NT Writers' Festival
Gather round people, this celebration of all things story is based in Alice Springs this year – but no need to miss out if you can’t get to the Red Centre – a new program of live streaming sessions gives Darwin and other audiences around the Territory a front row seat.
The weekend program of panels, author talks and presentations by writers, songwomen and storytellers beams live into libraries and community venues across the NT. Remote audiences in Darwin, Palmerston, Batchelor, Tennant Creek and Ngukkur can even
take part in the Q&A sessions by sending questions via SMS direct to panellists.
The theme for this year is crossings and Festival Director Dani Powell says it's a particularly fertile one for a place like Alice Springs.
“Set in the geographical centre of the continent, this is a place of crossings – linguistically, culturally, geographically, " she said.
Alice Springs, or Mparntwe, is home to the Arrente people, and Powell says the theme of crossings really came to focus when she consulted a group of Arrente women.
“In Arrernte they said there is the concept of iwerre-atherre – meaning two roads meeting, neither blocking nor erasing the other. It can refer to two-way learning or travelling together.”
You can listen to prize-winning field biologist Tim Lowe as well as senior Gulf Country and Yuendemu songwomen. The program has poets, photojournalists and a prolific line-up of local authors and storytellers.
Powell says the festival aims to bring the Territory’s rich storytelling communities together, including people who are outside of the larger cities and towns or those who may not be able to afford the travel.
“We welcome everyone to be part of the journey of iwerre-atherre, crossings.”
See event listing.
