The NT Writers Festival (NTWF) is a four-day festival shaped by place that speaks to and from the heart of Australia and the Northern Territory. Founded in 1999, the Festival embraces our country's cultural and linguistic diversity, and has hosted some of Australia’s most distinguished writers, thinkers and storytellers.
In 2020, NTWF returns to Darwin to take place in a new venue - the beautiful purpose-built event facilities at the lush George Brown Darwin Botanic Gardens.
This year's Festival theme - ‘Gunamidirra garawa birditj | when the tides turn' - will explore our moments of change. In Gulumerrdjin, Larrakia country, the sea and rivers reach onto the land. Places flux with cycles of monsoon and dry. How are we made and remade? What can we change and what do we hold on to? How do we hold loss alongside possibility?
Join writers, artists and storytellers for a four-day celebration of books, language and stories that asks us to consider the marks we leave behind, and how we face and create change.
Artwork: Fiona Hall, Mangrove 2010, etching on Hahnemühle cotton rag paper, 79.5 x 94cm. Courtesy of the artist and Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, Sydney.
NT Writers' Festival 2020
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EventFestival Opening
Join us for the opening of the 2020 NT Writers Festival - Darwin. We'll be kicking-off our four-day festival shaped by place with a Welcome to Country and smoking ceremony by Larrakia elder, Bilawara Lee and family, followed by readings from the Gay’wu Group of Women, Mirandi Riwoe and others. Learn MoreEVENT LOCATIONBorassus Lawns, George Brown Darwin Botanic Gardens, Gilruth Ave, The Gardens, NTWHENThursday 1 October 2020 at 5:30pm - 7pmPricing $0.00BUY TICKETS -
EventMixtape Memoirs
Music is a powerful cue for potent memories. In the tradition of this popular Emerging Writers Festival event, we bring you a brilliant lineup of writers who will share something from the soundtracks of their lives. Join us for a night of music and memoir in the Gardens. Learn MoreEVENT LOCATIONVisitor & Event Centre, George Brown Darwin Botanic Gardens, Gilruth Ave, The Gardens, NTWHENThursday 1 October 2020 at 7:30pm - 9pmPricing $25.00 to $30.00BUY TICKETS -
EventScreening: Chauka, Please Tell Us the Time
Filmed over six months on a smuggled smartphone by Kurdish-Iranian refugee Behrouz Boochani, 'Chauka, Please Tell Us the Time' offers a confronting glimpse into the lives of detainees inside the Manus Island detention centre and is essential viewing for all Australians. Join Boochani for a special Q&A via video conference before the film. Learn MoreEVENT LOCATIONDeckchair Cinema, Jervois Rd, Darwin City, NTWHENThursday 1 October 2020 at 7:30pm - 9:30pmPricing $8.00 to $35.00BUY TICKETS -
EventWorkshop: A Twist in the Tale with Mirandi Riwoe
In this workshop, participants will consider ways to find inspiration in their writing lives. The focus will be on transforming or responding to existing stories, writing, genres, research and life. Participants will then explore various techniques for turning these ideas into a novel or short story. For beginner and intermediate writers. Learn MoreEVENT LOCATIONVisitor & Event Centre, George Brown Darwin Botanic Gardens, Gilruth Ave, The Gardens, NTWHENFriday 2 October 2020 at 2pm - 5pmPricing $50.00 to $80.00BUY TICKETS -
EventVessels & Stories
Amongst wooden watercraft, writers awaken stories about the horizons we chase, the borders we cross, and the voyages we make but sometimes don’t return from. An unmissable storytelling event that will lend new layers to the sense of ocean places, cultures and seafaring that the collection at the Maritime Gallery at MAGNT speaks to. Learn MoreEVENT LOCATIONMuseum & Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, 19 Conacher St, The Gardens NT, The Gardens, NTWHENFriday 2 October 2020 at 5:30pm - 7pmPricing $25.00 to $30.00BUY TICKETS -
EventScreenreads Night
From the writers of 'Sweet Country', 'Mystery Road' and more, come four brand-new screenplays by award-winning local screenwriters. As the sun sets, join a cast of Darwin actors for an intimate one-off reading that will bring to life the stories set to grace our screens. Learn MoreEVENT LOCATIONBorassus Lawns, George Brown Darwin Botanic Gardens, Gilruth Ave, The Gardens, NTWHENFriday 2 October 2020 at 7:30pm - 9pmPricing $25.00 to $30.00BUY TICKETS -
EventNature of Change Poetry Walk
On a guided morning walk through the glorious tropical and monsoon flora at the George Brown Botanic Gardens, poets share poems about the cycles of change, transformation and regeneration that shape our lives and our landscapes. An easy, wheelchair accessible walk. Learn MoreEVENT LOCATIONDeparts from Visitor & Event Centre, George Brown Darwin Botanic Gardens, Gilruth Ave, The Gardens, NTWHENSaturday 3 October 2020 at 8:30am - 10amPricing $15.00 to $20.00BUY TICKETS -
Young story lovers are invited to join a lineup of local children’s picture book authors for morning-time readings, fun and creative activities at Eva’s Cafe! Parents and kids welcome. Held in honour of the life and work of Darwin children’s author, Kim Caraher. Learn MoreEVENT LOCATIONEva's Cafe, George Brown Darwin Botanic Gardens, Gilruth Ave, The Gardens, NTWHENSaturday 3 October 2020Pricing $0.00BUY TICKETS
Organiser Profile:
The NT Writers Centre encourages vibrant literary activity in the Northern Territory by developing and supporting writers in all genres at all stages of their careers. We value quality NT writing as a unique component of Australia’s literary wealth and recognise Indigenous writers and storytellers as a core component of this. As well as our ongoing member services, we offer a program of workshops, opportunities and showcase events across the NT, including an annual Writers Festival.
