Adelaide's Literary Community Rallies with New Festival After Writers' Week Cancellation
A grassroots coalition of Adelaide authors, publishers, and booksellers has launched a new literary festival called Constellations following the controversial cancellation of Adelaide Writers' Week. The free festival will run from 28 February to 5 March, filling the void left by the long-running event that was called off just two weeks ago.
From Heartbreak to Community Response
Jennifer Mills, Adelaide author and current chair of the Australian Society of Authors, is among the organisers driving the rapid creation of Constellations. She describes the transition from disappointment to action as remarkable. "It's gone from a big disappointment and heartbreak to a really strong community response very quickly. I'm really proud," Mills says.
The cancellation of Adelaide Writers' Week came after the Adelaide Festival board's contentious decision to disinvite Palestinian-Australian author and academic Randa Abdel-Fattah following the Bondi terror attack. This prompted more than 100 authors to withdraw from the festival in protest, including Mills herself.
An Umbrella Festival Built on Community Effort
Constellations operates as what Mills calls an "umbrella festival" that relies entirely on donations, community ideas, and volunteer support. The organisers are encouraging bookshops, libraries, schools, and community venues across Adelaide and South Australia to create their own literary events and register them as part of the festival.
Key features of Constellations include:
- All events are free to attend or operate by donation
- Any profits will prioritise paying writers speaking fees
- Participants can organise their own events or submit proposals
- The festival will assist with securing authors, venues, and logistics
- Volunteers are being sought for various roles including venue setup and ushering
"It's a massive community effort to put something like this together, and it's taking a lot of people and energy, but the spirits are very strong," Mills explains.
Financial Support for Writers Remains Crucial
Mills emphasises the importance of literary festivals for authors' livelihoods, noting that writers earn an average of just $18,200 annually in Australia. "Festivals represent a really significant income for writers who, on average, earn $18,200 a year – we're not in this for the money," she says.
"Appearance fees are very meaningful to writers, as are book sales, as are the professional connections that you make. We're not going to be able to replace all that income for authors, but we're going to do what we can."
Council Support Without Funding
The Adelaide City Council has voted to provide council-owned or controlled buildings and public spaces as venues for Constellations events. However, the council rejected a proposal to provide up to $250,000 in funding, which Mills says the festival had not requested.
"We're not receiving or asking for any funding from any level of government," she clarifies, highlighting the community-driven nature of the initiative.
A Different Approach to Speaker Inclusion
Constellations takes a markedly different approach to speaker inclusion compared to the controversy that led to Adelaide Writers' Week's cancellation. The festival's guidelines emphasise creating "a safe space that celebrates writers and reading" while supporting open discourse.
Mills makes the festival's position clear regarding speaker vetting: "Look, we're not going to be going back through people's social media. I don't have the time or energy for that ... we're not in the business of policing what artists can and can't say, and we don't think festivals should be either."
Looking to the Future
While creating Constellations as an immediate response to Adelaide Writers' Week's cancellation, organisers express hope for the original festival's return. "We really want to see AWW come back next year, better and stronger and with more artist engagement in the governance structure," Mills says.
"We're not trying to replace it, or shut it down. It's a lot of work for a lot of people at the moment, but I think it's going to be a really positive thing for the city to see."
The festival's major events will be announced next week, with the community-driven approach ensuring Adelaide's literary scene continues to thrive despite recent disruptions.
