Byron Bay Writers' Festival

New Director Appointed

The Management Committee of the Northern Rivers Writers’ Centre is proud to announce Jonathan Parsons as the Festival Director for the 2012 Byron Bay Writers’ Festival.
Founding Chair of the Northern Rivers Writers’ Centre, Chris Hanley, says the Management Committee were impressed with the quantity and calibre of applicants, but that Jonathan’s experience and enthusiasm made him the standout candidate.
“Jonathan has worked on several large scale events and carved out a strong reputation for himself as a focused and very creative director,” said Chris. “We’re delighted to welcome him to our team and look forward to an engaging program for the 2012 Byron Bay Writers’ Festival.”
Indeed, Jonathan Parsons is no stranger to the world of festival and event management and brings over twenty years experience working in the arts and cultural scenes, both within Australia and internationally, to this position. He was Artistic Advisor for the 2010 AWESOME Festival (Perth’s leading youth contemporary arts festival) and in the same year curated the Sydney presentation of ABBA World at Sydney’s Powerhouse Museum. From 2007-2009, he was the Director of Public Programs at the Queensland State Library (2007-2009), during which time he managed over 110 events and oversaw the doubling of participation numbers. He was one of seven International Associates who developed the 2008 London International Festival of Theatre program, and from 2002-2007 he was the Festival Director for Brisbane’s RiverFestival – the city’s major annual community cultural and environment festival. Jonathan was also Associate Director for the Adelaide Festival of Arts 2002, and from 1996-2000 he was the Artistic Director for the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Festival.
As for Jonathan, he couldn’t be happier with his appointment.
“I’m thrilled to be a part of the Byron Bay Writers’ Festival,” said Jonathan, “and am looking forward to building on the rich history of one of Australia’s best festivals of books, writers and writing.”
Jonathan was also quick to acknowledge the importance of the Byron community, and especially the members of the NRWC, as being crucial to the success of the BBWF. “Having worked on a range of festivals and events I know that the core support of members and the community is vital to the success of any major event, so I’m very much looking forward to developing and delivering a festival that our members can be proud of and the local community would be happy to stand behind.”
As well as taking on the role of directing the 2012 Byron Bay Writers’ Festival, Jonathan also works as a consultant and is currently a Visiting Fellow at the Institute of Creative Industries and Innovation at the Queensland University of Technology.

Festival T-Shirts for sale

Pictured above are Virginia Clarke (our Volunteers Coordinator) and Colin Thornton (volunteer extraordinaire), both are sporting limited edition Festival t’s – and don’t they look dashing? We have a pile of these here if you’re interested in purchasing one for yourself or someone you love, and they are going at the rock-bottom price of $15 each plus postage. Call us on 1300 368 552 to grab one – but be quick.

Another successful Festival

Over the last fifteen years, the Byron Bay Writers’ Festival has carved out an enviable reputation as one of Australia’s most significant literary events. Last weekend – with the weather gods smiling down on us and amidst our largest array of marquees, guests and visitors ever – that reputation grew some more. 

Passion was the theme of this year’s Festival and everywhere you looked you saw it. It was etched on the faces of the children who soaked up performances by Alison Lester and Tony Wilson during their schools’ visits. It was evident in the words uttered by writers such as John Pilger, Phillip Adams, Robert Manne, Leslie Cannold and Bob Carr – and in the applause offered so enthusiastically by their audiences. It was hewn in the sculptures that adorned the festival site and subsumed by the laughter that emanated from whichever marquee was currently hosting Tim Ferguson, Libby Gorr, Charlie Pickering, Wendy Harmer, and Fiona Scott-Norman. And as if that wasn’t enough, it was emblazoned across the blood-red torsos of our 190-strong team of volunteers, without whom the Festival would not have been possible.

Read more: Another successful Festival

Festival in full swing

The Byron Bay Writers' Festival for 2011 was bathed in glorious sunshine and blessed with warm weather.

You can catch what happened at our blog here.