STORIES AS A COMPASS
What anchors us in place? What stories nourish us and help us grow?
WORDS BROOKE GIBBS
IMAGE PAZ TASSONE
THESE ARE THE questions NT Writers Festival (NTWF) explores through this year’s theme, ‘Navigating’, when we come together to share story, language, and culture over four days.
Set against the familiar backdrop of Darwin’s Dry season, the 2026 Festival invites audiences to consider what it means to navigate identity, place, history and uncertainty.
From climate change and cultural knowledge to personal storytelling and creative practice, this year’s program leans into the idea that there is no single map – only many ways of finding your path.
NTWF Artistic Director Louise Omer says the theme emerged with the Festival Advisory Committee – Marie Munkara, Jasmin McGaughey, CJ Fraser-Bell, and Bernadette Ryan – by exploring what conversations are happening in their communities.
“The big world can be pretty full on, and it became clear we need stories that bring us together and guide us through uncertain times,” she says.
“The idea of ‘Navigating’ is inspired by First Peoples’ practices of navigating by land, stars, language, ceremony, and kinship, noting that Country, culture and connection are what keep us nourished and held accountable.
“We’ve programmed a strong array of novelists, journalists, musicians and storytellers whose work can guide us to rise to the challenges of the world today.”
The four-day festival offers a chance to connect deeply with words, stories, and each other through talks, walks and performances, such as The Village.
“This is a very special Saturday afternoon at our festival hub at MAGNT. It’s a participatory event that reimagines how we meet each other at a writers festival in line with global trends – audiences want connection over content. We’ll share stories, map our futures, and fill the festival with songs,” says Omer. the breeze on their skin, smell the air, and watch the stars at night,” says Omer.
Curated by Yvette Walker, playwrights in the NT and around Australia draw back the curtain on the craft of storytelling, culminating in a razor-sharp panel on censorship in the arts.
NTWF’s Saturday night cornerstone event is Wales of Belonging, a spectacular night of storytelling, poetry, and music that celebrates the deep ties between South Asia and the Top End. Curated by James Mangohig, this features an all-star line-up with artists from the NT and around the continent – Omar Musa, Joelistics, Cyan Sue-Lee, Melanie Munungurr, and Grace Dong. Anchoring the festival, is a Larrakia Story Walk at the gorgeous Gurambai Cultural Trail, where participants are treated to storytelling from Larrakia folks, curated by Nicole Brown.
“We know that stories arise from place, so we love to hold immersive events where audiences can feel the breeze on their skin, smell the air, and watch the stars at night," says Omer.
Botanist and author, Tisha Tejaya, guides a forest to sea walk and stretch workshop through the lush monsoon forest in Doctors Gully. Weaving Our Stories sees Larrakia, Tiwi, Torres Strait, Yanyuwa, Garrwa, and Pacific women embody sacred resistance through poetry, song, and ceremony, in the beautiful open-air stage at MAGNT’s Amphitheatre.
The Story Shrine, a pop-up community archive of survival and hope, is created at the MAGNT festival site.
“This participatory art installation builds on our workshops and invites festivalgoers to co-create this collection of shared wisdom and strength,” says Omer.
Award-winning Yankunytjatjara poet Ali Cobby Eckermann runs a free, First Peoples-only poetry workshop, Hot Nights. This workshop sees eight writers share spicy stories of romance and erotica in a lush, tropical garden.
Gardening Australia Presenter Hannah Moloney shares some highlights from her new book, Why We Garden, at an intimate walk through the Snakebean Community Garden.
“There’s so many great books featured in this year’s line-up,” says Omer.
“A few I recommend people read before the Festival are Fierceland by Omar Musa, Cactus Pear for My Beloved by Samah Sabawi, and Zoe Terakes’ Eros: Queer Myths for Lovers.”
NT Writers Festival
WHEN THU 28 MAY – SUN 31 MAY
AT VARIOUS LOCATIONS
COST FREE-$375
INFO ntwriters.com.au
