Melburnian logophiles will get to spend a couple of days with some top Australian authors, with a new writers’ festival to be held in the city’s inner north.
The inaugural A Day in Carlton festival will run on November 15 and 16 and is set to feature appearances from chef Julia Busuttil Nishimura, journalist David Marr and Indigenous human rights activist Thomas Mayo.
Readings chaiman Mark Rubbo.Credit: Eddie Jim
Events will be held across Carlton including at the Church of All Nations and Cinema Nova.
The festival is being put together by Mark Rubbo, the chairman of Readings, which has its flagship bookstore in Carlton.
He hopes it will foster “community engagement and communal discussion” while paying tribute to Carlton’s literary history.
“We love encouraging creativity and especially love supporting local writers and helping them engage with the community,” Rubbo said.
“Carlton has always been an important crucible in the Australian publishing industry, so we see [the festival] as an opportunity to pay homage to that wonderful history.”
Rubbo said the full festival line-up would be exciting, but he was especially keen for Underscore – a musical and storytelling collaboration featuring Sally Ford and the Idiomatics, a quartet known for their genre-bending musical catalogue.
“Writers Sean O’Beirne, Maxine Beneba Clarke and Christos Tsiolkas will present excerpts of their work over an electro-acoustic soundscape,” he said.
“I’ve seen them before and it’s an incredibly engrossing and magical experience.”
The launch of the festival has been timed to coincide with a pledge by incumbent Lord Mayor Nicholas Reece – as part of his re-election campaign – to spend $2 million to support and expand local festivals and community markets.
The funding plan, which will be announced on Sunday, would be rolled out over four years and to “bring people together and support local businesses,” Reece said.
It would include grants to help local markets and festivals thrive, with a focus on supporting new and existing events across the city. The plan would also encourage “seed funding” to provide opportunities for community groups and small businesses to launch new events.
Reece described local festivals as the “heart and soul” of Melbourne’s neighbourhoods.
“Whether it’s shopping at the Docklands Sunday Market or enjoying the brand new Lygon Street Market in Carlton, these events are what make Melbourne such a special place to live and visit,” he said.
“By supporting our local festivals and markets, we’re not just investing in events – we’re helping to keep Melbourne the best and fairest city in the world.”
Rubbo welcomed the prospect of more funding for local festivals.
The City of Melbourne election will be held in October.
Tickets to A Day in Carlton will be available in the coming days.
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