Your Guide to National Young Writers Festival 2013

I went to National Young Writers Festival last year and, in many ways, it was my first real festival. I travelled for it, got very drunk at it, learnt a few things about writing but a lot about myself and, well, basked in that sort of seedy, intoxicating glory that is young writers hanging out together. It was a pretty awesome experience. Anywho, the festival is swinging around again this weekend (!!) and the program's shaped up to be pretty stellar. Hope to see you there!

As always, the events below are just my taste. You can check out the full program over at the NYWF website.

THURSDAY 3 OCTOBER
NYWF Launch Launchpad
Kick off the festival in frantic style at the NYWF Launch Launchpad where they will be launching all of the things!

FRIDAY 4 OCTOBER
Hey, Good Looking
If you know me, you know I'm a bit of a nut for design work in all it's shapes and forms. This panel is covering the design part of publishing which, y'know, is pretty great.

Cherchez la Femme
Melbourne's premier feminist pub talkshow hits Newcastle! 'Nuff said.

Penguin Plays Rough: An Entirely Fabricated History of Fort Scratchley
I'm pretty into this as a concept. Penguin Plays Rough, a reading event, takes a limited audience down through the old, underground military base, twisting tales along the way. Bookings are essential for this one, so if you're keen, book quick.

Speed Dating
Whether you're gay or straight, NYWF wants to hook you up with a like-minded writer this year, so singles, check out the opportunity to get some lurve at this year's festival.

Sleepover
Feel like you're a part of The Sister Club in this overnight event. Truth or Dare! Movies! An opportunity to wear your pyjamas in a professional environment! What could be better?

SATURDAY 5 OCTOBER
90s Literary Trivia
Ho boy, literary trivia is fun at the worst of times, but 90s Lit Triv? Count me in.

Paranormal Formal
Every year NYWF has a dress-up dance thing (last year's was Hip-Hop Safari and I finally found a use for the obscene amount of leopard print in my closet). This year's going gangbusters with, well, ghostbusters and having a paranormal themed prom. I'm kind of ridiculously stoked to get to use my kind of also obscene metallic make-up collection.

SUNDAY 6 OCTOBER
Tony Soprano is Dead
With a surge of anti-heroes taking the mantel in popular culture like Don Draper, Walter White and Selina Meyer, asking the question of whether or not we need to root for a character to engage with the narrative is an interesting one. (Although obv everyone roots for Selina Meyer because she is the best). This panel explores exactly that and will be one to watch, particularly if you're writing some noir-ish stars.

Wind Beneath My Wings
This is an exclusive, one-off mentoring session with some of Australia's industry heavy weights, including the rather spectacular likes of Benjamin Law, Lisa Dempster and Elmo Keep.

$$$$$
In a rapidly changing market, it's more important than ever to understand the value of your work and the value of the market or avenue you're publishing in. This panel will cover exactly that and explore different modes of payment, financial and otherwise.

Zine Fair
The zine fair is pretty consistently one of the best parts of NYWF and this year shouldn't be an exception. Find lots of local and national talent, independent artists and generally some pretty A+ stall food.