Q-Lit Queer Festival of Words launched in Vic; Byron Writers Fest dates, new location
A new festival for queer readers and writers has been established in Victoria, funded by Midsumma, Victoria’s Pride and the Victorian government’s Department of Families, Fairness and Housing.
Q-Lit Queer Victorian Festival of Words will connect five regional areas and bring regional writers to Victoria’s Pride event in Melbourne on 12 Feb 2023. Each one-day regional festival event—which have so far taken place in Ballarat, Shepparton and Taralgon with events in Geelong and Warrnambool scheduled for April—consists of masterclasses, author interviews, readings and workshops for primary and secondary-aged children. There will also be showcase opportunities for emerging and established local writers to share their work alongside the festival’s touring writers.
The festival’s creative director is Geelong-based writer Kate Hall, author of the novel From Darkness, published by queer US publisher Interlude Press. Q-Lit’s creative producer is Melbourne-based performance artist Timothy Christopher Ryan.
According to the organisers, the team will spend the later part of this year ‘working towards an extended festival in Melbourne’.
Byron Writers Festival announces dates, location
In other festival news, Byron Writers Festival has announced this year’s event will be held August 11–13, at the new venue of Bangalow Showgrounds in the town of Bangalow, 15 minutes from Byron Bay.
The festival was previously held at Elements of Byron resort.
Artistic director Zoë Pollock says, ‘We are grateful to Elements for generously hosting the festival for so long and will treasure the many wonderful memories we all share. As with all good things, an end has now eventuated and the Elements site is destined to a new owner and a new future.’
According to Pollock, this year’s festival will make use of several indoor venues within the Bangalow Showsgrounds precinct, including the Moller Pavilion and the Bangalow A&I Hall.
After two years of pandemic-related cancellations, the 2022 Byron Writers Festival attracted almost 9500 attendees. General release tickets for the 2023 festival will go on sale when the full program is announced on 28 June. For more information about ticketing, see the festival website.
Category: Local news
