Magnificent!

Bigger and brighter, the 2021 Queenscliffe Literary Festival was a resounding success, breaking all previous attendance records. Visitors and locals flocked to venues in Point Lonsdale and Queenscliff to enjoy a diverse array of extraordinary Australian literary talent. The highly popular in-school visits from authors and illustrators were again embraced by local schools and kindergartens. From politics to crime, shipwrecks to romance and every possible topic in between audiences were spoilt for choice with over 25 events and workshops available.  

The sold-out Festival opening, a luncheon at Basil’s Farm with Alice Zaslavsky and Matt Preston had audiences delighted by mouth-watering food inspired tales; their tastebuds soon satisfied with an assortment of tempting dishes cooked from Alice’s book, In Praise of Veg.

Festival highlights included Misha Ketchell, Nikki Gemmel and Rick Morton discussing the impacts of rapid changes in the media landscape; a poignant yet funny Clive James memorial, Clive’s writings and poetry bought to life by Hannie Rayson and Michael Cathcart; the Whitlam era dissected by Jenny Hocking in conversation with Pauline Parker and the untold stories of Queenscliff’s fishing families presented by Maggie Stowers.

The play Meeting My Mother, touching on the era of forced adoption in Australia, was a mesmerising, powerful theatrical experience, it was also unexpectedly the Closing Night as sadly the third weekend was cancelled due to a snap lockdown across Victoria.

The Festival committee, volunteers and partners were thrilled with the success of the first two weekends’ events and audience members were also extremely happy with 97% intending to attend the Festival again.

‘The Festival had a fabulous vibe, it was entertaining, interesting and diverse. Loved that there were so many female artists represented. The program covered a wide range of topics and interests. Will definitely be back!’

Work is underway on an innovative, diverse, accessible and thought-provoking program for the seventh Queenscliffe Literary Festival. Join us in a celebration of Australian literature across fiction, non-fiction, poetry, music and art with an exciting range of authors, writers, thinkers, artists and artisans from 13-29 May 2022.