‘We dodged a bullet, but of course it circled back around’: literary festivals look beyond lockdown
Covid-19 forced many Australian writers’ festivals to cancel live events and head online. As restrictions ease, some changes may have a longer shelf life
When Sydney writers’ festival was forced to suspend its 2020 program just hours after tickets went on sale in March, it became the first of many local literary festivals and writers’ centres to battle distance, timezones and Australian internet connections to link housebound authors and audiences via podcasts and webcams.
As restrictions lift, many organisers have been quick to re-centre live programming. But somewhere between socially distanced book signings, contact tracing and a well-sanitised audience microphone, comes an acknowledgement that these festivals may never quite be the same.
Read the original article at The Guardian