BWF engages curators to build 2022 program

Brisbane Writers Festival (BWF), which will celebrate its 60th year in 2022, has engaged five curators to build its festival program for the event. They are Ellen van Neerven, Anne-Marie Te Whiu, Benjamin Law, Michaela Kalowski and Rhianna Patrick.

‘These five curators not only bring a wealth of experience and expertise to the festival, they also each represent the kind of voices we want to hear and explore,’ said BWF CEO Sarah Runcie. ‘BWF is all about generating conversations and ideas, and what better way to do that than with five unique curators building a new festival program.’

After giving the inaugural First Word and Last Word addresses at the 2021 festival, van Neerven will be curating the First Nations content of the festival.

Te Whiu will be curating the festival’s first Region of Focus program, which invites Aotearoa New Zealand and Pasifika writers and artists to present at the festival. ‘I’m especially keen for new and loyal BWF audiences alike to connect with and deeply listen to all of the remarkable voices that will be a part of the Region of Focus programming from Aotearoa,’ said Te Whiu.

Law, who guest curated the program in 2021, will take on the role of Australia Curator, while Kalowski will be inviting writers around the world to participate both in-person and digitally for the International program.

The Children and Young Adults program will be curated by Patrick and held concurrently with the festival. ‘I’m so excited to be a part of the curatorial team and to help shape the LoveYA and Word Play programming,’ said Patrick.

Said van Neerven: ‘I am really glad to be part of gathering stories, writers and audiences together to celebrate BWF’s 60th in style.’

BWF is scheduled to run from 3–8 May 2022.

Category: Local news