History
Writers, illustrators and artists have long been drawn to the pristine beaches, coastal bush, surrounding Great Otway National Park and quiet village lifestyle of Aireys Inlet. From this culturally rich community, the first Aireys Festival of Words was born in 2007.
The Aireys Tourist and Traders recognised that the Aireys community enjoyed a very social and beach-orientated lifestyle over the summer months, with busy days filled with occasions for neighbours to meet and for issues to be discussed. By contrast, the winters were a time of reflection with many seeking an occasion to get together. And so a winter festival was created to marry the strong cultural interests of the local community with the need for meaningful social engagement at a time that is otherwise quiet.
Since its inception, the Aireys Festival of Words has grown to attract internationally acclaimed writers and showcases the talents of local authors, illustrators, musicians and artists, who all take part in a weekend-long celebration of words, sounds and images.
The Festival is run by a volunteer organising committee, which over the three years has grown to include a broad representation of community members.
The 2009 Aireys Festival of Words was an enormous success with around 3,000 literary lovers and arts aficionados filling up venues all over town.
The Aireys Inlet Community Centre became our Literary Hub for 2009 and the program expanded considerably to feature over 40 authors, artists and musicians who participated in more than 25 author readings and conversations, 10 literary and arts workshops, 12 performances and 8 exhibitions or presentations. Many sessions were completely booked out and the whole town was alive with arts and ideas.
We thank the following authors and artists, appearing here in alphabetical order, who have so generously given their time and knowledge and who have amused, inspired and stimulated Festival patrons over the first three years of the Aireys Festival of Words.
You can view the full 2007, 2008 and 2009 Festival programs (on the right of this page) for more information about our past guests.
- Demir Aliu
Appeared 2009. Musician and guest workshop tutor - Paul Angeloni
Appeared 2007. ABC Radio National Presenter - Matt Baird
Appeared 2009. Guest singer/songwriter - John Bartlett
Appeared 2009. Author of Towards a Distant Sea and All Mortal Flesh - Fran Cairns
Appeared 2007. Author of Drawing from the Well - David Campbell
Appeared 2007, 2008, 2009. Author of Skycatcher and Morning Light - Allan Campion
Appeared 2009. Author of In the Kitchen, Foodies Diary, The Foodies' Guide to Melbourne and more - Sophie Cunningham
Appeared 2009. Author of Geography, Bird - Gregory Day
Appeared 2007, 2008. Author of The Patron Saint of Eels and Ron McCoy’s Sea of Diamonds - Andrew Darby
Appeared 2008. The Age journalist and author of Harpoon, Into the Heart of Whaling - Daniel Donahoo
Appeared 2007. Author of Idolising Children - Trish Edwards
Appeared 2007, 2008. Creator of The Monologue Project - Deborah Forster
Appeared 2009. Author of The Book of Emmett - Craig Fraser
Appeared 2009. Guest singer/songwriter - Dr Ian Freckleton
Appeared 2009. Author of Investigation and the Coroner's Inquest, Appealing to the Future: Michael Kirby and His Legacy, and Expert Evidence - Nick Gadd
Appeared 2009. Author of Ghostlines - Victoriana Gaye
Appeared 2008. Musician - Tim Gibson
Appeared 2007, 2008, 2009. Guest workshop speaker - Robert Greenberg
Appeared 2007. Author of The Greeblies, There's Money in Toilets & The Legend of Half Moon Harry - Sarah Halloran
Appeared 2009. Author of Dissection - Rosalie Ham
Appeared 2009. Author of The Dressmaker, Summer at Mount Hope - Caroline Hawkins
Appeared 2009. Mosaic artist - Sarah Hay
Appeared 2008. Author of Skins and Texas - Simmone Howell
Appeared 2008. Author of Notes from the Teenage Underground and Everything Beautiful - Rodney Hyett
Appeared 2009. Photographer - Robert Ingpen
Appeared 2009. Illustrator of classics including Alice in Wonderland, The Jungle Book, Peter Pan and Wendy and Treasure Island and author of The Voyage of the Poppykettle and more. - John Jenkins
