Performing writers festival Story Week, presented by Word Travels, is returning to a live format (with digital elements) for 2021.
It’s the country’s annual celebration of performed writing, and it’s keen to spread fresh wings to greet audiences hungry for some meaningful, human connection.
Throughout Story Week, you can meet dozens of writers presenting spoken word, stories, lyrics, comedy and ideas. All of this can be seen in venues, on screen, in your palm, and in your hood! The festival has brought some of the world’s best performing writers to Australian audiences, and in 2021, Story Week pioneers digital literary arts, with a mix of in-person and augmented reality experiences.
“We’ve been trained for almost two years to be afraid of other humans,” Story Week and Word Travels’ Creative Director Miles Merrill says.
“Stories are how we continue to understand each other in isolation. It’s like we’ve gone into cocoons and now, by literally transforming our bodies through vaccination, we emerge, spread wings and gather. The collective noun for butterflies is: kaleidoscope. This is so celebratory. It’s the driving metaphor for Story Week.”
Wani Le Frere
There are three main elements to the 2021 programme of Story Week. ‘Caterpillar - Incubate: Coversations & Learning’, ‘Chrysalis - Create: Digital & In-Person Experiences’, and ‘Kaleidoscope - Celebrate: Poetry Slams & Hybrid Performances’.
Experiences include Story Walk, a curated talk and walk with a TedX Sydney storyteller, a star poet, or a neighbour with deep knowledge of ornithology; Stop Money, where you can point your phone camera at a Stop sign and poetry will appear, or point your phone camera at a $10 note and First Nations poets will appear to share their verses; Home Delivery, where a live performing writer can be delivered to your front door; 12 Cocoons, dedicated to those who faced tough COVID lockdowns in Sydney and featuring writers from 12 of the suburbs sending in poems and stories; and Sto-Re-Mi, a fundraiser asking parents and guardians to pledge how many original bedtime stories and songs they can share with their kids in a week.
Story Week is on from 22-28 November at venues, Stop signs, suburbs and online across Australia and the world.
