Hobart’s new literary festival kicks off today, bringing together 60 authors for conversations, panels and performances.
The Island Readers and Writers Festival runs from Friday to Monday, with 40 of the 60 participating writers hailing from Tasmania.
The lineup includes bestselling author Hannah Kent, Booker Prize-shortlisted writer Steve Toltz and Tasmanian favourite Robbie Arnott.
Program curator Jane Rawson said she’s particularly thrilled about some of the names heading to Hobart.
“I am super excited to have Evelyn Araluen coming to Hobart,” she said.
“She is such an interesting social commentator and a thrilling poet.”
“We don’t often get writers, great First Nations writers coming down here from the mainland and so I’m really excited to hear what she has to say.”
Rawson said reclusive Tasmanian writer Amanda Lohrey and graphic novelist Shaun Tan are also set to appear on stage.
She said the festival comes at a critical time for writers and publishers doing it tough.
“I feel like this is a time when the world is super, super complicated,” she said.
“I wanna hear from authors, particularly fiction authors, about how they imagine a better future for us.”
“These are people who spend their whole lives thinking, ‘How might things be different? How can I make things up?'”
The festival is produced by Island, Tasmania’s leading literary organisation since 1979.
It’s been funded by the state government as a one-off, but Rawson is hoping strong attendance will prove it deserves a future.
“I am hoping that loads of people will come along, that everyone will really enjoy it and that we will show the government and politicians that this is something that Tasmanians want,” she said.
“And that we love and that we value and that we’d like to see it again in the future.”
The program features panels on topics from animals in fiction to what really counts as a Tasmanian story, plus masterclasses for writers looking to sharpen their craft.
Events will be held at The Hedberg, the University of Tasmania’s new forestry building and Bevs.
Free events are also on offer, including live readings from Tasmanian storytellers and sessions for aspiring authors on building a writing career.
