Blue Mountains Writers Festival partners with Blue Mountains City Council on new Schools Program
This year, Varuna and the Blue Mountains Writers’ Festival are proud to partner with Blue Mountains City Council to present an exciting Schools Program at four local public high schools, two free creative writing workshops for young people at the Festival, and a panel event in the main program, Literary Futures, all delivered as part of the Council’s Safe to Be: In Our Community campaign.
This campaign has been launched with the support of funding secured through NSW State Government’s NSW Social Cohesion Grants for Local Government to identify social cohesion opportunities and challenges in local communities and support councils and their community partners to deliver innovative solutions.
In the lead up to the 2025 Blue Mountains Writers’ Festival, eight celebrated writers and creatives will visit Katoomba High School, Springwood High School, Blaxland High School and Winmalee High School to talk expression, respect, identity, the power of story, and building careers and community through writing.
The Blue Mountains Writers’ Festival team has curated three 45-minute sessions which the four high schools can offer to any cohort of students:
Express Yourself features writer and poet Vivian Pham, hip hop artist Nick Solo, slam poet and teacher Emilie Zoey Baker to discuss how their chosen artforms are used to express their experiences and emotions to tell their stories.
Power of Story features writer and educator Nevo Zisin as they discuss with authors Jasmin McGaughey and Jumaana Abdu about the incredible power of storytelling to build empathy and understanding of the world around us.
From the Mountains to the World: Community and Careers features author and teacher Tegan Bennett Daylight and artist and illustrator Bill Hope who will each share insights about their lives as Blue Mountains creatives and the careers they’ve shaped.
The main Festival program will also include free workshops and a creative panel dedicated to teenagers and young adults, including a slam poetry workshop with Emilie Zoey Baker, a writing workshop with author Vivian Pham and a Literary Futures panel with authors Jumaana Abdu, Jasmin McGaughey, Bill Hope and Nevo Zisin that invites the audience to find out what it really takes to break into the creative industry when you’re still finding your voice, and how writing can build connection in a shifting world.
Find out more about the Schools program and Blue Mountains City Council’s Safe to Be campaign
Read more about NSW Social Cohesion Grants for Local Government
Visit the Blue Mountains Writers’ Festival website
