Bold and busy, Bendigo Writers Festival is back in May with a packed program presenting discussions that are intriguing, surprising, challenging and entertaining – just like life.
With a nod to Australia’s first acclaimed novelist, Joseph Furphy (and before him the infamous bushranger Ned Kelly), the Such Is Life Festival gathers together more brilliance than a Bendigo goldmine. It’s View Street at its very best.
Presented by the City of Greater Bendigo in partnership with La Trobe University, the program kicks off on Thursday May 4 with the popular Wordspot free program for school groups featuring Australian Children’s Laureate Gabrielle Wang as well as Craig Silvey and Randa Abdel-Fattah.
For the first time in 2023, the Festival’s guest curator, writer Clare Wright, has organised a series of events focusing especially on the expertise of La Trobe University and its Press.
Among the guests are the director of the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership Michelle Ryan, the head of documentaries at Screen Australia Alex West, and influential Indigenous lawyer and advocate Megan Davis.
Veteran writers Helen Garner, Tom Keneally, Alex Miller and Victor Kelleher will be joined by newcomers Shannon Burns, Reece Carter, Alice Boyle and Akuch Anyieth.
The Capital in View Street is the festival hub, with simultaneous events in six venues, plus evening events in Ulumbarra Theatre.
One of the highlights will be Nick Hornby zooming in exclusively from London to talk about his new book, Dickens and Prince. Controversial journalist George Monbiot will also be live online to talk about his book about food security, Regenesis.
Feature events include the Friday evening Gala at Ulumbarra Theatre, hosted by Clare Wright, and Literary Death Match, a light-hearted reading contest for participating writers.
