SHwf 2016 Gallery
In 2016, the Festival spanned over three months. The program was launched at the Gibraltar Hotel on the 1st of April. On the 22nd of May, we staged three satellite events for the Sydney Writers’ Festival at The Highlands School of Performing Arts, Bowral. It featured Emily Maguire, Aviva Tuffield, Petina Gappah, and Shirley Barrett.
On the 16th of July, the 2016 Southern Highlands Writers’ Festival kicked off at the Highlands School of Performing Arts in Bowral. It featured some of Australia’s greatest writers, thinkers and performers including Wendy Whiteley, Jane Caro, Jane McCredie, Benython Oldfield, Alison Green, Craig Munro, Sofie Laguna, and Barry Jones. The Festival concluded with one of our now infamous literary dinners, with guest chef Simmone Logue at The Cellar Door.
A special shout-out to our official photographer Greg Jackson for capturing the events so beautifully. Enjoy the photos from this year.
Friday 1 April
Program Launch
In the launch for the 2016 SHWF, Festival Director Michaela Bolzan introduced the featured authors for the festival in July. The launch also featured Michaela and Patrick Brennan playing Beatrice and Benedict from Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing.
SWF in the highlands - Sunday 22 May
Stella’s Book Club panel with Emily Maguire & Aviva Tuffield
In this panel discussion, founder Aviva Tuffield and author Emily Maguire discussed the significance of the Stella Prize. The Stella Prize is a major literary award celebrating Australian women’s writing, and championing diversity and cultural change. The prize is named after one of Australia’s iconic female authors, Stella Maria Sarah ‘Miles’ Franklin, and was awarded for the first time in 2013.
Petina Gappah
Petina Gappah is a Zimbabwean writer. Her debut story collection, An Elegy for Easterly, won the Guardian First Book Prize in 2009 and heralded the arrival of a major new voice in international fiction. In her powerful new novel, The Book of Memory, Petina presented us with the recollections of a Zimbabwean woman waiting to be executed for the murder of her stepfather.
shirley barrett
Shirley Barrett is best known for her work as a screenwriter and director. Shirley's first film, Love Serenade won the Camera D'Or (Best First Feature) at Cannes Film Festival in 1996. The script for her film South Solitary won the Queensland Premier's Prize (script) 2010, the West Australian Premier's Literary Prize (script) 2010, and the West Australian Premier's Prize 2010. Shirley talked about her first novel Rush Oh!, set in the NSW whaling town of Eden in 1908.
shwf - Saturday 16 July
wendy whiteley
For more than twenty years Wendy Whiteley has worked to create a public garden at the foot of her harbourside home in Sydney's Lavender Bay. Wendy, and her biographer Janet Hawley, joined us to discuss Wendy’s new book Wendy Whitely and the Secret Garden. It describes the extraordinary story of how a determined, passionate and deeply creative woman has slowly transformed an overgrown wasteland into a beautiful sanctuary for everyone to enjoy - and in the process, transformed herself.
Jane Caro
Jane Caro is an author, novelist, journalist, broadcaster, columnist, advertising writer and social commentator. She spent 30 years as an advertising writer and her creative work has won many national and international awards. She joined Sarah MacDonald to discuss plain-speaking jane, an unflinchingly honest memoir of a perfectly imperfect life.
inside publishing
This panel session took a sneak peek into the world of publishing and the steps to take with a manuscript. The panel featured Jane McCredie (Executive Director of the NSW Writers’ Centre), Benython Oldfield (literary agent, publicist and director of Zeitgeist Media Group), Alison Green (Founder & CEO, Pantera Press) and Craig Munro (award-winning biographer and founding chair of the Queensland Writers Centre).
Sofie Laguna
Sofie Laguna is the 2015 Miles Franklin Literary Award winner for her book The Eye of the Sheep. She has written over twenty books for children and her first novel for adults, One Foot Wrong, was published internationally. She joined us via Zoom to discuss The Eye of the Sheep and was interviewed by Lucy Palmer.
Dr Barry Jones
Hon. Dr Barry Jones is a writer, broadcaster and former Labor member of both the Victorian and Federal parliaments. Barry was awarded an AC in 2014. Interviewed by Lisa Forrest, Barry talked about his latest book, The Shock of Recognition, sharing the books and music that have inspired him.
literary dinner
Simmone Logue
2016 marked the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s death. At this Literary Dinner, we explored the work of one of the world’s greatest writers, and why he is still relevant today. Set in the gorgeous Bendooley Estate, Berrima, Dr Barry O’Connor (Michaela’s Shakespeare lecturer and mentor), joined Michaela in delivering her opening address. The guest chef was the fabulous Simmone Logue. The menu was selected from her new book, In The Kitchen, which features her fresh, easy, seasonal recipes that cater for every occasion, from breakfast to dinner, cocktails to picnics. Wines for the dinner were kindly donated by Mark Bourne from Cutaway Hills Wines.
The bookshop bowral
SPECIAL THANKS
Thank you to the wonderful teams from the Gibraltar Hotel, the Highlands School of Performing Arts and Bendooley Estate. And a big shoutout to Patrick Brennan and Dr Barry O’Connor, we couldn't have done it without you.
A huge thank you to our Festival Partners including: The Bookshop Bowral, The Empire Cinemas, Cuttaway Hill, Alexandra Springett, Gibraltar Hotel, Rob & Paula McLean, Highland Printing, Fish Fine Music, the University of Wollongong Australia, King Computers, the NSW Writers’ Centre, Neverfail Springs, the Bookkeeping Studio, and ADFAS. Without your generosity, kindness and support the Festival could not continue.
Finally the biggest, most heartfelt thanks to my amazing little team of volunteers, James Norton (my incredible Art Director and 2IC), Saneia Norton (my brilliant Front of House Manager), Rachel Armstrong and of course my mum and dad Roz and Len - you make the Festival a reality! Thank you for your time and extraordinary expertise in making the SHWF so unique, along with your grace and sensational good senses of humour!