Appeared 2009. Author of Growing Up With Mr Menzies, A Break in the Weather, Dark River, Travelers' Tales of Old Cuba - Thom Kadera
Appeared 2007. Visual artists and author of Stinka the Surfer - Cate Kennedy
Appeared 2009. Author of Signs of Other Fires, Joyflight, Sing, Don’t Cry: A Mexican Journal, Dark Roots and The World Beneath - Andrew Knight
Appeared 2007, 2008. Writer and producer of Seachange, Crashburn, After the Deluge, Tripping Over and many more films and series for television - Sheena Knowles
Appeared 2008. Author of Edward the Emu and Edwina the Emu - Sally Learey
Appeared 2008. Author of Louttit Bay Treasure, Food for Me is Gluten Free and Food for Me is Nut Free - Kate Legge
Appeared 2009. Author of The Unexpected Elements of Love, The Marriage Club - Alison Lester
Appeared 2009. Author and Illustrator of kids books such as Magic Beach, Imagine, Ernie Dances to the Didgeridoo and Are We There Yet? - Brendan McAloon
Appeared 2009. Filmmaker and author of Deep Water - Maureen McCarthy
Appeared 2009. Author of In Between series, Ganglands; Cross My Heart; Queen Kat, Carmel and St Jude; Somebody’s Crying; and Rose by any other name - John McSweeney
Appeared 2009. Guest workshop speaker - Shane Maloney
Appeared 2009. Author of Stiff, The Brush-Off, Nice Try, The Big Ask, Something Fishy and Sucked In - Karen Martin
Appeared 2009. Playwright and author of Drowning in her Soup, Don’t Tell Me I’m Glowing, Shoes of Desire Pt 1, and The Women's Jail Project and The Women’s Circus Book - Melissa Martin
Appeared 2008. Guest singer/songwriter - Darren Matthews
Appeared 2007, 2008, 2009. Sculptor and visual artist - Andrea Mayes
Appeared 2007, 2008. Author of The Rose Notes and Shearwater - Stephen McEwan
Appeared 2008. Guest singer/songwriter - Dr. Rob Moodie
Appeared 2008. With Gabriel Gate, author of Recipes for a Great Life - Matt Novacewski
Appeared 2009. Guest singer/songwriter - Patrick O’Neil
Appeared 2009. Author of Sideways - Sonia Orchard
Appeared 2009. Author of Something More Wonderful, The Virtuoso - Michael Panckridge
Appeared 2008. Author of The Vanishings, The Immortal, the Toby Jones series and the Anniversary Legends series - Chrissie Perry (Chrissie Keighery)
Appeared 2007, 2008, 2009 Author of Go Girl! And Star School series and Outside In - Jeff Raglus
Appeared 2008. Musician, visual artist and author of Schnorky the Wavepuncher and The Trip to Town - Christos Raskatos
Appeared 2009. Poet - Hannie Rayson
Appeared 2008. Author of Hotel Sorrento, Inheritance, Two Brothers, Life After George, Competitive Tenderness, Falling from Grace, Scenes from a Separation - Pauline Reilly
Appeared 2007, 2008. Author of the Collection of Australian Animals series of natural history books - Susan Romyn
Appeared 2009. Visual artist - Robyn Rowland
Appeared 2009. Author of Off the tongue and Silence and its tongues - Denise Scott
Appeared 2009. Comedian and author or All That Happened ay Number 26 - The Siren and the Sailor
Appeared 2009. Guest performers - Peter Temple
Appeared 2008. Author of The Broken Shore, Shooting Star, Bad Debts, Black Tide, Dead Point, White Dog, An Iron Rose and In the Evil Day - Meredith Thomas
Appeared 2009. Guest workshop tutor and author and illustrator of Paper Shapes, Rainbows of the Sea - Chris Wallace-Crabbe
Appeared 2009. Author of poetry collections The Universe Looks Down, Telling a Hawk from a Handsaw and more - Linda Waters
Appeared 2009. Visual art curator and guest workshop speaker - Nadine Williams
Appeared 2008. Author of From France with Love - Tim Wood
Appeared 2008, 2009. Guest singer/songwriter - Trudy White
Appeared 2000. Author of Table of Everything, Japan Diary and Could You? Would You? and illustrator of Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief - Red Whyte
Appeared 2009. Guest singer/songwriter - Kerryn Viner
Appeared 2008. Co-author of The Monologue Project - Spencer Zifcak
Appeared 2009. Author of United Nations Reform: Heading North Or South?
