Queer Festival of Words Launched in Victoria

The one-day regional event has taken place in Ballarat, Shepparton, and Traralgon, along with events scheduled to occur in April in Geelong and Warrnambool.

on Jan 31, 2023

The queer communities' readers and writers have established a new literature festival in Victoria. The Festival is funded by Midsumma, Victoria's Pride, and the Victorian Government’s Department of Families, Fairness, and Housing.

The Q-Lit Queer Victorian Festival of words will link five regional locations, bringing in regional writers to Victoria's Pride event in Melbourne on February 12, 2023.

The one-day regional event has taken place in Ballarat, Shepparton, and Traralgon, along with events scheduled to occur in April in Geelong and Warrnambool. These events will feature author interviews, masterclasses, workshops for primary and secondary-aged children, and master classes. Alongside these, the events would present opportunities for local and touring authors to showcase their work.

Kate Hall, the author of the novel From Darkness, published by Interlude Press, queer publisher in the US, is serving as the Festival's director.

The crew will spend the latter half of this year "working for a longer event in Melbourne," according to the organizers.

Other festival news includes the announcement that the Byron Writers Festival will take place this year from August 11 to 13 at the brand-new Bangalow Showgrounds in Bangalow, a town only 15 minutes from Byron Bay.

Previously, the event was hosted at the Elements of Byron hotel.

"We are thankful to Elements for kindly hosting the festival for so long, and we will preserve the many lovely memories we all have," adds artistic director Zo Pollock. As with all good things, there must come an end, and that time has come for the Elements site, which will soon have a new owner and a new future.

According to Pollock, this year's event will utilize several indoor locations inside the Bangalow Showgrounds district, including the Moller Pavilion and the Bangalow A&I Hall.

The 2022 Byron Writers Festival received about 9500 visitors after two years of cancellations due to the epidemic.