Program
2024 Outback Writers Festival Programme.
Winton, Outback Queensland.
Major venue - Waltzing Matilda Centre.
www.outbackwritersfestival.com.au
Please enter our short story competition now with three categories - Open, High School and Primary School.
Go to the Competition page
Plenary Sessions Notes: 1. Registration fee $50 entitles attendance at all Plenary Sessions, and AGM 2. Some events have specific fees | |||
Tuesday 18th June | |||
3:00pm to 6:00pm Waltzing Matilda Centre | Meet the authors. Book fest. | Authors present books for discussion and sale | |
7:00pm to 8:00pm Waltzing Matilda Centre | Book launch A History of the Waltzing Matilda Centre | W Benjamin Lindner | |
Wednesday 19th June | |||
| 8:00am to 9:00am Waltzing Matilda Centre | Registration | ||
Wednesday, June 2024 9:00am to 9:15am Waltzing Matilda Centre | Festival Opening and Welcome Official opening of the 9th Annual Outback Writers Festival. | Mayor of Winton Shire Catherine White | |
9:15am to 10:15am Waltzing Matilda Centre | The Longest Drive | Tom Guthrie | |
10:15am to 11:15am Waltzing Matilda Centre | With My Little Eye | Sandra Hogan | |
11:15am to 11:30am | Morning tea. | ||
11:30am to 12:30pm Waltzing Matilda Centre | Keynote | Stephen M Irwin | |
12:30am to 1:30pm Waltzing Matilda Centre | Lunch | ||
1:30pm to 2:15pm Waltzing Matilda Centre | Writing Childrens Stories | Clair Saxby | |
2:15pm to 3:00pm Waltzing Matilda Centre | Queensland Writers Centre resources and support | Cody Hargreaves | |
3:00pm to 3:15pm Waltzing Matilda Centre | Afternoon Tea | ||
3:15pm to 4:00pm Waltzing Matilda Centre | New Years Eve | Sarah Todman | |
4:00pm to 4:30pm Lost Poet Café | AGM | Lost Poet Café | |
6pm till late Lost Poet Café | Outback Writers Festival Dinner. Announcement of the winner of the Short Story Competition, presentation of trophy and distribution of books to entrants present. | Lost Poet Café Address: Ian Waples | $55.00 |
Thursday 20th June | |||
9:00am to 10:15am Waltzing Matilda Centre | Writing about real life experience (e.g., writing stories and case studies, memoir, and auto-fiction) | Dr Judy Gregory | |
10:15am to 10:30am Waltzing Matilda Centre | Morning Tea | Available for sale at the cafe at the centre. | |
10:15am to 11:15am Waltzing Matilda Centre | Crows Nest | Nikki Mottram | |
11:15am to 12:30pm Waltzing Matilda Centre | A Spot of Bother | Grace Elliott | |
12:30pm to 1:15pm | Lunch | ||
1:15pm to 2:00pm Waltzing Matilda Centre | Bush Baby | Jane Knowles | |
2:00pm to 2:45pm Waltzing Matilda Centre | Panel discussion: writing childrens stories | Caire Saxby, Aleesha Darlison, Ian McIntosh; panel chair Ian Mathieson | |
2:45pm to 3:30pm Waltzing Matilda Centre | The Stringybark Fox | Jack Drake | |
3:30pm | Sunset Spectacular: bus departs WM Centre, exclusive tour of the Age of Dinosaurs Museum, then a Western sunset – “and he sees the vision splendid of the sunlit plains extended” – drinks and nibbles on a jump-up | Red Dust Tours | TBA |
Friday 21st June | |||
8:45am to 9:45am Waltzing Matilda Centre | Picking Up the Pieces – Remembering Ford | Sarah Guthrie | |
9:45am to 10:45am Waltzing Matilda Centre | Readings from the Longreach Leader (articles by Eleanor East dec’d) | Jeff Close & Greg North | |
10:45am to 11:15am Waltzing Matilda Centre | Morning Tea | ||
11:15am to 12:00pm Waltzing Matilda Centre | Poetry readings, including The Horse-drawn Hearse by Jack Drake | Greg North, Jack Drake | |
12:00pm to 1:00pm Waltzing Matilda Centre | The Magical Mystery of Words | Lyndell Hill | |
1:00pm to 1:15pm Waltzing Matilda Centre | Wrap-up | Jeff Close, Ian Mathieson | |
1:15pm | Lunch | ||
Workshops Program Notes: 1. Registration fee is $25 per workshop 2. These will be confirmed closer to the day, depending on registratons If cancelled, fees will be refunded | |||
Tuesday 18th June | |||
3:00pm to 4:15pm Waltzing Matilda Centre | Workshop: Writing Memoir | Judy Gregory | |
3:00pm to 4:15pm Waltzing Matilda Centre | Workshop: Poetry and Prose, Tim Borthwick Memorial Session | Sarah Todman | |
4:15pm to 6:00pm Waltzing Matilda Centre | Workshop: Writing for Young People | Claire Saxby | |
Special – Queensland Writers Centre Writing Friday Note: 1. This is sponsored by the Queensland Writers Centre and is free | |||
8.45am to 10:15am Waltzing Matilda Centre | Writing Friday | Michael Lloyd | |
Writing Friday has been pivotal for me in going from a new writer to an author well on the road to publication – for a lot of reasons. First, productivity. Having a dedicated time every week to write without interruption has allowed me to write considerably more words per year than ever before. Moreover first drafts are considerably cleaner.
The second benefit has been learning; picking up techniques and tricks to make my own work better and smoother.
Finally, there’s an enormous sense of community and belonging. Having the support network has been an incredible boon .
Writing Friday has uninterrupted time, a dedicated space and permission to write; invaluable in our chaotic lives.
David Shield, author Blind Dragon, My Dad’s an Evil Sorcerer.