Ticketed Event: Free

Part two of The Weft will showcase the newly minted story telling talents of Sam George-Allen’s Friday workshop group. If the festival has inspired you to tell your own story, we encourage you to jump right in and take part. Even if you don’t feel the spirit move you, we’d love you to come along and share your festival highlights in a relaxed atmosphere with us.

Ticketed Event: $35

A visual approach to storytelling is essential in the world of picture books. Join celebrated children's author and illustrator Tony Flowers as he shares his approach to creating stories within illustrations and how he uses illustration as a part of the writing process. If you are interested in writing or creating illustrations for picture books, this workshop will give you valuable insights into the professional world of children's book publishing.

Ticketed Event: Free

Lucy writes for children and young adults, but her latest novel, Release, due to be published just after the festival, is her first for an adult readership. Her Melbourne publisher, Text, are very kindly letting us have a few preview copies, so come along and meet the author, and snag your very own signed edition.

Ticketed Event : $5

Join local historians Alison Alexander, Dr Dianne Snowden and Ros Escott from The Convict Women's Press as they introduce you to a small number of the remarkable stories that New Norfolk is home to. From an overview of the history of Willow Court, to a closer look at some of its inmates and concluding with an investigation into George Lowe, an early owner of the King's Head Inn (now Valleyfield) this session promises to entertain as it elucidates.

Ticketed Event: Free

Based on the 1964 children’s novel by Colin Thiele, this 1976 adaptation featured in the childhood of so many Australians. Join us as we bring this beautiful and moving story to a new generation of children.

it's all about the voice, right? But what actually is a writer's voice – and more importantly, how can you access it? Join internationally award-winning author Lucy Christopher as she talks about her own voice and then gently coaxes you to find your own. Come enthusiastic to find the story only you can tell.

Ballot Winners Only

If you are one of the lucky six people to have your name pulled from the hat, you will be allotted one of the 10 minute time slots to pitch your completed manuscript to Annette Barlow.

Annette Barlow has over thirty years of experience in the publishing industry and has worked with authors such as Alex Miller and Kate Morton.

Ticketed Event: Free

The Inkub8tor Group began meeting in New Norfolk in 2021. Drawn together by a common love of words and language, they have evolved into a band of performance poets, regularly gathering to read their work to one another.

Unticketed Event

Be on hand to find out if your name is one of the six selected to pitch your completed manuscript to Annette Barlow of Allen & Unwin.

Unticketed Event

Alexander Okenyo will be manning a special festival version of Black Swan bookshop. Copies of all your favourite festival writers’ work will be available for purchase.

Joining Alexander will be Georgie and Tara from Tasmanian Indie Authors. They will be available to answer any questions you may have about the world of independent publishing.

Ticketed Event: $5

Join local chefs and food writers Rodney Dunn, Sally Wise, Elaine Reeves and Analiese Gregory as they discuss all things culinary and writing.

Moderator: Rachel Edwards

Ticketed Event: Free

Screening of Charlotte’s Web film in Memorial Hall.

Unticketed Event

If you’re a writer with a finished manuscript who’d like a shot at the Australian publishing industry, Allen & Unwin’s Annette Barlow will be actively scouting for new literary talent at the festival, and she wants to hear from you! A total of 12 face-to-face author pitches of 10 minutes’ duration are up for grabs. Come prepared with a compelling pitch, pop your name into the hat, and you’ll be in with a chance to spend 10 minutes summing up your story for her, in a private, face-to-face session.

This is the second and final chance to enter your name into the Pitch to a Pro ballot. WInners will be drawn at 12:30 pm.

Ticketed Event: $5

A licensed celebration of our first festival with live musical performances and a chance to meet the authors.

Ticketed Event: Free

Join local author Susanna Ho as she launches her third book and chats in-depth with another local writer, Sandra Potter, all about it.

Born in Hong Kong and educated there, as well as in Canada and Australia, Susanna Ho has a global perspective on the world that translates beautifully into the written word.

Ticketed Event: $5

Writers Katherine Johnson and C.L. Flood in conversation with moderator Tim Byrne.

Booksellers often encounter customers who are looking for “a good read”. But what is a good read? Is it entirely subjective based on ones preferences for language, character and plot? Or are there elements to a story that always make it better than others?

Ticketed Event: $5

Join proud indigenous man Paul Mabb for this fascinating interactive history workshop.

Minimum age of 10 years old suggested.

Ticketed Event: Free

Adapted from the original stage musical, Bran Nue Dae is a musical comedy-drama about an Aboriginal student on the west coast of Australia in the late 1960s who runs away from a Catholic boarding school.

