OzAsia Festival’s Weekend of Words Starts Today
The event features 56 Asian and Asian Australian creatives taking part in a range of programs across the weekend.
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Today marks OzAsia Festival’s Weekend of Words, a stacked program of thought-provoking conversations and lively discussions at the country’s largest gathering of Asian and Asian Australian writers and thinkers.
Presented by Adelaide Festival Centre, OzAsia Festival’s Weekend of Words is held at the Adelaide Convention Centre from today, Friday 7 to Sunday 9 November.
Curated by award-winning writer and comedian Sami Shah, the three-day festival features 56 Asian and Asian Australian creatives appearing at 24 free events.
“From Miles Franklin winners to TikTok journalists, from poets who riot on the page to comedians who turn trauma into punchlines; Weekend of Words is where the serious business of storytelling gets delightfully unserious,” says Shah.
International names making their presence felt include Prasanthi Ram (Singapore Writers Festival), Ratih Kumala (Ubud Writers & Readers Festival), Malachi Edwin Vethamani (George Town Literary Festival), Singapore’s Kirsten Han, South Korea’s Joo Dong-geun and India’s Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar and Beni Sumer Yanthan.
The Aussie contingent includes some of the country’s renowned writers and thinkers, including Miles Franklin Award winners Siang Lu and Shankari Chandran, Walkley Award-winners Jan Fran and Sarah Malik, Parwana’s Durkhanai Ayubi, award-winning filmmaker Tony Ayers and host of SBS’s Insight Kumi Taguchi.
The Opening Night Gala, hosted by Sami Shah alongside Cheng Lei, Grace Yee, Sashi Perera and more, will see the assembled creatives completing the sentence “…then the world got loud.”
Other highlights of this year’s program include the return of the hilarious debate The Special Comedy Comedy Special: Greatest Debate at Her Majesty’s Theatre on Saturday 8 November, along with free workshops inlcuding Memoir Writing: Discovering the Best Way to Tell Your Story with Walkley Award-winning Australian journalist and writer Sarah Malik, Drawn to Life: A Live Drawing Workshop with manga artist Queenie Chan and webtoon creator Joo Dong-geun and The Poetic Line: A Poetry Workshop with acclaimed poet and editor Malachi Edwin Vethamani.
For the full program of events, visit adelaidefestivalcentre.com.au.
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OzAsia Festival Director Joon-Yee Kwok: “As we step into the final weekend of OzAsia Festival, I encourage everyone to head to Weekend of Words for an inspiring weekend with Asian and Asian Australian writers and thinkers. My thanks to Sami and the team for putting together such a wonderful program which encourages community and connection and amplifies exceptional voices.”
Adelaide Festival Centre CEO Kate Gould: “OzAsia Festival’s Weekend of Words welcomes to Adelaide special guests from the Singapore Writers Festival, Ubud Writers & Readers Festival, George Town Literary Festival, India and South Korea who this year join an exceptional line-up of local writers. We invite you to bring your curiosity and step into Sami Shah’s exciting and contemporary program.”
When heading to OzAsia Festival’s Weekend of Words, be sure to visit Lucky Dumpling Market for delicious food, drinks and live music.
OzAsia Festival’s Weekend of Words runs from Friday 7 November to Sunday 9 November at Adelaide Convention Centre. Check out the full program and grab tickets via adelaidefestivalcentre.com.au.
