Michaela McGuire swaps Sydney Writers' Festival for Melbourne

Sydney Writers' Festival artistic director Michaela McGuire is swapping cities to take on the same title at the Melbourne Writers Festival. McGuire, who has been artistic director at SWF for four years, said it had been hard to walk away from the position.

"This dream job I have right now just happens to be in the wrong city. I'm really excited to be doing this job that I love back in the same city as my friends and family."

Michaela McGuire is giving up a dream job for another dream job.Credit: James Brickwood

McGuire replaces previous director Marieke Hardy, who resigned late last year and with whom she founded the popular Women of Letters series of literary events.

She said she envisaged the festivals she would program to be similar to those she put on in Sydney, but confirmed she would wind back the performative element of Hardy's two festivals. Hardy had labelled these as "literary arts" festivals, but McGuire said Melbourne would be a "writers' festival".

"My vision is that it will be really bold and imaginative by virtue of the writers and conversations that are programmed rather than tinkering with the format too much."

Hardy was appointed to MWF with a brief to make it distinct from other Australian writers festivals. She added music, theatre and performance to the menu and her first festival in 2018 attracted bigger audiences but also hostile criticism from some publishers and media.

Melbourne publisher Louise Adler, who had been one of those disappointed by the direction Hardy took MWF in, welcomed McGuire's appointment.

''Now all that's necessary is for the Melbourne festival to be as generously resourced [as SWF] and for the MWF, Wheeler Centre and the State Library of Victoria to join forces to deliver on the promise of title 'City of Literature'.''

MWF chair John J. Myers said each festival director had brought their own unique vision and voice to the festival. ''Michaela’s tenure marks the next inspiring phase in our programming.''

SWF chief executive Chrissy Sharp said she only learned of McGuire's departure on Wednesday.

''It was a complete surprise, but Michaela's heart is in Melbourne so it's great for her. We haven't had a chance yet to consider her replacement.''

Sharp said we were living in funny times and next year was likely to be ''odd'' for any festival organiser.

''We are looking at a year when people may not be travelling. We don't know what sort of social distancing rules there will be. But there will definitely be a Sydney Writers' Festival, without doubt."

While agreeing it had been devastating for this year's SWF to be cancelled, McGuire said it was more so for the writers.

"They spent years and years working on the books they hoped to be celebrating at Sydney. It was really sad for me but I had been working on it for one year not several."

And it was too early to talk about other changes she might make in Melbourne.

"Next year is going to be such a difficult year, and it's just impossible to plan very much for it at the moment. No one knows what the effects of COVID-19 are going to be next August. I will wait until I get there in September and start talking to the team and take it from there.

"I know what type of festival I want to program – a really challenging, thoughtful, provocative and hopefully really fun celebration of the most exciting writers in Australia and around the world."

McGuire will take up her new job after this year's Melbourne Writers Festival has completed its entirely online program, which has been curated by associate director Gene Smith. It will be launched on July 22 and runs from August 7-16.