From big ideas to comforting thoughts, the Margaret River Readers & Writers Festival offers an entertaining weekend for bookworms of all ages.
By Ara Jansen
When Sian Baker first visited Busselton, she fell in love with the beaches and the energy of the locals.
This year the UK native celebrates five years as artistic director of the Margaret River Readers & Writers Festival – and there’s nowhere else she’d rather be.
Running from May 2-4 in Margaret River and Busselton, the festival features Australian and international writers and thinkers.
This year’s list of guests includes Stan Grant, Peter Godwin, Marian Keyes, Marcus Zusak, Jane Caro, Dr Anita Heiss, Tasma Walton, Charlotte Wood and Lee Constable. The festival also has a fun and interactive children’s program.
“Creating a program for a festival like this is a big jigsaw,” says Sian. “The challenge of programming is balancing what the audience wants to see with what you have access to.
“I often have a good idea of areas to highlight, or I know the audience want to discuss or know about this topic.
“Creating opportunities for WA authors is in our DNA. We support South West authors and both groups don’t always get opportunities at bigger festivals like this.
“You also never know when the alchemy is going to happen when you put two people together or a group on stage, something clicks and the magic happens. Then offstage they made a new connection and that’s pretty special.”
Sian continues to foster closer ties to other writers’ festivals around the country and believes they are stronger working together rather than considering each other competition. That collaboration gives everyone access to a wider collection of authors.
With free and paid events, there’s also a distinct difference between the interests of the Busselton and Margaret River audiences, which allows her to program a wide-ranging mix of popular fiction through to thought leaders.
“Margaret River likes the big thinkers and the challenging conversations, while the Busselton program leans a little more commercial. They like people they have heard of or seen on television.”
The army of festival volunteers are a big part of its heart. Last year the 65-strong group logged more than 5000 hours. While the group has a large number of retirees, Sian says more and more young people are volunteering.
“I’m blown away by how much time, energy and passion the volunteers give to the festival. The festival feels like a family and a community – and that’s also the feedback we’ve received.
“I feel like I have found my tribe of people. We all love books and big ideas and love being made to think about things in a different way. We’re all on the journey together.
“It always feels special looking out on an audience enjoying an event. Being in a room with 500 other people having this beautiful moment and enjoying the story.”
For more information, sessions and tickets visit www.mrrwfestival.com
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