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The Cairns Tropical Writers Festival has announced its comeback line-up for 2023, with ABC big names Leigh Sales and Annabel Crabb headlining the event.
The Festival will return next February after three years of COVID-related cancellations, with a program organisers say will delight Far North Queensland readers, writers, and thinkers.
Festival Program Director, Jodie Ferrero, said Leigh Sales and Annabel Crabb will be a big drawcard.
“They will be appearing as keynote speakers at our literary gala, bringing their extensive experience and journalist brilliance to entertain our audience.
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“They will also help to highlight the high calibre of local, interstate, and international authors and creators now confirmed to appear throughout the Festival.
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Leigh Sales recently stepped down as host of the ABC flagship current affairs program, 730, after 12 years. Annabel Crabb is a journalist and TV presenter with the ABC.
They teamed up in 2014 to present the popular podcast, Chat 10 Looks 3, which gets hundreds of thousands of downloads a month.
In September 2021, Leigh and Annabel published their first book together called Well Hello.
The Cairns Tropical Writers Festival was formed in 2008 to provide opportunities for the far-flung regional writing community to meet and be motivated by published authors and the wider writing and publishing industry.
The Festival celebrates storytelling through writing, reading, and viewing, and helps local writers and readers to learn, share skills, and network with the industry.
Festival Committee Chair, Jules Steer, said her team has been determined to rebuild and reinvigorate the event.
“Three COVID induced cancellations over the past three years, including the 2021 event being cancelled just days before launch due to state-wide lockdown, was heartbreaking.
“Since March, I have been focussing on building a strong team to deliver this much-loved event, and I’m delighted to advise we’ve done it.
“Our fabulous committee has appointed Jodie Ferrero as the Program Director to curate a vibrant, engaging, and creatively stimulating three-day cultural event.
“We are looking forward to delivering an event which will include workshops, book launches, debates, performances, and numerous guest speakers, which showcases the region’s distinct voices and engage a wide audience across age, culture, nationality, and socio-economic groups.
The Festival theme, Wild Words in Stormy Times, will encourage FNQ readers, writers, and thinkers to network, learn, and explore a wide range of genres, forms, and content.
Tickets to the three-day event go on sale in mid-November.
The full Festival line-up has been announced.
It includes Torres Strait film producer and actor, Aaron Fa’Aoso, best-selling author, Tony Park, and FNQ-born doctor and writer, Lachlan McIver.
Also on the program is Caroline de Costa, the first woman to become a professor of obstetrics and gynaecology in Australia and a renowned advocate for women’s reproductive health.
Main points
- Annabel Crabb and Leigh Sales to headline 2023 Writers Festival
- Three-day event in Cairns next February
- Last three events cancelled due to COVID
