delicious kitchen offerings.
Sunshine’s own Hamed Allahyari talks to food writer Dani Valent about their new book Salamati. You’ll be inspired by Hamed’s journey to Australia from Iran and how he brought the love of his country’s cuisine with him.
All this and more
Nothing to Hide features a panel of trans and gender diverse Australians and authors Jacinta Parsons and Andre Dao are special guests. And there is more….
You can browse the rest of the program at https://www.brimbanklibraries.vic.gov.au/writersfestival.
Huge thanks to the Festival’s Principle Sponsor Victoria University and Support Sponsor Borrow Box.
The 2023 Brimbank Writers and Readers Festival is proudly no charge and welcomes audiences and participants from all over Melbourne, but is especially proud of its uniquely Western Suburbs flavour.
