ABOUT
Founded in 2019, Terror Australis Readers and Writers Festival (TARWF) is Australia's southern-most literary festival, a celebration of books, writing and community in the glorious Huon Valley.
Just 30 minutes from Hobart's CBD, and a world away, we offer a range of live, live-streamed and virtual programming throughout the year.
Our focus is connecting people and books as we celebrate Tasmanian stories and foster creativity and imagination.
Our aim is to build the Huon Valley literary sector - including writers of all ages - and by extension contribute to the wider Tasmanian sector, through our activities, partnerships and digitisation of our events. Our annual program of cultural activities brings value, profile and opportunity to our local literary, arts and culture sector.
TARWF is a non-profit organisation led by a Board. Our events and programs are designed and delivered by a team of dedicated volunteers, including the Director.
We work closely with our regional community – engaging with a broad cross-section of our residents – to design and develop creative literary programs. We partner with local, state and national businesses and non-profit organisations to deliver these programs.
Our activities support the economic recovery of our region by attracting visitors to the Huon Valley in the shoulder seasons. We attract 1200+ bednights to the region in full, live festival years and around half that in other years.
In a community with less than 50% adult literacy, we also support activities for emerging adult readers working to improve their reading skills.
INTERNATIONAL CRIME AND MYSTERY FESTIVAL
Join ANN CLEEVES in the Huon Valley this October 2023
Every second year we present a comprehensive literary festival that attracts international and national guest writers, and presents panel discussions, bespoke festival events, book launches and celebrations alongside a professional development program.
In 2023, we’re back with TAF2023 | TASSIE VICE, from Thursday 26 to Sunday 29 October 2023 in the Huon Valley. Our 2023 International Writer in Residence, Ann Cleeves, will join the festivities for a range of panel discussions, masterclasses, a murder mystery dinner and a literary high tea.
In 2023, our professional development program will run from 21 October to 12 November 2023. It will include our flagship Meet the Australian Publishing Industry program, three weeks of writers’ retreats, and a range of masterclasses.
ANNUAL PROGRAM
Annually, we:
host three days of free panel sessions from the Sydney Writers’ Festival livestream for southern Tasmania,
stage a month-long free literary exhibition to promote local writers,
offer a program for young writers, including a mystery short story competition, and
offer professional development events for adult writers.
FESTIVAL MATRON
Festival Matron
Dr Alison Alexander
A NOTE FROM DR ALEXANDER: Festivals have been proven to have a beneficial effect on communities, encouraging participation, celebrating the arts, stimulating artistic output which improves community morale and togetherness, and bringing in outsiders who provide extra cash. Such activities are particularly important for rural centres. They are encouraged to see themselves not as some distant area remote from the excitement of the city, but as a vibrant centre humming with creativity and excitement.
The Terror Australia Readers and Writers Festival is of huge benefit to writers in the community, who are encouraged and given opportunities to promote their work. The Festival is also committed to an easily accessible program throughout the Huon Valley, thus benefiting not only one centre.
The Festival is exceeding expectations in its scope and the number of invested participants. This is a great achievement for a relatively small festival, and indicates excellent planning and organisation. I highly commend the festival, it’s leaders, and all who choose to participate in this wonderful event celebrating both readers and writers.
TARWF BOARD
Chairperson
Dr Angela Meyer
Angela Meyer has worked in the book industry for almost two decades, including as a bookseller, book journalist, Books+Publishing editor, commissioning editor and publisher, freelance editor, literary award judge and author.
She is currently a lecturer in the Master of Writing and Publishing at RMIT.
Her debut novel, A Superior Spectre, was shortlisted for an Aurealis Award, the MUD Literary Prize, an ABIA, the Readings Prize and a Saltire Literary Society Award. She is the author of a novella, Joan Smokes, which won the inaugural Mslexia Novella Award (UK), and a book of flash fiction, Captives. Her second novel, Moon Sugar, was released in October 2022.
A key presenter and interviewer at TARWF from 2019 to 2022, Angela joins the Board as inaugural Chair in 2023.
