Sydney Writers’ Festival CEO Jo Dyer to replace Laura Kroetsch as Adelaide Writers’ Week director

New director of Adelaide Writers’ Week Jo Dyer assures audiences they won’t be charged for the much loved program in the Pioneer Women’s Memorial Garden.

HOT SEAT: New Writers’ Week director Jo Dyer at the Adelaide Festival Palais on the Riverbank. Picture: TAIT SCHMAAL

JO Dyer, the CEO of the Sydney Writers’ Festival, will return to her hometown to be the new director of Adelaide Writers’ Week.

Laura Kroetsch

Ms Dyer, 47, has worked as a producer and administrator in film, dance and theatre, but the Writers’ Week job marks a new phase.

“That’s the big excitement for me here, the opportunity to move into a purely creative role,” she said. She was quick to allay concerns that changes, including charging for sessions, would be introduced.

“There’s no doubt it’s working well,” she said. “The audiences are there, the discussions are strong. There’s no question that the main bulk of Writers’ Week always should stay free and openly accessible as it is.”

Chair of the Adelaide Festival Board, Judy Potter, said that Ms Dyer was “the unanimous choice” of the selection committee. “She was able to show us that she had the passion, the vision, the contacts, the skill set,” said Ms Potter,

Ms Dyer, whose parents live in Adelaide, will continue to live in Sydney with her partner and six year old son, but will travel to Adelaide monthly.

Ms Dyer, 47, replaces outgoing director Laura Kroetsch.

She begins work in June.