The Significance of Mildura Writer’s Festival – Persuasive Piece

The Mildura Writer’s Festival is a particularly prestigious event and one of the highlights on Mildura City’s calendar. It generates and enhances a particular amount of tourism to the city in terms of people needing accommodation, car hire, eating at restaurants and retail shopping to name a few. While increasing the local economy, those that organise the event ensure Mildura’s unique district is showcased to not only the exceptional authors that are invited here but those who have come from near and far. With sessions being featured along the banks of the picturesque Murray  River, local sporting venues, society clubs and art galleries, the festival captures the very best of Mildura.

Mildura Writers Festival itself offers the audience an opportunity to immerse themselves into the stories and experiences each author reveals. While some authors express the tumultuous years it took to write one novel, others impart their gratitude of lessons learned throughout their experience. They disclose secrets and background knowledge into the depths of their stories that no reader would ever possibly know unless they were among an audience the Mildura Writers Festival listening intently to the author speak.

Although some may only be avid readers and others eager to become writers looking for inspiration, the Mildura Writers Festival provides a relaxed atmosphere where authors are most accessible to the public. It offers people the opportunity to mingle with their favourite authors and gain a signature or two in a novel. The Mildura Writers Festival is significant not only to Mildura’s local economy but for those who are enriched by the literary culture it provides. It could be said the festival is more than a book reading, it truly is a fascinating and thought provoking experience for all who attend.

Ron Povey - Poem

Meet the charming Ron Povey at the Festival’s doors,

A volunteer for seven years who loves the literary cause.

He is a man with intense blue eyes, particularly intelligent and witty,

A sincere passion for the festival and what it does for this city.

He believes first impressions are important and count,

It keeps you coming back each year rain, hail, shine or drought.

He avidly describes Stephano’s vision tying festival events with food,

And how Donata is so caring, lifting the atmospheric mood.

Enthusiastically expressing poetry is an important aspect to the event,

Adding to the literary culture he believes is worth every cent.

A quick little chat or a clever joke to help you on your way,

Being greeted by his warm nature and smile makes a person’s day.

Awards and their Significance - A Personal Reflection

 

As an ignorant person walking into the Mildura Writers I was unaware of the impact it would have on me personally. I had always thought of the festival as simply being workshops on how to become a writer! I never knew who had founded the festival or even why. It wasn’t until I took the time to stop and talk to volunteer Ron Povey (who worked on the door each day) to understand the passion and value that has gone into creating such a wonderful festival for the people of Mildura and beyond. Of particular interest, I learned of the awards presented to visiting authors and found each one awarded was personal and momentous for both organisers as well as the authors receiving the award themselves. Ron explained the festival consists of one judge who completes a three year term.

 

Of the three awards presented, the arbiter considers each award separately based upon the unique medal and its meaning. As I watched Ron speak of the awards it struck me how passionate he was about the key purpose of such an event. I never asked if he knew Phillip Hodgins as I considered this to be rude, however he spoke of this man with the greatest of respect stating “he was an inspiration”. Ron expressed The Phillip Hodgins Memorial Medal as being a prestigious award for any writer as Phillip Hodgins was one of the founders of the Mildura Writers Festival. Any Australian author awarded this Medal has proved their literature has work that best reflects a standard that is high and set apart from others in which Philip Hodgins epitomised.

 

The 2017 winner was poet Peter Boyle who respectfully received the award with pride and was presented with a medal created by Jim Curry, (a Mildura artist) as well as a cheque for $3000. Furthermore Ron was pleased to explain how the Mildura Writers Festival were associated with many sponsors, in particular the Mallee District Aboriginal Services where they award local Indigenous writers to narrate a short fiction or poem of their choice. It was wonderful to see Maya Hodge win this year’s prize of $1200 and express immense pride towards her cultural heritage and her family.

Finally, Ron discussed the Tina Kane Emergent Writer Award. It was here that I discovered Ron’s gratification and respect for Tina herself and her work. “She was very special, and so friendly. She loved this festival and even when she was ill she still flew from New York to Mildura”. Her award, won by Natalie Harkin was presented for her promising and developing poems. Watching Natalie receive her award was moving as she was both honoured and humbled by the experience. While I wrongly assumed the Mildura Writer’s Festival was about learning the steps to writing a novel or poem, what I did learn (from a very unassuming person) is the adoration and passion it takes to create such a wonderful community event for Mildura and the love for those who have been memorialised within an embrace of friendship.   

