Literary history is being made in South West Sydney this weekend.
For years, through my role at Booktopia and as someone who plain loves books, I’ve gone along to writers’ festivals, conferences and awards nights. I’ve enjoyed a great number of engaging panels, readings and keynote addresses, and more than my fair share of dry, awkward Q&A sessions. I’ve also sat, somewhat uncomfortably, through sessions held in waterside venues that usually host ballet and modernisations of Ibsen and Chekhov, among very white upper-middle class audiences as First Nations authors and authors of colour are regarded as oddities and outsiders.
This weekend, the inaugural Sydney Muslim Writers Festival is taking place at Bankstown Knowledge Centre, in the heart of South West Sydney. In the face of major setbacks in a community that has been hit hard by the pandemic, a small and dedicated group of volunteers has put together a diverse programme of writers and Muslim intellectuals showcasing the impressive and exciting talent coming out of this frequently othered corner of Sydney. Needless to say, Booktopia is extremely proud to be a sponsor of this wonderful event.
I’m very excited by this. It’s a chance for under-represented writers to share their stories and exchange ideas in a familiar setting with both Muslim and secular community members. Not all festival audiences should be as white and clad with Birkenstocks and tote bags as I am.
Some stars to look out for this weekend are Dr Michael Mohammed Ahmad, Miles Franklin Award-nominated author of The Lebs and The Other Half of You, Dr Mehreen Faruqi, Greens Senator for NSW and author of the memoir Too Migrant, Too Muslim, Too Loud, and Amani Haydar who has just been awarded the Victorian Premier’s Award for Non-Fiction for The Mother Wound.
These writers are among the best at work in Australia today and not out of place at events at Carriageworks and The Wheeler Centre. But how special it is that for the first time this community will programme and host a festival of their own where I can go along and be the one who doesn’t look like everyone else.
Over this Saturday and Sunday in Bankstown, the festival will boast keynote addresses, panel discussions and writing workshops, as well as children’s activities and artists demonstrating calligraphy, henna and Islamic fine arts. You are also never far from incredible food.
You can find programme information and tickets to SMWF on their website. I hope to see you there. May this festival be the first of many!
About the Contributor
Ben Hunter
Ben is Booktopia's dedicated fiction and children's book specialist. He spends his days painstakingly piecing together beautiful catalogue pages and gift guides for the website. At any opportunity, he loves to write warmly of the books that inspire him. If you want to talk books, find him tweeting at @itsbenhunter
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