The Gold Coast’s most coveted literary event is back this March – here is everything you need to know about Storyfest Writers’ Festival, and why you must come along.
Like many other events in the art sector, Storyfest Writers’ Festival has had to adapt to circumstances brought on by the pandemic for the past couple of years. Thanks to the help of donors, partners, and a host of incredible supporters, Storyfest never ceased to deliver its literary programmes, workshops, and other events. After a year of anxious waiting, the word is out: the Writers’ Festival is back!
Due to border closures, lockdowns, and other limiting factors thanks to COVID-19, the 2020 festival unfortunately had to be cancelled at the eleventh hour, while the 2021 festival could only go ahead with a reduced programme. To make up for this, the 2022 Writers’ Festival will be a true literary feast, allowing book lovers across the Gold Coast to enjoy a variety of events and workshops, and to meet some of Australia’s most influential authors in person.
Festival events for students
Somerset Storyfest is on a mission to nurture emerging writers and provide opportunities for young readers and writers alike. Therefore, the Writers’ Festival places great importance on a wide range of activities and events for students and children in general – from numerous workshops, many author sessions, and a young writers’ dinner, the festival promises to deliver an experience both fun and educational.
Say hello to our wonderful authors
The 2022 programme is filled to the brim with author sessions that are guaranteed to get students excited about literature. Some of these authors include Adam Cece, award-winning best-selling author of children’s books, Louise Park, one of Australia's leading children's authors, publishers and educational consultants, and Sue Whiting, an award-winning children's and YA author and editor. All sessions have a grade suggestion.
For the full list of authors, see the programme here
Workshop – Story Starters with Meredith Costain
15 March 9:30AM
Students will have the opportunity to find out how to turn their ideas into sensational stories with quirky characters, spine-tingling problems, and thrilling plots in this inspiring workshop with Australian children’s author Meredith Costain.
Workshop – Personal Narrative – Stories From Our Lives to Inspire Fiction with Scot Gardner
17 March 9:30AM
Engaging fiction is truer than the truth, and our characters’ inner lives are shaped by our own. It has to feel real, and it has to feel honest. During this workshop led by YA author Scot Gardner, students will have the opportunity to draw connections between their own lived experiences and the worlds they create on the page.
Festival events for adults
While Storyfest started out as a literary organisation focussing on bringing a love of words to children, its Writers' Festival has grown to be a leading literary event for adults as well and has secured its place on the Gold Coast’s cultural calendar for all ages. The 2022 Writers’ Festival boasts a number of events for book lovers, such as its Prologue Party, book launches, the Literary Lunch or the Long Table Dinner.
Book launch – My Santiago by Dr Michael Brohier
17 March 5:00PM
Storyfest is proud to launch Dr Michael Brohier’s debut collection of poems, My Santiago. Join Caroline Graham as she hosts Dr Brohier in conversation to chat through his selection of poems that feature in his first publication. This event promises to introduce a wonderful poet to literature lovers of the Gold Coast.
Literary Lunch with Lech Blaine
17 March 12:00PM
Lech Blaine is the winner of Queensland Premier’s Young Publishers and Writers Award, as well as various fellowships. His debut memoir, Car Crash, examines a weighty question: What is it like to survive a crash that kills your best friends, and how do you move on? The relevance of this difficult and uplifting story figures prominently in the landscape of our common human condition, and Blaine will be talking about this among many things. This is a lunch that will grab you by the heart and at the end, leave you a wiser, more empathetic and better person. Don’t miss out!
Long Table Dinner with Pip Williams
18 March 6:00PM
This year’s Long Table Dinner speaker is Pip Williams, the author of the national number one bestseller, The Dictionary of Lost Words. Williams hasn’t always loved words, so her book rings even truer for those who had to find their way to a love of literature. It is a soaring, heartfelt, and inspiring book, promising an exciting foundation for her event.
In the leadup to her much-awaited dinner, we sat down with Williams to talk about the importance of literature and representation for children, the power of words, and her advice to budding writers. Read the interview here.
Don’t miss this unique opportunity to hear from one of Australia’s literary stars!
And much more!
Come along to the Storyfest Writers’ Festival held 12 to 19 March to see many more inspiring author sessions, student workshops, and to enjoy the words and share this joy with others. See you there!
