The inaugural Dandenong Ranges Literary Festival will take place in Belgrave on Friday 17 and Saturday 18 October.
The organising committee, consisting of enthusiastic locals and friends, are now busy finalising the program, which will be launched on Thursday 11 September.
As our readers would know, the Dandenong Ranges have always been home to artists, writers and poets of diverse backgrounds.
For the Festival, local authors already confirmed include Lia Hills, Sue Smethurst, Kate Mildenhall, Elle McFadzean, Kylie Orr, Alison Goodman and Paul Kennedy.
These and other authors will gather at the Festival as panelists and workshop hosts to cover a wide range of genres and topics, including but not limited to: historical fiction, crime, romance, biography/autobiography, young adult fiction and junior fiction, as well as tips on self-publishing and approaching traditional publishers.
But the Festival is much more than just literary exchanges.
Rather, with this year’s theme being “A Sense of Place”, the Festival offers ample opportunity for speakers and audiences alike to explore what place means to them.
As the Festival website declares: “The Festival will showcase the Dandenong Ranges as a place of inspiration and creativity, its history and the writers and readers who have and continue to live and work here.”
And this is why the Dandenong Ranges Literary Festival deserves our support.
Not only because all participants will benefit from the literary conversations and community events, but the Festival will also have a positive impact on local businesses by boosting sales and building reputation and profile.
Our readers can make a difference by spreading the word.
Please tell your families and friends, neighbours, colleagues, business partners and social acquaintances about the Festival and invite their participation.
Sign up to the Festival newsletter to receive the latest updates.
Use your preferred social media to help promote the relevant events.
Please also consider making a one-off donation or an in-kind contribution.
Businesses around the Dandenong Ranges and nearby regions can offer services that help promote the Festival (e.g. printing), or provide goods to be used as giveaways during the Festival’s many events (e.g. tote bags or vouchers).
Meanwhile, cafes, restaurants and pubs can consider allocating deals that can be advertised to Festival attendees, such as discounts on drinks, meals and/or desserts when presenting an event ticket during the Festival. Last but not the least, whether yours is an organisation or a business, please consider becoming a Community Partner, a Panel Sponsor, or a Foundation Sponsor.
For sponsorship details, visit the Festival website: dandyrangeslitfest.net
As former world champion and three-time Olympic medalist Steve Backley once said: “The first step is the most important. It is the most crucial and the most effective as it will initiate the direction you have chosen.”
Please help bring OUR OWN VERY FIRST LITERARY FESTIVAL to life and make it a success.
