St Albans Writers’ Festival
As the number of great Australian authors is increasing and our cultural landscape diversifies, festivals in this country are becoming an annual occurrence. With allegiant followers attending each year and crowds packing out small to medium size venues to listen to some of our finest commentators and critics. The Sydney Writers’ Festival already attracts thousands of people each year but many regional centers are starting their own intimate writer’s festivals such as the village of St Albans with a population of 158 people deep in the Hawkesbury heartland.
The St Albans Writers’ Festival is in its third year and it will have an impressive lineup of Australian guest writers and speakers. City Hub spoke to the artistic director of the festival, Catherine Du Peloux Menage about how she chose the artists and writers for this years lineup.
“We tend to look for particular types of writers, so we look for new novelists, crime fiction writers, historians and people who have something to say about indigenous Australian history and we always look for something to do with art.”
At a time when important dialogue and ideas are needed more than ever, writer’s festivals are the catalyst for healthy debate on issues that matter to all of us. The St Albans Writers’ Festival’s theme this year is “Escape and Explore” and the festival’s motto is about big thinking on a small scale. It’s a three day festival with rich discussions and time for relaxing and socialising so don’t miss out on this wonderful weekend getaway.
Sep 8-10. St Albums Village, Central McDonald. Info:www.stalbanswritersfestival.com.au
By Daniel Jaramilo
