OzAsia Festival ‘s Weekend of Words begins today with an unmissable program. Revel in thought-provoking conversations and lively discussions at the country’s largest gathering of Asian and Asian Australian writers and thinkers at Adelaide Convention Centre, from Friday 7 to Sunday 9 November, presented by Adelaide Festival Centre.
Curated by award-winning writer and comedian Sami Shah, OzAsia Festival’s Weekend of Words features 24 free events from 56 Asian and Asian Australian creatives, including international guests Prasanthi Ram (Lead Image) (Singapore Writers Festival), Ratih Kumala (Ubud Writers & Readers Festival), Malachi Edwin Vethamani (George Town Literary Festival), Singapore’s Kirsten Han, South Korea’s Joo Dong-geun, and from India – Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar and Beni Sumer Yanthan.
Joining the exceptional line-up of international guests are some of Australia’s best known writers and thinkers, including, Miles Franklin Award winners Siang Lu and Shankari Chandran, Walkley Award- winners Jan Fran and Sarah Malik, Parwana’s Durkhanai Ayubi, award- winning filmmaker Tony Ayers and host of SBS’s Insight Kumi Taguchi.
OzAsia Festival’s Weekend of Words curator Sami Shah: “From Miles Franklin winners to TikTok journalists, from poets who riot on the page to comedians who turn trauma into punchlines; Weekend of Words is where the serious business of storytelling gets delightfully unserious.”
Tonight, the Opening Night Gala will bring together some of the sharpest creative voices to complete the sentence “…then the world got loud.” A night of noise, joy, truth and release hosted by Sami Shah, featuring Cheng Lei, Grace Yee, Sashi Perera and more.
In a special ticketed event, the much-loved and always hilarious debate returns in 2025 as The Special Comedy Comedy Special: Greatest Debate at Her Majesty’s Theatre on November 8. The debate features Michael Hing, AJ Lamarque, Alex Lee, Lawrence Leung, Sashi Perera and Kushi Venkatesh debating “the new Australian dream is never moving out.” Expect a night of real estate, rice cookers and repressed emotions, moderated by ABC Radio Adelaide’s Jason Chong.
Enjoy a great selection of free workshops at OzAsia Festival’s Weekend of Words including; Memoir Writing: Discovering the Best Way to Tell Your Story with Walkley Award-winning Australian journalist and writer Sarah Malik, Drawn to Life: A Live Drawing Workshop with manga artist Queenie Chan and webtoon creator Joo Dong-geun and The Poetic Line: A Poetry Workshop with acclaimed poet and editor Malachi Edwin Vethamani.
On Saturday and Sunday, Regattas will host Zines and Reads – a space to dive into books purchased from the Book Shop, hear live readings from Weekend of Words writers, meet new friends and get creative with local zine maker Jessica Zeng (Ban-She).
OzAsia Festival Director Joon-Yee Kwok: “As we step in to the final weekend of OzAsia Festival, I encourage everyone to head to Weekend of Words for an inspiring weekend with Asian and Asian Australian writers and thinkers. My thanks to Sami and the team for putting together such a wonderful program which encourages community and connection and amplifies exceptional voices.”
Delve into writing in all its forms, hear journalists share tools, tactics, and moments of triumph in Fake News/Real Journalism, explore the politics of food writing in Whose Recipe Is It Anyway? with local restauranteur and cookbook writer Durkhanai Ayubi. Explore the craft of character building with Some of My Best Friends Are Made Up featuring Miles Franklin Award winner Shankari Chandran.
Adelaide Festival Centre CEO Kate Gould: “OzAsia Festival’s Weekend of Words welcomes to Adelaide special guests from the Singapore Writers Festival, Ubud Writers & Readers Festival, George Town Literary Festival, India and South Korea who this year join an exceptional line-up of local writers. We invite you to bring your curiosity and step into Sami Shah’s exciting and contemporary program.”
When heading to OzAsia Festival’s Weekend of Words, bookmark a visit to the Lucky Dumpling Market for delicious food, drinks and free performances on the OzAsia Festival stage by YURA, Keenan Te and Wild Gloriosa.
OzAsia Festival’s Weekend of Words planner, maps and details available at ozasiafestival.com.au
Weekend of Words – November 7 to 9, at Adelaide Convention Centre.
The Special Comedy Comedy Special: Greatest Debate, 8 November at Her Majesty’s Theatre.
