Almanac Festivals: Adelaide Writers Week 2025 – A fabulous week!.

 

 

 

After an early 2am start to catch our flight last Friday we were both well and truly knackered after our 9am arrival. We caught a bus to the city and left our bags at the hotel until check in time, then explored the Adelaide CBD and its precincts, so an early night beckoned. 

 

 

Our hotel on Hindley St with the noisy pub next door

 

 

Little did we know that Hindley Street is the Bourbon Street of Adelaide with its numerous clubs and bars and eating places and a pub that stayed opened until 3am next to our hotel. Many rocked and rolled there all night long but I did manage to sleep fairly well considering the noise!

 

It’s was an overcast sky as I peered out the window of our second floor hotel room on Hindley Street in Adelaide, and also the first morning of Writers Week 2025 part of the Adelaide Festival as I pondered the week ahead with excitement and expectation.

 

 

 

As the event is outdoors at the Pioneer Women’s Memorial Gardens it provides  an ideal setting under many large, leafy trees and shade cloth. With temperatures in the high 20s, low 30s makes for ideal weather conditions presenting and attending such an event.

 

A coffee and an apple Danish usually started off most days for me as I sat and surveyed the scene and the day’s program. The choice of sessions to attend was often overwhelming but no matter the selection made guaranteed it was well worth your while. With a steady influx of early arrivals each day indicated capacity crowds ahead.

 

With book purchases in mind of earmarked authors I decided to get in early at the Book Tent and make those purchases. I cannot help myself in bookshops and such, and of course I ended up buying more books than I planned! Thankfully I’ve purchased extra baggage for my flight home!

 

As always, Writers Week produced a feast of words to stir and provoke the thoughts, emotions, and imaginations of captivated listeners from the many wide and varied topics and themes introduced.

 

 

Over the six days there were so many incredible highlights. It is difficult to know where to start with them, who to concentrate upon, and how much space and time to allocate to each. In some cases there were no surprises as the sessions were as brilliant as you were hoping and expecting them to be. Richard Denniss, Geraldine Brooks, and Rachel Kushner to name some. Then there were the unexpected surprises gained by taking a punt with sessions you were uncertain about, then to be completely blown away. These included Hanif Kuerishi and Julia Baird, Niall Williams, Nick Bryant, Sir Simon Sharma, and Orlando Figes.

 

 

Richard Denniss from The Australia Institute was the outstanding highlight for me over the week. He appeared individually and as a panellist as well. His  persistent theme related to the many ideas developed and established by the institute and incorporated into the publications by them.  Richard was inspirational promoting plenty of big ideas including tax reform, and much, much more in his usual enthusiastic manner that is precise and easy to comprehend. He made so much sense. Our pollies should take note of what he is saying! Alan Kohler joined Richard for a later session discussing Australia’s housing mess and how to fix it. Very enlightening, relevant, and to the point.

 

 

Hanif Kureishi discussed his memoir Shattered and the catastrophic accident that changed his life with Julia Baird, and Dr Michelle Johnson. I was unaware of his shattering accident that paralysed him. The three of them ‘shared their reflections on the task of writing about broken bones, despair and hope’. Like many in the audience I was overwhelmed by Hanif’s account of his accident, his treatment in hospital, and his present life. Although angry about what happened to him, a simple accident in reality – standing up from his chair, felt dizzy, and fell forwards onto his head severing his spinal cord and paralysing him, Hanif is determined to make the most of a difficult situation as he so wonderfully explained. 

 

 

Geraldine Brooks in discussion with Bob Carr about the recent losses of their spouses was intense and very much heartfelt. Grief and their experiences of coming to grips with life without their partners was open and honest in their account while discussing Geraldine’s recently released book about the death of her beloved husband Tony Horowitz, Memorial Days.

 

 

Twice short-listed Booker Prize author Rachel Kushner did not let her audience down with her engaging, confident, and authoriatve overview of her life as a successful author and journalist. 

 

 

Helen Garner’s delightful discussion of her most recent book The Seasons, following her grandson’s footy team over a season. Sessions about the climate crisis featured extensively particularly regarding the fossil fuel industry’s grip on our democracy was very interesting and a wake up call. Donald Trump as expected was a focus of many sessions. High profile journalist and author Nick Bryant spoke decisively and authoritatively about Trump’s role in US and world politics particularly with regard to the role history is playing in America today. Of course authors such as Rachel Kushner, Niall Williams, Michelle de Kretser discussing their latest works of fiction had me rushing to the Book Tent to purchase their books.

 

 

Robert Dessaix in conversation with Professor Orlando Figes, discussed and analysed the history and development of Russia as a nation with their profound knowledge and expertise in the field further spiked my interest in the topic.

 

Overall, I’ve only scratched the surface of what has been a tremendous festival, in my opinion this has been one the best Adelaide Writers Weeks I have attended and undoubtably I will return next year.

 

 

 

More from Col Ritchie can be read Here

 

 

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