Directed by the talented Rachel Perkins and starring singer Jessica Mauboy this Australian favourite provides 90 minutes of toe-tapping good times.

Ticketed Event: $5

Annie Reynolds and Dewayne Everett-Smith on the story of palawa kani: the language of Tasmanian Aborigines.

Ballot Winners Only

If you are one of the lucky six people to have your name pulled from the hat at 12:30, you will be allotted one of these 10 minute time slots to pitch your completed manuscript to Annette Barlow.

Ticketed Event: Free

INKub8tor is an open mic event held on the High St at the artHouse New Norfolk on the first Sunday of each month. It comprises Derwent Valley community writers, readers and receivers. The writers and readers offer their own or others works to share, the receivers completing the loop to create a communal celebration of the spoken word. Come and join the celebration when the artHouse New Norfolk presents two sessions of INKub8tor as part of the Writers’ Festival.

Unticketed Event

Be on hand to find out if your name is one of the six selected to pitch your completed manuscript to Annette Barlow of Allen & Unwin between 2-3pm.

Ticketed event: Free

Since being released in 2014 this wonderful British adaptation of the much loved children’s book has gone on to become a favourite with children and adults alike.

Ticketed event: $5

With authors Alan Carter, Karen Brooks and Meg Bignell, and publisher Annette Barlow

Moderator: Liz Evans

What does it take to publish your novel? How do you make the shift from writer to author? What are publishers looking for, and how might you, as a writer, respond? Transforming a manuscript into a book takes more than blood, sweat and tears, but with the right support, it needn’t involve the compromises many writers fear. This session represents a rare and valuable opportunity to get inside the publishing experience from both sides as some of Tasmania’s best-selling novelists and one of Australia’s most experienced publishers come together for an industry-focused panel discussion on the exciting, yet nevertheless daunting pathway to publication.

Unticketed Event

An invitation to pitch your book to publisher Annette Barlow of leading Australian press, Allen & Unwin.

If you’re a writer with a finished manuscript who’d like a shot at the Australian publishing industry, Allen & Unwin’s Annette Barlow will be actively scouting for new literary talent at the festival, and she wants to hear from you! A total of 12 face-to-face author pitches of 10 minutes’ duration are up for grabs. Come prepared with a compelling pitch, pop your name into the hat, and you’ll be in with a chance to spend 10 minutes summing up your story for her, in a private, face-to-face session.

Over the decades, Annette has worked with a litany of successful Australian authors, including Alex Miller, Kate Morton, Holly Throsby, Tony Jones and Fleur McDonald. She is also responsible for the annual Vogel award and teaches at the Faber Writing Academy. Known for discovering and nurturing new writers, Annette is widely and affectionately regarded as one of Australia’s most experienced and supportive publishers. These sessions are an unmissable opportunity for all writers aspiring to take their work to that next step.

Places for the author pitches will be randomly drawn on both days of the festival. To go into the running your name must be entered into the ballot at the Festival Hub between 10-11am. Eligibility is for writers with completed manuscripts only and will be spread across two separate hour-long sessions on the Saturday and Sunday of the festival.

Ticketed Event: Free

Roger Ebert was the most famous English-speaking film critic of the late twentieth century. He was also a film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author who was the first critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for criticism. Ebert was diagnosed with cancer in 2002. This much lauded documentary based on his memoir of the same name, is not to be missed for anyone with a love of film and good writing.

Unticketed Event

First premiered at Ten Days on the Island, this one-off show is all about adventure: the places we go, the obstacles we overcome, and the ways we change once our journeys are done. Featuring Derwent Valley locals and hosted by seasoned storyteller Sam George-Allen, The Weft is intimate, expansive, moving, and real – as all good stories should be.

Ticketed Event: $35

Join Sam George-Allen for a two-hour workshop on the craft of oral storytelling. In this intimate, five-person setting, we’ll learn what makes a compelling narrative, share our true stories, and hone our skills with thoughtful feedback. We’ll finish with a visit to The Weft at the Welcome Swallow – and then reconvene to tell our stories in front of a live audience at the same venue on the last night of the festival. What a way to wrap things up!

Unticketed Event

Derwent Valley Arts passionately believes in promoting the arts to all of the people in our region, and local children are at the top of that list. In the lead-up to the festival we ran a series of story writing workshops with schools and local authors Emily Conolan and Alyssa Bermudez to coax fantastic and hilarious tales from the children of the valley. With the help of local businesses these stories, in both written and graphic form, are in the process of being compiled into the inaugural Derwent Valley Writer’s Festival Magazine. Please join us at the Festival Hub as Emily and Alyssa present this memorable document to Derwent Valley Mayor Michelle Dracoulis.

All the children who contributed to this publication will receive it free of charge.