Program launched for flourishing festival

WHILE the region has come to life with a host of events across autumn, another flagship festival officially launched its program on Monday.

The Bendigo Writers’ Festival’s theme this year is ‘flourish’, which is the perfect concept according to manager at Bendigo Venues and Events, Julie Amos.

“This year’s writers festival is themed flourish because that appropriately describes what is happening post-COVID in Bendigo,” she said.

“Bendigo is an amazing city and has had this writers’ festival running for 13 years now and we thought it was a really appropriate name.

“It shows we’re opening up, we’re busy. We’ve got lots of international guests, lots of local writers, academics from around Bendigo.”

This year’s festival features 70 events with 100 presenters, and 15 online talks.

“Seventy sessions is where we would’ve been [before the COVID-19 pandemic] so I’m really confident we’re delivering a really big festival and we’ll see big numbers of people coming,” Ms Amos said.

The program includes international speakers including former West Indies cricketer Michael Holding, who will appear live from Cayman to talk about his award-winning book Why We Kneel, How We Rise about racism in sport.

Bestselling author of Eat Pray Love, Elizabeth Gilbert, will also appear via video in conversation with host Claire Flanagan-Smith.

“Elizabeth Gilbert is a highly energetic and engaging person,” Ms Flanagan-Smith said. “She brings a lot of interesting storytelling; she’s got great ideas and she’s engaging and really warm so I’m looking forward to speaking to her.”

Other guests include gourmet farmer Matthew Evans, First Nations advocate Thomas Mayor, medical broadcaster Norman Swan, and essayist “Charlotte Wood.

Alongside the main festival will be a series of events for young people and several writing workshops.

For the full program visit bendigowritersfestival.com.au.