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Q&A: Veronica Sullivan, Director of the Melbourne Writers Festival, Knows the Real Value of Art
The Australian literary fixture discusses curation as an act of creation, uncomfortable cultural conversations, and how literary fests will have to evolve because of publishing platforms like Medium
Today I’m joined by , director of the (May 8–11). It might not seem immediately obvious why I am talking to someone in charge of realizing a writers festival taking place on what is the far side of the world for most of you, but you need to trust me on this one if you’re a lover of the arts or any kind of artist at all, and if you’re reading this newsletter, I’m willing to bet you’re one or both of those.
A, she’s an Aussie like me, and I love talking about Australian culture. Contrary to what some Aussies might even try to tell you, there is a lot of it here and I’m proud to be part of this community.
B, I think this conversation has a lot to say about how festival curation is rapidly evolving in the 21st century. We also discuss changes in publishing, why we need to run back toward difficult, challenging conversations about our culture, the value of communal…