In 2016 I was a guest of the Ignite Your Mind Burdekin Readers and Writers Festival. In a few days I met a broad cross-section of local residents and several hundred local school students. These readers, young and old, embraced everything I offered them to enrich their reading and writing. In return they gave me numerous insights into many aspects of life in the Burdekin region, insights which have already found their way into my latest books, and which will continue to do so in the future.

The Ignite Your Mind Burdekin Readers and Writers Festival was one of the friendliest, best-organised and most mutually-beneficial literary festivals I’ve ever been a part of.

Morris Gleitzman – Contributing Author

“From the start, the team behind the Ignite Your Mind Burdekin Readers and Writers Festival have got a great deal right. At the first festival, attending writers were unanimous in feeling that this was a festival that was well organised and running smoothly, with none of the usual challenges of a festival finding its feet. The second festival continued the high standard.”

Nick Earls – Contributing Author

‘Ignite Your Mind 2015 was a fabulous festival to be a part of. This was a ‘readers festival’ in the truest sense, with a fascinating weekend program that included a mix of well-known authors as well as great entertainment. The intimacy of the event allowed a level of contact between writers and readers not possible at larger festivals and of course the famed Burdekin hospitality added to an unforgettable experience.’

Nicole Alexander – 2015 Contributing Author

“My experience of the Burdekin Readers and Writers Festival was a moving one.
People at panels were open and intimately involved with the ideas behind books, with the writers who wrote them. Remote or rural Australians often miss out on experiences common to city dwellers, and everyone who attended the festival who I personally spoke to enjoyed the festival, and felt inspired or moved by it in some way. Fran Whiting in particular was clearly loved by her audience- it was very moving to see.”

Susan Johnson – Contributing Author 2016

Having been a visiting writer at the Ignite Your Mind Festival, I have to say I was quite astonished by the fervour of the audiences to which I spoke.

The audiences ranged from primary school children through secondary school students to adults, and represented remarkably diverse backgrounds. In particular I was struck by the number of farmers who came to sessions, along with unemployed people, a couple of doctors, housewives, shop assistants and so on. Not surprisingly, a number of teachers attended, and they stood out as particularly eager to learn about new approaches to literature, writing, reading and literacy, and the new understandings they were able to gain from my distinguished colleagues, including in-demand authors like Morris Gleitzman and Nick Earls.

John Marsden – Contributing Author

It was writer, Nick Earls’ twitter feed that got us to the Burdekin. The tweet, which appeared in his timeline in about April, said something like this:
“It’s confirmed! Going to the Burdekin Readers and Writers Festival. Ignite your mind!”

We travelled from NSW to attend the Burdekin Readers and Writers Festival, and found it well worth the trip. We thoroughly enjoyed interacting with the impressive line-up of Australian authors, through interviews, panels, and even some shared meals – all in a friendly, relaxed environment. The people of the Burdekin have made this festival unique by infusing it with their own brand of hospitality and their immense enthusiasm for books and writing. We would highly recommend the event as a both a window into a fascinating region and a boost to your creative life.

Ruth Armstrong, Sydney
Helen Fielder-Gill, Newcastle