Click here for results to poetry competition.

From "Five Senses"

Now my five senses
gather into a meaning
all acts, all presences;
as a lily gathers
the elements together,
in me this dark and shining,
that stillness and that moving,
these shapes that spring from nothing,
become a rhythm that dances,
a pure design.

Judith Wright (permission of Meredith McKinney)

Writers and Poets

Judith Wright was one of Australia's great poets and we are giving high priority to poetry at a festival which was set up to celebrate and extend her legacy.

A central venue in Braidwood, the St. Bede's school hall, will be the poetry hub over the festival weekend. Between the programmed events people will be able to relax here with a tea/coffee, talk and read poetry and give impromptu performances!

To salute the poetic legacy of Judith there'll be a session of favourite poems from the past. This will include Judith's poems, as well as the work of other past Australian poets.

The Two Fires Poetry Competition results will be announced at the festival.

Guest poets include Samuel Wagan Watson, Bronwyn Lea, Louise Crisp, Martin Langford, Fadeel Kayat, Susan Hampton and Mohsen Soltani. Peter Hay is both a poet as well as an environmental writer and authority on environmental literature. Poet and writer Alan Gould will also participate.

Martin Langford Mohsen Soltani

Bronwyn Lea Louise Crisp

Peter HayFadeel Kayat

Samuel Wagan Watson

Panel discussions and conversations will feature the above and other guest writers including Kim Mahood, Jackie French and Roger McDonald, Braidwood novelist and winner of the recent Miles Franklin Award.

The presentations will give particular attention to the festival themes of Identity and Environment and include panels on 'Writing the Land' and 'Writing as Activism'. Anne Fairbairn, an authority on Middle Eastern poetry, will chair 'Reaching Across Cultures', a session of poems and conversation reflecting refugee and immigrant experience.

The program also offers a poets' breakfast, random acts of poetry and 'haiku on the hoof' workshops around Braidwood. Poems written by Braidwood primary and secondary students in workshops sponsored by the festival will be displayed and presented over the weekend. And there'll be a marathon writing workshop for those keen to let the pen flow!

A Poets' Letters session will introduce three important new books of poets' letters, including Judith Wright's selected letters 'With Love and Fury'. Poet and editor Bronwyn Lea will lead a conversation between the three editors.

For any queries about the poetry/writers stream of the festival contact Nicola Bowery , tel. 02 4846 1075

See also Writing Workshops' page