Festival Founder and Director
(ex-officio)
Dr L.J.M. Owen
In 2019, DR L.J.M. OWEN founded TARWF as a brand new crime and mystery festival in Tasmania’s Huon Valley, a four-day celebration of reading, writing and books. The festival has grown to now offer more than four weeks’ programming each year. With her trademark disregard for sleep, L.J. is the current Director of TARWF, the Convenor of TARWF’s annual Children’s Mystery Short Story Competition, and the Convenor of the Tasmanian branch of Sisters in Crime Australia.
L.J. previously escaped dark days as a public servant for a sunnier profession—inventing murder. A multi-award winning writer, L.J.’s novels include the chilling The Great Divide, longlisted for the 2020 Ngaio Marsh Award, and three books in the Dr Pimms archaeological mystery series: Egyptian Enigma, Mayan Mendacity, and Olmec Obituary. She is the commissioning editor for the forthcoming mentoring anthology, Murder You Wrote: An Interactive Mystery (2023).
A passionate supporter of emerging, disabled and regional writers, and literacy for adults, L.J.’s guiding principles are kindness, integrity and finding joy in the unexpected.
Board Member
Dr Angela Savage
Angela Savage is an award-winning author and CEO of Public Libraries Victoria. Angela worked in international development for over ten years, based in Southeast Asia and the South Pacific. She worked at the Victorian Council of Social Service and headed up the peak body for Victoria’s Neighbourhood Houses.
Angela featured at TARWF’s inaugural run in 2019, and each year since, and joins the Board in 2023.
Angela holds a PhD in Creative Writing and was CEO of Writers Victoria. She has won the Victorian Premier's Literary Award for Unpublished Manuscript and the Scarlet Stiletto short story prize. Angela's latest novel is Mother of Pearl.
Board Member
Sarah E.C. Byrne
Sarah E. C. Byrne is a long-term supporter of crime and mystery writing, with experience in literary award judging and international mystery festival organisation.
As a lawyer, Sarah has worked in the fields of intellectual property and ethics for more than 25 years. She has served as in-house counsel for State and Commonwealth Government departments, and is an accredited mediator with particular experience in the resolution of workplace disputes. Sarah is also recognised for her considerable expertise in information and privacy law, having headed the Information Law practice of a national law firm and produced an award-winning manual for the Commonwealth Department of Health.
It is with great pleasure that we welcome Sarah to the TARWF Board in 2023.
Board Member
Em Cutting
Writer, librarian, and literary award judge, Em Cutting grew up in a world of words.
Em, writing as E.K. Cutting, has published short fiction in a range of genres. She recently settled on a life of crime. Fiction. She has worked in a number of Tasmanian libraries, judges the national Aurelius Awards and TARWF Children’s Short Story Competition, and assists in the running of the Tasmanian branch of Sisters in Crime Australia.
Em joined the TARWF team in 2019 and now joins the Board in 2023.
Board Member
Marion Stoneman
After studying Professional Writing and Editing, Marion worked at the Tasmanian Writers Centre for nine years as membership and program coordinator, as well as helping to present the biennial Tasmanian Readers and Writers Festival (2013-2017).
In 2019 she joined the team to present the inaugural Terror Australis Readers and Writers Festival in the Huon Valley and has continued her involvement through three festivals and numerous events. In 2006 she founded the Eastern Shore Writers Group with poet Lyn Reeves and continues to convene the group, having co-edited two group anthologies: I Want You to be the Victim (2019) and Corrosion (2022).
Marion also enjoys writing herself, especially poetry. Marion is a keen sailor and soon plans to cast off into the wide blue yonder in search of more great stories.
Board Member
Meg Keneally
After working as a reporter, radio producer and scuba diver instructor, Meg Keneally is now a novelist.
Author of two historical novels, Fled and The Wreck (Echo Publishing), and co-author with Tom Keneally of the Monsarrat series (Penguin) of historical murder mysteries, Meg is also a co-editor of the recent Animals Make Us Human anthology (Penguin).
Meg grew up visiting Tasmania, presented at TARWF in 2019 and every year since, and joins the Board in 2023.
Please email any queries to: felicity.lemon.tarwf @ gmail.com
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Terror Australis Readers and Writers Festival would like to acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the land on which our festival is held, the Melukerdee People of the South East Nation, and pay our respects to Elders past and present.
TARWF is supported by:
