General News
13 June, 2024
Words in Winter to return this month
As the cold weather continues to bite, warm yourself up with sizzling conversations, discussions and stories this month when the Central Goldfields Words in Winter festival returns. This year, the event will be held across multiple venues in...
As the cold weather continues to bite, warm yourself up with sizzling conversations, discussions and stories this month when the Central Goldfields Words in Winter festival returns.
This year, the event will be held across multiple venues in Maryborough, on the weekend of June 29 and 30.
From panels exploring the ramifications of crime in small towns and informative sessions around understanding memory, to a fun-filled debate considering whether going to church trumps winning the AFL Grand Final — both days of the program are packed with something for everyone.
“The 2024 event is probably bigger compared to past years,” co-coordinator Patty Brown said.
“There are a variety of great topics on the table and I think all community members will get something out of the sessions because the people we have speaking are very interesting and have amazing ideas to share.
“It doesn’t matter if you don’t read — in fact, one of the panels is about adults giving up books so we know there’s a drop in reading and that’s why we’ve expanded the program to give us a bigger palette — we didn’t want to limit ourselves to only literary works.”
Expecting around 500 people to attend, Ms Brown said events like this help raise the profile of Maryborough and surrounds, and all that they can offer.
“I hope visitors will look at the Central Goldfields and realise that there’s a lot of unique and interesting things happening that they didn’t know of,” she said.
“We have a fabulous art gallery, we have markets and now this is just another thing — it’s about that variety.”
With three weeks to go before the event gets underway, Ms Brown is encouraging residents to book their spots before its too late.
“I’m very excited to see how it all turns out and because we’ve still got spaces left I urge everyone to register while there’s still time,” she said.
“Words in Winter is a great opportunity for everyone to come together — especially those that don’t read as much, be it books, newspapers or social media, this event is a good way to find out what’s happening in the region and around the world.
“It’ll encourage deeper thinking and conversations. When people come, they’d also be supporting us and the community.
“You don’t have to sign up for all the sessions, you could also come for one — and just a single session will open you up more, to be more curious.”
Words in Winter’s 2024 program includes sessions and panel discussions on self-publishing, communism, cooking, crime, poetry and much more.
For more information, to view the full program or to buy tickets, visit wiwcg.com.au