A note from the Festival

Director’s note

As 2021 draws to a close, we reflect on another tumultuous, disruptive year – its challenges and its capacity to instil deep and meaningful connections, to remind us all of the power and importance of human care and connection (even if by Zoom). Simple gestures and storytelling have helped make sense of the world around us, and books have provided inspiration, solace and companionship. This month we know many of you will be as sad as we are to farewell our colleague Sarah Ma, who after thirteen years with the Festival, has decided to explore new horizons. Sarah has been a stalwart member of the team, generously and efficiently filling many roles over those years. She has given heart and soul to help make Byron Writers Festival a much-loved fixture on the Festival circuit and we are exceedingly grateful for her legacy. We will miss Sarah’s daily presence, and wish our friend and colleague the happiness and joy she deserves for the next stage of her life. Meanwhile, our delightful and talented Festival Administrator for the last four years, Emily Brugman, will assume the role of Program Manager. As some of you know, Emily is also a Vogel short-listed author and her stunning novel The Islands will be published by Allen & Unwin in February 2022. We couldn’t be more proud of her! We are also delighted to welcome local creative Tom Wolff to the role of Festival Administrator. Tom grew up in Lennox and brings a strong connection to the local area and community as well as extensive experience with festival operations and event administration.

In another milestone, highly respected local author and Festival Board member Marele Day will complete her twentieth, and final, Residential Mentorship (RM) in December 2021. In that time Marele has fostered some of the most impressive writing talent in the region, including the likes of the late Jesse Blackadder, Jessie Cole, Lisa Walker, Russell Eldridge, Miranda Riwoe, Jarrah Dundler, Emma Ashmere – the list goes on! We are fortunate indeed that the brilliant Sarah Armstrong, an RM alumnus herself, has agreed to take up the RM reins in 2022 and we look forward to welcoming her aboard. We extend our heartfelt thanks to Marele for her dedication and generosity in creating this program, which is both a proven pathway to publication and an experience that many have described as transformative. It has been a year that has changed our lives, and thankfully many of those changes and pivots have been positive. As was author Mary Hoang’s recent Sonic Meditation – it was a delight to share that journey with you. And there will be more in 2022… Meanwhile, we wish our members and friends happy holidays and happy reading!

Edwina Johnson Director, Byron Writers Festival