An online-first festival featuring eleven days of live-streamed events, professional development and interactive projects, the Digital Writers’ Festival (DWF) has announced its 2017 program, inviting audiences to log on and tune in from 24 October – 3 November.
The fourth iteration of the festival brings together over 120 storytellers from Australia and the world to explore the future of storytelling. New forms, content trends and digital literacy will be a focus, providing development for audience and artists alike.
“One of the most exciting possibilities digital spaces provide to creatives is the opportunity to connect with your community and share skills and learning, wherever you are,” says artistic director Izzy Roberts-Orr. “DWF challenges what a literary festival can be, carving out a space to explore the exciting possibilities new technologies present for storytellers.”
Transcending geographical boundaries, the entire festival is presented online. Events include a discussion looking to The Future of Storytelling; an investigation into digital spaces as a site of resistance in Decolonising Online Spaces; and a celebration of the best of the West from both Sydney and Melbourne in West Meets West.
For the first time, DWF17 will also feature events held in Melbourne, Sydney, Perth and Brisbane that audiences can attend in person, as well as being live-streamed to the rest of the world via the DWF website.
DWF is also committed to bringing professional development opportunities to writers around the country through a range of online seminars, workshops and panel discussions. Aspiring writers can learn how to pitch hot takes, watch a professional editor in action, discover self-publishing and explore writing for games and speculative fiction.
Audiences also have the opportunity to interact with festival-long projects, including winning up to $1000 in the Microfiction Challenge presented by Swinburne University; receiving daily Missives From the Future; and participating in the giant collaborative DWF Book Club.
A project of the Emerging Writers’ Festival, DWF exists to nurture the storytellers of the future, connecting writers from across Australia and supporting those who face barriers of access to traditional festival events. The first festival of its kind, DWF’s unique blend of vocational, provocative and entertaining content makes it one of Australia’s most innovative festivals.
The Digital Writers’ Festival runs 24 October – 3 November 2017. For more information and complete program, visit: www.digitalwritersfestival.com for details.
Image: courtesy of the Digital Writers’ Festival