Shifting Sands a festival to make sense of uncertain times

The Queenscliffe Literary Festival (QLF) has announced its 2022 theme, ‘Shifting Sands’, and officially launched its 2022 program, with three action-packed weekends planned for May.

The QLF announced its 2022 program and theme last month with pre-event drinks supplied by Provenance Wines, a Welcome to the Country ceremony, and opening speeches by the mayor and QLF president Pauline Nunan.

The event signalled the magnitude of this year’s festival, with a full house – over 300 locals and visitors – attending the Town Hall where author Jon Faine spoke about his new book, Apollo & Thelma.

QLF program director Jane Finemore said this year’s theme speaks directly to contemporary events.

“The shifting sands theme is just pointing to the uncertainty of our time. With the pandemic, war, increasing national disasters, making people feel quite frightened and can create a lot of fear. We just say shifting sands, in these times we turn to the writers, thinkers, poets, the doers to help us make sense,” she said.

“Really it’s a festival of ideas. So if you’re interested in hearing the major thinkers and writers in Australia today, you’ll find them at Queenscliff.”

The program has already proved a hit, with a luncheon with Matt Preston at Basil’s Farm selling out within 36 hours of launching.

Ms Finemore said this year’s festival is shaping up to be particularly special, with a number of keynote speakers.

“This year is really just star studded. There will be so many big writers. These authors see the festival as a destination festival and its very rewarding for us.”

“We’ve got Kylie Moore-Gilbert speaking, she was was held prisoner in Iran for 804 days and she’s written a memoir called The Uncaged Sky. She will be in conversation with the ABC’s Paul Barclay on Saturday, May 14.”

Ms Finemore said an event to attend this year will be the free event called The Knowledge Holders on Sunday, May 22, and that event will include Wadawurrung language expert and Geelong loca , Stephanie Skinner, and Duane Hamacher who has written the most amazing book, The First Astronomers, where he reveals how Indigenous Elders used the sky for all kinds of things, weather, crops, language, everything.

“And that will be a free event thanks to the generous support of the Australian government’s Regional Arts Fund and Regional Arts Victoria.

“And our third event highlight will be with Kate Langbroek, who took her family to live in Italy for two years and she will be talking about her wonderful memoir, Ciao Bella.”

Ms Finemore said she is personally really looking forward to Friday, May 20, when the festival-goers will be able to attend a workshop and dinner at 360Q with Julia Busuttil Nishimura.

The two workshops will enable festival-goers to hone their writing skills, while they dine and enjoy a live performance presented by Skin of Our Teeth Productions.

To find out more and book tickets for events, head to https://www.queenscliffeliteraryfestival.com.au/