Press Release: On The Page
In 2020, Adelaide Writers’ Week the second from Director Jo Dyer, contemplates one of the few things that incontrovertibly unites us all: Being Human. Running from Saturday 29 February to Thursday 5 March as part of the 60th anniversary Adelaide Festival, Adelaide Writers’ Week will explore how humans engage with each other, with technology, and with the natural world.
62 local and international authors have confirmed for the program to date, including:
Jokha Alharthi (OMN)
Beating out more storied opposition, Jokha Alharthi’s
Celestial Bodies won the 2019 Man Booker International Prize.
Ma Jian (CHN/UK)
Banned in his homeland and currently in exile in London,
Ma Jian is one of China’s most potent critics and greatest
living novelists.
Yanis Varoufakis (GRC)
The world’s favourite rockstar economist reflects on
Europe, democracy and his return to the Greek parliament
four years after his break from Syriza.
Joy Harjo (USA)
A member of the Myskoke Nation, Joy Harjo is a
poet, musician, author and the current US Poet Laureate.
Tommy Orange (USA)
The New York Times compared Tommy’s debut novel,
There There, to Chaucer and Faulkner and named it one of
the Best Books of 2018. Tommy Orange is an enrolled
member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma.
Hannah Critchlow (UK)
Is our future hardwired in our brain? Cambridge
neuroscientist Hannah Critchlow suggests we have much less
control over our lives than we think.
Director of Adelaide Writers’ Week Jo Dyer said, “I’m excited to announce the first round of authors, writers and thinkers to stimulate, enthral and inspire our audiences next March. The diverse perspectives, deep thinking and amazing writing they offer are thrilling.”
Six days of free open air readings, panel sessions and literary conversations will be presented in the Pioneer Women’s Memorial Garden where authors will address issues on the theme of Being Human – what does it mean to be human in this age of vulnerability?
The Opening Event, The Only Constant, will be held in new Festival venue The Workshop (below the Festival Centre) on Thursday February 27. It will feature Nigerian writer Chigozie Obioma whose most recent novel An Orchestra of Minorities, like his debut The Fishermen, was shortlisted for the Man Booker prize, together with Sanam Maher, a Karachi-based journalist who has covered stories on art, culture, business, politics, religious minorities and women, and whose book A Woman Like Her tells of the short life and violent death of Qandeel Baloch, known as Pakistan’s Kim Kardashian. Also featured is Tyson Yunkaporta, academic, critic, researcher and raconteur from the Apalech Clan in Far North Queensland. Each author reflects on the relentless fluidity of our ever-changing times.
In 2020, Writers’ Week expands its successful early evening program Twilight Talks to four nights, with a gala line-up of speakers addressing the Festival theme Being Human and their personal Rock Bottom on Monday March 2 and Wednesday March 4, and the premiere of AWW’s live chat show Authorial Voice on Tuesday March 3 and Thursday March 5. Guests can relax with a glass of wine and music before hearing from a line-up of Writers’ Week’s most entertaining, provocative and personable authors.
Director Jo Dyer says: “After the enthusiastic reception of the launch of Twilight Talks last year, we are delighted to expand the series to ensure we can also be accessible to those working or studying during the day. We hope people will stop by the Garden on their way home from work, grab a drink and enjoy this Best of the Fest series as the sun sets, with a compelling line up of authors revealing another, more personal side of themselves.”
A blockbuster program for children and young people takes place on the opening weekend. A magical day of stories with authors, actors and adventurers on Saturday 29 February will keep children entertained from 9.30am-3.30pm. On Sunday, writing in all its forms will be celebrated in a day for teens and tweens with events from Australia’s best authors writing for young people and the return of the powerful spoken-word showcase, Hear Me Roar.
With the support of Office for Ageing Well and Seniors Card, Writers’ Week will be livestreaming selected sessions (Monday March 2 to Thursday March 5 inclusive) to schools, libraries and retirement villages around South Australia to ensure as many members of the community have access to the event as possible. ABC891 with Sonya Feldhoff will continue the tradition of broadcasting live at Writers’ Week, featuring exclusive interviews and talk-sessions.
The full program will be announced January 2020.
Adelaide Writers’ Week has been made possible by the generous support of Channel 9 and Walford Anglican School for Girls.
ADELAIDE WRITERS’ WEEK 2020
Pioneer Women’s Memorial Garden, King William Road, Adelaide
Saturday 29 February – Thursday 5 March
FREE – no bookings required
For Younger Readers
Kids Day: Saturday 29 February, 9.30am – 3.30pm
A Day for Middle and YA Readers (Tweens and Teens): Sunday 1 March, 10am – 4.30pm
FREE – no bookings required
Twilight Talks
Pioneer Women’s Memorial Garden, King William Road, Adelaide
Monday March 2, 7pm: Being Human
Wednesday March 4, 7pm: Rock Bottom
Tuesday March 3 and Thursday March 5, 7pm: Live chat show Authorial Voice
FREE – no bookings required
Opening Event – Chigozie Obioma, Sanam Maher, Tyson Yunkaporta: The Only Constant
The Workshop, Adelaide Festival Centre
Thursday 27 February, 6.15pm (1 hour)
Tickets $25, Friends $20, Conc $15
Transaction fees apply
