Once every year, young and emerging writers from all over the country emerge blinking from their caves and make the arduous pilgrimage to Newcastle. They are greeted by kindred spirits, five days of free events, and bucketloads of cheap ginger beer. If this is your first NYWF, prepare to have the top of your head blown off. If you're a repeat offender ... welcome back.
It's the five days of the year where you get to share your ideas, passions and saliva with like-minded crew from all over Australia. NYWF 2007 featured the biggest showcase of independent books and publications in the southern hemisphere, an interventionist hit-and-run theatre and writing program, a showcase of unconventional and provocative spoken word performance, a comprehensive workshop and masterclass program, and a range of vibrant, in-depth collaborations, discussions and showdowns.
As well as focusing on craft and literary skill, we place an equally strong emphasis on the ideas, politics and cultural practices which surround writing. We're a festival of ideas as much as a festival of writers. For that reason, we also have a broad definition of what constitutes writing - in addition to novels, poetry, short fiction, non-fiction, jounalism, script-writing etc, we are fascinated by spoken word, comics, experimental theatre, song-writing, zines, blogging, new-media collaboration and more.
The NYWF also provides advice, inspiration and challenges for both emerging and more established writers. Though it's a diverse and schizophrenic beast, everyone is there for the same fundamental reason: a love of writing. And to have a damn good time.
In 2008, the NYWF turns 10! Our 10th anniversary festival will be a huge celebration to mark a decade of doing what we do. Stay tuned!
The National Young Writers' Festival would like to thank its partners and supporters - This Is Not Art, The Octapod, the Australia Council for the Arts, Arts NSW, Arts WA, CAL and the Next Wave Festival.
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