Sydney Writers' Festival

Last updated

Sydney Writers' Festival
Genre Literary festival
BeginsMay
FrequencyAnnual
Location(s) Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Years active26
Inaugurated1997
Participants300
Attendance100,000
Website http://www.swf.org.au

The Sydney Writers' Festival is an annual literary festival held in Sydney, with the inaugural festival taking place in 1997. The 2020 event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia.

Contents

The festival's interim artistic director since August 2020 is Michael Williams.

The Sydney Writes Festival moved its location from Walsh Bay to Carriageworks in Redfern, Sydney. In 2023 the SWF resumed in person attendance.

Previous SWF artistic directors include Chip Rolley. 2023 artistic director is Ann Mossop.

History

The festival began in January 1997, [1] [2] with most events initially held at the State Library of New South Wales. The first independent Sydney Writers' Festival ran from 12 to 17 May 1998, with 169 participants appearing in venues in, and around, the centre of Sydney.

Since then, the Festival has rapidly expanded. The Festival moved from Walsh Bay to Carriageworks in May 2018 (Walsh Bay is undergoing a major refurbishment). Events were also held at venues stretching across Sydney, from the City Recital Hall and Sydney Town Hall in the city centre, into suburban Sydney and the Blue Mountains.

Held mid-to-late May each year, the Festival now involves over 400 participants and presents over 300 events in renovated piers at Walsh Bay. Other festival locations include Roslyn Packer Theatre, Sydney Town Hall, City Recital Hall, and Sydney Opera House. Events are also regularly held in regional and suburban locations including Parramatta, Ashfield, Auburn, Blacktown, Bankstown, Campbelltown, Hornsby, Penrith, the Blue Mountains and Wollongong.

Approximately one-third of all Sydney Writers' Festival events are free of charge. Festival attendances have reached over 90,000 each year since 2007.[ citation needed ]

The 2020 event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia. [3]

Sydney Writers' Festival Limited is a not-for-profit company with an independent board of directors. The chairs of the festival have been:[ citation needed ]

Artistic directors for festival years:[ citation needed ]

Executive directors & other CEOs:

Past international guests

Past guests have included:

Past local guests

Closing address

Organisational structure

The festival is led by CEO Brooke Webb and programmed by the Artistic Director, Michael Williams. [25]

As of March 2022 the directors of the Festival are: [26]

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 Dessaix, Robert (24 January 1997). "After The Plague". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 28 May 2011.
  2. 1 2 Tom, Emma (11 January 1997). "The Best Young Australian Novelists 1997". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 28 May 2011.
  3. ↑ Sydney Writers’ Festival cancelled for 2020 Mumbrella 17 March 2020
  4. 1 2 3 "McGuire appointed SWF artistic director". Books + Publishing. 10 November 2016. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  5. ↑ Steger, Jason (17 August 2020). "Michael Williams joins Sydney Writers' Festival as interim director". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  6. ↑ "Sharp steps down from SWF; new head of sales, publicity manager for Hachette". Books+Publishing. 14 July 2021. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
  7. ↑ "Alan Duff on Both Sides of the Moon". Book Talk on Radio National . Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 22 May 1999. Retrieved 28 May 2011.
  8. ↑ "Program Summaries and Transcripts". Books and Writing on Radio National. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 1999. Retrieved 28 May 2011.
  9. ↑ "Events". Festival News 2002. University of Technology Sydney. 2002. Retrieved 23 May 2011.
  10. 1 2 "Program Summaries and Transcripts". Books and Writing on Radio National. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 2002. Retrieved 28 May 2011.
  11. 1 2 "Highlights from Festival 2003". Festival 2003. Sydney Writers' Festival. 2003. Retrieved 23 May 2011.
  12. ↑ "Highlights from Festival 2004". Festival 2004. Sydney Writers' Festival. 2004. Archived from the original on 23 July 2011. Retrieved 23 May 2011.
  13. 1 2 "Highlights from Festival 2005". Festival 2005. Sydney Writers' Festival. 2005. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
  14. 1 2 "Highlights from Festival 2006". Festival 2006. Sydney Writers' Festival. 2006. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
  15. 1 2 "Highlights from Festival 2007". Festival 2007. Sydney Writers' Festival. 2007. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
  16. 1 2 "Highlights from Festival 2008". Festival 2008. Sydney Writers' Festival. 2008. Retrieved 4 June 2011.
  17. ↑ "Highlights from Festival 2009". Festival 2009. Sydney Writers' Festival. 2009. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
  18. 1 2 "Highlights from Festival 2010". Festival 2010. Sydney Writers' Festival. 2010. Retrieved 23 May 2011.
  19. ↑ "Festival Nights". Festival 2012. Sydney Writers' Festival. 2012. Retrieved 19 April 2012.
  20. 1 2 3 Haroldson, Peter. "Sydney Writers' Festival 2013". Sydney Life. Destination New South Wales. Retrieved 18 December 2013.
  21. 1 2 "Sydney Writers Festival 20–28 May 2017" (PDF). Sydney Writers Festival. Retrieved 27 February 2018.
  22. ↑ "Program Summaries and Transcripts". Books and Writing on Radio National. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 2001. Retrieved 28 May 2011.
  23. ↑ "Highlights". Festival 2012. Sydney Writers' Festival. 2012. Retrieved 19 April 2012.
  24. ↑ "2017 Closing Address : Susan Faludi". Sydney Writers Festival. Retrieved 27 February 2018.
  25. ↑ "Executive office". Sydney Writers Festival. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
  26. ↑ "Board". Sydney Writers Festival. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
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