Mildura Writers Festival

I’ve written about the Mildura Writers Festival before, highlighting how one small festival can alter a place and people in positive and profound ways.

For me, the festival has been about relationships that have lasted over twenty years and have nourished and set the tone for a vibrant life in an Australian regional centre. I have made dear friends along the way and I have gained a deeper and more complex understanding of  life thanks to writers who have shared their work with us.

After a while I overcame my nausea-inducing fear of public speaking and eventually tackled the job of interviewing two formidable writers. In July 2010 Kate Jennings returned to Mildura for the second time from New York (the first as a recipient of the Philip Hodgins Memorial Medal). Black Inc had recently published a book of her collected works. It was fascinating to study her writing and her life and to connect with her via email before our formal interview. In July 2012 I spoke with Evelyn Jeurs about her fascinating collective biography, mostly about Heinrich Mann and Nelly Kroeger-Mann and the intersection of their lives with others’, like Thomas Mann, Bertoldt Brecht and Joseph Roth, leading up to the Second World War.

I have been fortunate to work closely with our festival’s artistic director, New York-based poet and academic Paul Kane. We have edited two books, one celebrating our tenth year and another, a tribute to the poet Les Murray. With Stefano de Pieri, Helen Healy and other devoted members of the committee, we have worked on programs and logistics to present a festival every year since 1996.

Tony Birch

Stephanie Alexander

Shane Maloney

Luke Davies

Les Murray

Me and Helen Healy

Virginia Trioli and Robert Gray

“Mildura is one of the more engaging and enjoyable literary festivals I have taken part in. It achieves a nice balance between the light-hearted and the serious.” John Coetzee

“The most convivial and enjoyable literary festival in Australia – a model of its kind.” Peter Rose

 “I’ve also done the Writers’ Festival in Mildura, which I loved, because they gave me an award for my poetry and because I love Stefano de Pieri’s food.” Clive James

 “I had a great time, it’s definitely the best writers’ festival in the country … I’ll be back!” Luke Davies

 “I had heard how good the Mildura festival was, but I had no idea it would be so much fun.” Judith Beveridge

 “Such well planned conviviality” Barry Hill

 “We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves; it was so intimate, so friendly – a perfect size”.  Marion Halligan

 “Thank you for such an awesome festival!” Emily Zoey Baker

 “Truly the most enjoyable festival I know of”. Bronwyn Lea

 “What Mildura does is demonstrate that the arts can emanate from the country; it’s about time that Australia got over its regional cringe.” Bob Ellis

 “Immaculate hospitality, wonderful company, great venues. The best festival I’ve attended”. Anthony Lawrence

 “Enforced socialising is good for you”. Alex Miller

 “This was one of the best writers’ festivals I have ever been to”. Alice Pung

 “It’s been beautiful, how could you not like it? People who have attended I think will have a huge level of appreciation for what happens in a writer’s world, how their ideas work and what it means to write. A number of people have said the sessions are really as good as it gets, with the level of debate and interaction. The writers felt very comfortable and I’ve heard some of them talk before but this has brought out the best in them. I’ve never heard them speak so wonderfully and honestly as I’ve heard them here. I would live to come back next year.” Alexis Wright

“That was simply the best writers’ festival I have ever been to (and I’ve been to a few). So thank you for your impeccable and lively organisation, for the warmth of your hospitality, and for the fascinating glimpse of Mildura. Please thank your wonderful staff and volunteers for me. I look forward greatly to seeing you again next year.” Morag Fraser

 “It was an incredible honour to be so warmly welcomed into that circle of wonderfully brilliant and generous writers. The pairings and curation were so precise and excellent. Beyond the intelligence, insight, and talent I encountered what struck me most was the incredible warmth. There was a wonderful humanity at work–people at their best: a curious, loving, intense family.” Sunil Yapa USA