Inaugural crime fiction festival in Tasmania announces first guests

Thursday, 21 February 2019 Books+Publishing

A new biennial festival focused on crime fiction has announced the first guests for its inaugural program.

Taking place in Cygnet and locations around Tasmania’s Huon Valley over Halloween (31 October to 3 November), the inaugural Terror Australis Readers and Writers Festival will feature writing workshops and masterclasses, panel sessions, a NaNoWriMo program, a murder mystery dinner, a 1920s-themed dress up dinner with jazz and spoken word poetry, and a day-long ‘hall of writers’ where readers and authors can meet and discuss books.

With this year’s theme as ‘Murder she wrote’, the festival will celebrate past and present women writers of crime fiction. Headlining authors Tara Moss, Kerry Greenwood and Sulari Gentill will all appear on a ‘Murder she wrote’ panel discussion. Other guests include Clan Destine Press publisher Lindy Cameron, author and Writers Victoria director Angela Savage, author and Echo publisher Angela Meyer, and authors Meg Keneally, Tansy Rayner Roberts, Jack Heath and Joanna Baker.

A concurrent children’s program will include readings and workshops, a writing competition and a Halloween party. A range of youth writer residencies will also be offered at locations across the Huon Valley.

In press materials for the festival, organisers say that the Huon Valley has a functional literacy rate of just 50%, and part of the festival’s aim is also to promote literacy in the state.

Earlybird tickets, along with a detailed program, will be available in April.

For more information, visit the festival website.

Category: Festivals Local news