Sydney Writers’ Festival
Image: External session at Carriageworks. Image: supplied
The 2023 Sydney Writers’ Festival boasts an extensive program of over 200 events held in venues across Sydney and its outer fringes. It has come a long way since its humble beginnings in 1997 when it was held almost exclusively inside the State Library of NSW with a handful of events and crowds roughly the size of those attracted by a good outdoor busker.
It was easy to be spontaneous in those early days and just pop in on a whim to catch a session or two. Now the event requires a fair bit of planning and, in many cases, pre-booking. Thankfully, the program is so extensive that most people will get to see several of their chosen events, and even if they miss out on attending in person, they can catch a lot of the highlights via the Sydney Writers’ Festival podcast and Youtube channel.
Again, back in the early days a lot of the discussion was around new or recently released novels and around the business of getting published. It’s a much more eclectic conversation now and considers “word” in various deliveries beyond just written in print. The festival program includes sessions on books, TV and film scripts, podcasts, spoken word, theatre and more with subjects ranging across technology, food, young adult, LGBTQI+, feminism, First Nations and much, much more.
The program always reflects hot topics of the day and there are none more sizzling at the moment than The Voice to Parliament and Artificial Intelligence.
In a special just-added session, esteemed journalist Kerry O’Brien will speak with Torres Strait Islander and community leader, Thomas Mayo about their co-authored guide book, The Voice to Parliament: All the Detail You Need. It’s a discussion that will hopefully address many of the questions that surround the upcoming referendum.
As artificial intelligence (AI) increasingly narrows the gap between science fiction and reality, trepidation and misconception about what it will all mean grows. World-leading expert on AI, and author of the book, Machines Behaving Badly: the Morality of AI, Toby Walsh, will address issues around the trustworthiness and ethical use of AI.
