Almanac Festivals: Adelaide Writers’ Week 2026 – ‘Open door, open books, open mind, open heart’ but not this year! (Event now CANCELLED)
‘Open door, open books, open mind, open heart’ – Lawrence Ferlinghetti
One of my many joys travelling America with Brian Wise on a musical tour a few years ago was finally spending some time in San Francisco, but more importantly the opportunity to visit one of the world’s great bookshops, City Lights Booksellers & Publishers. Established in 1953 by poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti, the bookshop and the nearby cafes became a literary meeting place for progressive writers, poets, the culturally aware, and the publisher of their works.
At the time of my visit a strong campaign advocated by conservatives, mainly the far and religious Right in America, to ban many books deemed classics of the Western Canon was in full swing; and, unfortunately, this misguided ideology still continues with the government under Trump’s administration. City Lights (as did many other cultural organisations) commenced campaigns protesting against the proposed book bans based on the motto of the bookshop, ‘Open door, open books, open mind, open heart’ .
I purchased a number of badges with the words ‘Open Books, Open Minds, Open Hearts’ in support of the campaign. As a regular wearer of the badges I’m often asked the meaning behind the words, people are astounded to discover much loved books here in Australia have individuals and organisations in America wanting those same books banned. The badges are fab conversation starters.
For the past ten years Meryl and I have made the trip to Adelaide for the annual Adelaide Writers’ Week, part of the Adelaide Festival. This is one of the world’s great literary festivals, it’s free, always involves local, national, and international writers and speakers of the highest calibre, and is set in the beautiful Adelaide parklands. It has always been a great joy to be a part of it.
It is the opportunity to listen to ideas, hear authors speak about their works and processes, and to question their opinions whether you agree with them or not as presented by the speaker to an informed and interested audience.
The reaction to the Festival Board’s decision to drop author Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah, from the line-up due to ‘cultural insensitivities’ has been immediate and swift. The outcry over this decision has seen over 100 authors boycotting their appearance at the festival in support of the dumped author leaving organisers in disarray with the prospect of the AWW being cancelled.
I am very disappointed by the decision taken by the board. I approach every event during the week with an open mind; if I don’t like or approve of what is being said by a writer I simply move on to another event, or I may join in with the hissing and booing, and ask the awkward questions at the end of the session. Most likely I won’t buy their books. But I do believe writers have the right to promote what they believe in.
It’s interesting Tony Abbott is also a guest speaker this year promoting his book of his version of the ‘history of Australia’. I would think there may be many ‘cultural insensitivities’ reflected within that book as well. If AWW is resurrected I know I would not attend the Abbott event; that’s my decision, I don’t want to hear him but he should be given the right to present his point of view.
I expect the board will make a decision about the format of this year’s AWW some time shortly and I hope commonsense will prevail but unfortunately I cannot see the program re-scheduled to its original format.
Unfortunately, Meryl and I will probably not make our much anticipated trip to Adelaide this year for the Adelaide Writers’ Week 2026.
All images by CGR
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About Colin Ritchie
Retired teacher who enjoys following the Bombers, listening to music especially Bob Dylan, reading, and swimming.
Col you absolutely nailed it extremely well written
Well said, Col.
This whole episode is extremely sad, and could so easily have been prevented.
Did they learn nothing from the Bendigo debacle? Obviously not!
I’m not in favour of censorship except in extreme situations like child exploitation etc. That said I think we should park debates about foreign wars and political disputes unless Australia is directly involved or directly affected.
Australia has functioned well as an immigrant country for 230 years because we have largely treated it as a refuge from madness – not a place to continue to refight conflicts over which we have no influence. Penny Wong was more effective when she stuck to the South Pacific.
Australia’s position on ancient fights in the Middle East is prerogative of the eunuch throughout history.
Be interested and informed by all means – but public protests and division over things we have no control is a dangerous distraction.
We have housing costs and availability; indigenous health and employment; industrial and defence capacity; social welfare program sustainability etc to properly understand and debate.
So much easier to fulminate on Israel and Palestine.
Is former PM, Minister for Women, and cultural sensitivity beacon Tony Abbott, still on the programme?
Thanks for this Colin. Well said. While I am but one small voice in the crowd who has immensely enjoyed the diverse offerings of Writers’ Week over many years, I felt the need to contact the AF. I mentioned that I will not be attending because of this extremely short sighted decision by the Board. I feel that in the current times of appalling local and overseas events, the ability to appreciate a wide diversity of opinion is vital and adds to social cohesion. The decision of the Board is blatant censorship disavowing the views and rational opinions of one section of the community.
I received a reply noting my concern!
Predictably, that Murdoch chip wrapper, The Advertiser has been all over things making liberal use of the word “hypocrisy”. In an opinion piece yesterday Lord Downer of Baghdad and his wife spent more time lamenting the fact that, in their opinion, Writers’ Week has shifted too far to the left. As I remember it, Downer said much the same about the electors of Mayo when Independent Rebecca Sharkey was elected in preference to the Liberal candidate (his daughter) a couple of Federal elections ago.
One of the best speakers I heard at WW last year was a Jewish journalist from New York (hardly a left-wing radical) who talked about the Gaza conflict. He likened it to the early treatment of the native American community rather than South African apartheid.
Sadly, the news has just come through that the Adelaide Writers’ Week 2026 has been cancelled. Hopefully lessons will be learnt from this debacle.
Thank you for your comments to date, they are supportive, enlightened, to the point, and I have enjoyed reading them.
I am a huge-Peter Malinauskas fan in general and he has been fantastic for-SA Mali got this one wrong
Oh dear, it’s seemingly worsening. Randa Abdel-Fattah has launched defamation action against Premier Malinauskas.
The Premier’s actions in making strong public statements for reasons probably best known for him have made an unpleasant situation even worse. It possibly seems the treatment of Antoinette Lattouf has fallen on deaf ears.
Mr. Malinauskas is quickly heading into very shaky territory.
Glen!
Well written CR. The AWW Board really stepped in shit of their own making with this debacle. Where better to debate ideas that a Writers festival! That is what the Board let completely slip from their minds and hearts. And here we are.
Also, I have been a fan of Louise Adler, one of Australia’s sharpest public intellectuals, over many years. The way she has critiqued this ridiculous and unnecessary imbroglio has seen my respect for her wisdom and fearlessness just keep growing..
Though I despise her subsequent embrace of victimhood and her cries of racism, I think the cancelling of Abdel-Fattah is wrong, clumsy, distracting, and a nasty precedent. Even though I think her public contributions are largely vile, I say let her speak so her ideas can be opposed. (Not that they are going to be opposed at AWW.)
If she’d never been invited, as her ideological opponents weren’t, it never would have resulted in this unseemly brouhaha. The selection of a cast of authors at a festival is an act of censorship, a shaping of the dialogue, just as much as the cancelling of one of them. Only, it’s a little more covert – something arts bureaucrats do together.
As to Louise’s principled stand in support of freedom of speech since Abdel-Fattah’s (short-lived) cancellation… oh, please, she threatened to resign if Thomas Friedman was allowed to speak last year? Freedom of speech for me, but not for thee. Hers is about the most embarrassing public exposure of hypocrisy I’ve seen.
I’ve spoken at the Adelaide Festival a number of times. It’s a sea of agreement. If you think it’s a contest of ideas, I think you go along not wanting your ideas contested. The contest of ideas at these festivals is fixed at the programming stage.