General News
17 April, 2025
Festival releases program
More than a literary festival, Words in Winter’s program has been released promising a patchwork of diverse ideas.
The festival, held from May 30 to June 1, hosts a mixture of authors and experts from a wide range of backgrounds.
Offering something for everyone there’s experts on how birds communicate, to the positives of getting older, the despair of the modern world, and crime scene investigation.
Co-coordinator Patty Brown wanted the program to reflect a diverse range of perspectives fostering debate and challenging ideas — an approach that almost sold out every panel last year.
“The issues are serious but there’s a lot of humour around it as well,” she said.
Her approach is embodied in The Great Debate — which returns this year encouraging locals and panelists to discuss big ideas.
Ms Brown said there were 80 people in the audience last year alongside around six panelists.
“That is a good example of people in the community being able to stand up and tell their story. It just bounced all around the room, it was a wonderful thing,” she said.
“We decided we wouldn’t back away from the hard stuff either and we haven’t and it’s worked. It’s been very, very satisfying.”
Keen to challenge misconceptions surrounding the history of the Central Goldfields is Professor Barry Golding and his exploration of contested histories and unsettled relationships of southern Dja Dja Wurrung Country.
“The truth is actually quite confronting. To acknowledge that we are living on stolen country is not easy for some people to talk about. But I think it’s time for us to do some truth telling,” he said.
Prof Golding will be interviewed about his book on the subject, Six Peaks Speak: Unsettling Legacies in Southern Dja Dja Wurrung Country, which explores intercultural stories through six local mountains.
“That story is a really important one for people to know about,” he said.
The work was also completed in collaboration with Dja Dja Wurrung Clans Aboriginal Corporation, based in Bendigo.
“It’s one of the first histories which has actually been done in this landscape with the support of the first people,” he said.
Ms Brown hopes the program will reflect an inviting and inclusive event with something for all ages.
This year marks the first time there is a student’s day — taking place on the Friday.
The day won’t only involve two retired local teachers but a published children’s book author running a writing workshop and competition.
To see all that’s on offer late next