 

 

Mildura’s Writer’s Festival – From Humble Beginnings – An Informative Writing Piece

Combine a few creative literary minds and what you will receive is the Mildura Writers Festival. Now proudly in its twenty second year, the Mildura Writers Festival started as a humble gathering in a local wine cellar among friends. For one to appreciate the festival they must step back in time. Stefano Di Pieri, wife Donata and others sat in their restaurant cellar listening to friend Phillip Hodgins read poems of Les Murray and Robert Gray. Stefano fondly recollects the moment “There proved to be an audience for this so Philip invited Les Murray and Mr Golsworthy to Mildura to read”. The idea evolved and an arts festival the following year combined with music, art and literary was organised in March running for two weeks. In a turn of circumstances Phillip, diagnosed with leukaemia passed away and the festival was split into three separate events. To honour and commemorate Hodgins’ work, his friends established the Philip Hodgins Memorial Medal, awarded annually to an Australian writer who is consistently outstanding. 

Later, Paul and his wife Tina Kane, friends of the Di Pieri’s brought their own prestigious literary influence. Paul, an American student who studied in England and Yale as well as being an honorary student of La Trobe, who with a string of published works and awards is now the Artistic Director of the Mildura Writers Festival. His late wife Tina, also an author of essays, poems and a book worked as a Conservator in Textile Conservation at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Together, Stefano says their vision for the Mildura Writers Festival was to bring “fun and interest to Mildura as well as make Mildura a place of cultural profile. To put us on the map. It already had culture but needed a little more oomph!” Combining his love of food and literary culture Stefano and his friends have formed a unique event where authors are accessible to their aficionados as they are able to mingle in comfortable and intimate settings.

Ben, an avid reader and audience member believes “The authors bring flair to the festival that evokes inspiration to even those who never thought they could pen poetry”. Today, the many admired and respected authors that attend the festival are national and international literary celebrities in their own rights. Obtaining talent such as the many authors presented at Mildura Writers Festival in rural Victoria is a credit to all involved and is an annual Festival featured each July that is a sophisticated event honouring literary culture .

The Bubble of Mildura Writer’s Festival – A Poem

Choosing an elective subject at Latrobe University,

Has its own dilemma and particular urgency.

Perusing the list deciding Mildura Writer’s Festival will do,

Selecting it to get a quick 15 credit points accrued.

Ignorant about the subject one assumes it will be hard,

However, turn up and meet our lecturer Sue for a start.

Talking carefree she assures us we will have fun,

Listen to the authors and write about them in your own hum,

Mingle with people, write notes about what they say,

Eat Stephano’s delicate food and drink wine at the end of the day,

And so begins the emergence of the bubble,

Being in awe of the authors and writing about their trouble,

The first is Jason Porter, so humble and funny,

with a voice so soothing like hot milk and honey,

Meehan, Tiffany and McGinnis write of the Mallee’s surrounding landscape,

Passionate about memories of dusty towns, cattle stations and lakes,

A.S Patric a serious and good looking young man,

Tortured while writing; yet still encouraging others to withstand.

Peter Boyle so fascinating writing poetry from age fifteen,

Speaks Latin, Greek, and moves readers, young, old and in-between.

Stephen Edgar could be Boyle’s twin in age and poetic language too,

He likes to write of the natural world representing his experiences old or new.

Oh and what about Natalie Harkin, a national treasure we have here,

Winning the Tina Kane award for intentionally disruptive poems her meaning so clear.

Self-confessing slow writer Helen Garner a force on the stage,

Crushing on the grandson’s football coach, then reciting what is written on her page.

Eloquently spoken not a word out of place,

Is the petite Gail Jones who mesmerises all with her grace,

Les Murray our PM of poetry and frequent visitor to the region,

Is a witty fellow who we will claim as our very own adhesion,

The last is British born Judith Beveridge and her prose,

Who with a string of awards brings poems into our homes.

Oh bugger, I’ve realised I need to burst my intoxicating fizz,

Assignments are due, I have a family at home, food to buy for the husband and kids,

‘Pop’ my bubble is burst and reality rushes back to my brain,

Where I need to pour thoughts quickly onto my Mac fast as a train,

I realise now this subject is more than 15 points on my transcript,

Why didn’t anyone tell me it’s an awesome cultural experience, I will admit.

Shout it out to other Latrobe students, “come from afar, come from near,

You won’t want to miss out on what is going on here”.

The bubble is warm with much fun, wine and food,  

It’s an unbelievable experience, so inspiring is the mood,

And although I have no desire to write a book now and here,

Look at my poem, it’s a start so I had better come back next year.

 .