The festival, which showcases the cutting edge of contemporary writing, will run from Friday to Sunday, September 13-15, as writers aged 15-35 years flock to Ōtepoti Dunedin to strut their stuff.
Produced by the Ōtepoti Dunedin Fringe Arts Trust, the NZYWF is overseen by co-directors Kate Schrader and Ruth Harvey, with support from top-notch staff including kaupapa Maori liaison Jessica Sutherland-Latton.
"People who come along to the festival can expect lively performances, powerful panel discussions and immersive workshops — all free," Ms Schrader said.
"One thing that we want Dunedin audiences to understand is that the events are for everybody — from curious young minds, to art and literature loving adults.
"It is a wonderful change for people to develop their enthusiasm for new literary voices, and there are so many great topics."
Ms Harvey said the festival would also celebrate 10 years as the country’s only literary festival curated for young writers, following the vision of founders Aaron Hawkins and Josh Thomas.
NZYWF had always been free to attend because the founders were clear on one thing — "we don’t believe the value of your voice in your community should be dictated by the size of your wallet".
"If we want to be telling our stories, we need to enable as many storytellers as possible.
"At our opening event, we will acknowledge that whakapapa with speeches from Josh and Aaron," she said.
Among the many highlights of the festival will be the chance to enjoy minorities behaving badly in Nathan Joe’s previously sold-out show Dirty Passports, perform your own poetry onstage in Motif’s Slam Poetry Competition, and celebrate the Dunedin Sound in a mix of poetry and music in The Remix with Tate Fountain.
The festival will also explore how to engage young minds in activism with NZYWF 2024 guest curator Ruby Macomber and discover how to take the next step with playwright and journalist Sam Brooks.
Macomber said, “My curatorship for this year’s festival hopes to honour the various ways we arrive on the page, stage and screen: the big feelings, the villages beside us, the narratives passed and those that will persist long after us.”
Ms Harvey said the festival’s goal was " to create intentional space for writers from a variety of cultural backgrounds and gender identities".
"I’m so proud of this year’s programme, and the creative young minds that have put it together.”
Ms Schrader said the NZYWF featured immersive workshops for rangatahi, including Show Ponies’ "Pony Camp" event.
After a sell-out event at the 2022 festival, poet and author Freya Daly Sadgrove returns to nurture a new stable of young writer "ponies".
Daly Sadgrove will lead 15 young people over two days in creating a unique devised work that will be performed as part of the festival.
The printed festival programme has been released, and the programme and bookings can be found at https://youngwritersfest.nz/
