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 .