With a theme of Country, the inaugural Kyogle Writers Festival will be held over 14 to 16 May. Over 40 writers from the northern rivers and beyond will be sharing their expertise and experiences in author talks and writing workshops held in the Kyogle Municipal Institute hall and other nearby venues.

This will be an exciting event with a number of well-known authors confirming their participation, including Melissa Lucashenko, the 2019 winner of the Miles Franklin Literary Award for her novel Too Much Lip. Stuart Rees, Human rights activist and founder of the Sydney Peace Foundation will be discussing his latest book, Cruelty or Humanity: Challenges, Opportunities and Responsibilities. Daniel Browning, broadcaster and presenter of Radio National’s Indigenous arts and culture program AWAYE!, will anchor a panel of first nations writers.

The full festival program will be available in the near future and ticket sales will commence in mid-March. In addition to its focus on the literary arts, the festival will showcase other creative arts and local or regional artists. A number of free events will be included in the program.

The theme of the festival is Country and a writing competition is now open in the lead up to the festival. The theme of the competition is Country, into the Future, or, The Future in the Country. Entries are invited in two categories, for those aged up to 50, and for those over 50 years of age. Cash prizes of $250 will be awarded to the best overall work in each category.

The competition will close on April 19 and entries are welcomed in any genre. An entry form and competition guidelines are available from the festival website: www.kyoglewritersfestival.com

The Kyogle Writers Festival is an initiative of Kyogle Writers Group and is supported by Kyogle Council and a Country Arts Support Program grant from Create NSW.