Sydney Writers’ Festival Unveils New Partnerships & Multilingual Sessions To Enhance ‘Togetherness’ In ‘Polarised’ World

The Sydney Writers’ Festival is now in its 28th year. While many portions of Australia’s cultural landscape, from music festivals to gig venues and beyond, seem to be crumbling, CEO Brooke Webb and artistic director Ann Mossop believe it’s here to stay thanks to new sponsors and a community and collective spirit tying together this year’s festival.

“In a globalised and polarised world, celebrating what makes Australia unique is important. Doing this through in-person events is powerful in this day and age; the whole idea of coming together and keeping that human element in it,” Mossoptold B&T.

She explained how, over the last year, she spotted that many were reading books focused on relationships, families, lost children and human connection. From this insight came the theme of this ‘In This Together’.

“When we’re looking for a theme, we’re looking for something that captures what people are reading and writing, and also something that can help shape the programme,” Mossop said.

The theme captures the breadth of SWF, featuring the political, personal and literary. From events such as ‘Trumpocalypse Now’ to a panel with Irish writer Colm Toibin to a family day program, the event has something for everyone. It’s also providing a rich ground for brand partnerships.

Reaching Kids, Adults & Everyone In Between

New sponsors including Yoto and Libby are aligning with the festival to make reading accessible for everyone.

Yoto, a screen-free audio device designed to engage children with storytelling, has come on board as a three-year sponsor for the Festival.

The SWF has programmed a free kids and family day at the festival on Sunday 25 May, with Yoto designing an activation to engage children with reading.

“We reach young audiences successfully by adjusting our programming to them, but if you think about the core audience for a festival, very often it’s passionate arts people 18-35 or people over 45 with time and energy to devote to cultural pursuits. There’s a piece in the middle where people are running around with their kids, and they’re harder to reach,” Webb said.

“That core audience is fundamental. Our kids and parents day programme on the weekend is specifically designed for that group, but we’re also programming events on weekday evenings for young people. Part of catering to people is making events accessible in terms of time and cost, but it’s also about who those groups want to see.

“Parents who come to the festival with their children and want to get them off their devices, this is a great way to do that and explore new avenues to connect them with stories”.

Finding the right sponsors and aligning activations with the Festival’s goals helps it attract a larger audience and build deeper communities.

Libby, an app used by libraries that allows library members to access their borrowed books electronically, is another new sponsor.

UNSW, a long-standing partner of SWF, gives the Festival a “connection to a young audience at a stage in their life where they can be hard to reach,” according to Mossop.

“The greatest challenge with engaging a younger audience has been the cost-of-living crisis, which has been the case ever since COVID,” Webb said.

“We have to make the Festival as essential as a Taylor Swift or Lady Gaga concert!” she added.

With more than 84 venue partners nationally, from Norfolk Island to Broome, communities across Australia can engage with the Festival. The Festival streams events live from Bay 17, the largest venue at Sydney’s Carriageworks. Events are also held at public libraries, Mason halls and community hubs.

International Artists & Multilingual Sessions

Another priority has been engaging with international writers. Post-COVID, the Festival has seen a “rebuilding of international interest in coming to Australia,” Webb said.

“Something new we’re seeing this year is a bigger group of international guests and potentially a growth in our audience. Since Ann started in 2022, there’s been a focus on expanding our topics and breadth. This has in turn expanded our audiences, such as those whose first language is not English”.

Asako Yuzuki and Mariana Enriquez are doing a session in Japanese and Spanish, respectively, with English live captioning, a new frontier of multilingual offerings for the Festival.

“In some ways, we’re testing these multilingual sessions out. People are engaging with writing in other languages, and it’s up to us to reflect that as creatively as possible,” Mossop said.

“For the last few years, the International Booker Prize has recognised writers who don’t write in English. What’s beautiful about that is that it’s an award for the author but also the translator. To recognise the particular skill of a translator is important. Last year, we had a session with three amazing translators. I didn’t think it would be a crowd-pleaser, but it was!” Mossop said.

Webb stressed that the Sydney Writers’ Festival is always holding up a mirror to the world and society.

“We are as dynamic as the world around us is. Our priorities have not shifted – our number one pillar is freedom of expression. Another priority for us is inclusivity, making sure people feel like they belong without fear of limitation,” Webb said.

“It’s amazing to see how many people the festival has impacted. This is a beloved festival of Sydney. “If we could bottle the joy of the Sydney Writers’ Festival community, we would be millionaires; it’s such a special environment,” she added.

“There is something so restorative about reading, learning, and diving into something. You come to the Festival and you’re part of this community.

“One of the best things to do is to go to the toilets and hear what everyone thinks and what their real opinions are,” she added. You heard it from Mossop, that’s where the gossip is at!

SWF is running from 19 May to 27 May 2025.

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