What a year! As co-presidents of the TVWF, we are delighted to report back on the enormous success that was the 2024 Tamar Valley Writers Festival (TVWF). Held from 11-13 October, our first festival engaged an impressive crowd across a weekend of conversations, panels and workshops, distributing more than 1,100 tickets. With the stunning backdrop of Launceston’s picturesque Lakekeler/North Esk River in the vibrant River’s Edge building at the University of Tasmania, the feedback from attendees and writers alike was overwhelmingly positive, affirming the festival’s reputation as a premier literary event in Tasmania.
We hosted a diverse range of writers whose unique voices and stories created unforgettable moments for our audience. Notably, this year’s festival program included a blend of established authors, emerging voices, and genre-specific events that expanded our reach even further, celebrating everything from the speculative to the spicy.
Among the many successful sessions, several stood out for their exceptional attendance and audience response. Our experimental SMUT! event was a huge draw card this year and brought a notably younger and more gender-diverse crowd to the festival. This popular event’s success demonstrated the power of incorporating genre-specific programming to attract different audience demographics, with many attendees buying a ticket to this event not having tickets to the mainstay festival, and 100% of attendees expressing enormous satisfaction with it.
Alongside SMUT!, other highly rated festival sessions included Kylie Moore-Gilbert’s insightful talk with Martin Flanagan, Markus Zusak’s discussion, the in-conversation with Benjamin Stevenson, the Speculative Fiction and Romance panels, the keynote "Light in the Dark" panel, Greg French’s discussion with Adam Thompson, and the "Pitching & Publishing" workshop with the festival’s own Ruby Ashby-Orr. Feedback from attendees of these events, as well as many others, consistently emphasised guest satisfaction, engagement, and inspiration. 90% of visitors reported being very satisfied with their chosen events, and 69% remarked that the festival exceeded their expectations.
The event space itself contributed to this intimate and inviting atmosphere, with attendees frequently commenting on the beautiful riverside location. We are very keen to return to this site in future, but feedback on logistical improvements in signage and on-site food options were noted and will be addressed to enhance the festival experience further in future iterations.
The festival attracted plenty of locals, but we also welcomed a significant number of attendees from outside the Launceston region. 42% of ticket holders reported traveling more than an hour to be at the festival—including, significantly, an international book club group from the UK—and contributed to the local economy through visits to nearby restaurants, cafés, bookshops, and accommodation. This reinforces the festival’s dual role of fostering a literary community and positively contributing to northern Tasmania as a tourist destination in the shoulder season.
Every writer who participated in the Tamar valley Writers Festival expressed high satisfaction with their experience and felt welcomed by the festival’s warm, supportive atmosphere. Every single one of them confirmed that they would eagerly recommend TVWF to their peers, highlighting the festival’s strong curation, diversity, and professionalism. One writer noted:
“The festival was an absolute delight: both intimate to attend and wide-ranging in talent and topics discussed.”
The festival was particularly praised by guests for its “friendly and intimate” atmosphere and for maintaining an engaging and varied program at an accessible price point. Attendees were excited to be able to find authors such as Markus Zusak, Erin Riley or Mark Mupotsa-Russell so easily available and open to moments of individual connection. Attendees frequently expressed their eagerness to return, with one stating:
“This was my first time attending the festival and it was fabulous. I’ve been to Sydney Writers Festival and the Hobart Writers Festival, and this one, while smaller, stood equally with those for being engaging, interesting, fun, inspiring and affordable.”
This year’s success would not have been possible without the support of our dedicated sponsors, partners, and volunteers. We extend our sincerest thanks to Petrarch’s Bookshop, The Hotel Grand Chancellor, The Florance, The Sports Garden Hotel, Peppers Silo Hotel, Du Cane Brewing, Green Bean Catering, Entally Wines, Wesley Chambers, and Declan Durrant along with The Examiner, all of whom played an instrumental role in bringing this year’s festival to life. Their support, along with the tireless efforts of our incredible volunteer team, ensured a smooth and unforgettable experience for all involved. Claire from Inkling Media and Madeline from Right ID were responsible for our incredible re-branding, program and website, and Professors Sonya Stanford and Natalie Brown, as well as Dr Robert Clarke and Greg Marshall were instrumental in venue management and the facilitation of the University of Tasmania’s “Read, Write, Publish” program on the Monday.
We are so grateful to our committee members from the past who played a crucial role in the instigation of this particular festival, including Suse Henshaw, Beck Beaumont, and former vice-president Johanna Baker-Dowdell, and current committee members Ruby Ashby-Orr, our secretary, Jo Stirling, our treasurer, Caitlin Jarvis (who manages our membership), and Suzi Claflin (who has been our wonderful wizard of data, and whose extensive surveying and notes have formed the basis of this report). Judy Ridge and Meahd Farnaby acted as our administrative assistants and volunteer coordinators for the lead-up to the festival this year, and the team that they led did a wonderful job of supplying not only professionalism but also undeniable enthusiasm.
Of course, we haven’t had time to mention here additional events from 2024 such as our continued relationship with the Sydney Writers Festival’s Live & Local program in the University of Tasmania’s Inveresk Library, our pre-festival event with Claire van Ryn and Annette Higgs, and Andrew Bovell’s playwriting workshop.
As we reflect on the triumph of the 2024 festival, our sights are already set on the possibilities for TVWF 2026. Building on the momentum of this year’s success, we are eager to explore opportunities to enhance the festival program, learn and grow from what worked best and what we can improve, expand our audience, and deepen our engagement with Tasmania’s growing literary community. Additionally, we are excited for planned satellite events in 2025, which will allow us to continue the festival’s vibrant literary presence across the Tamar Valley region throughout the coming year.
We are so delighted, and inspired, and tired, but the festival will return. Thank you to everyone for their enthusiasm, support and energy in lighting the dark with us this year…
Here’s to an even brighter future!
Georgie Todman and Lyndon Riggall
Co-Presidents
The Tamar Valley Writers Festival
*This was presented as the 2024 Presidents Report at our recent AGM on November 19.
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