Adelaide Festival appoints new Writers' Week director in wake of crisis

Adelaide Festival has appointed Rosemarie Milsom as the new director of its prestigious Writers' Week, a move that signals a fresh start after a tumultuous period. Milsom, who previously founded and directed the Newcastle Writers' Festival, expressed optimism that "really important lessons have been learned" following the implosion of this year's event. Her appointment, for a three-year term, comes with the assurance of curatorial independence, a crucial factor for her in accepting the role.

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When I applied for the job, one of my core questions was: Do you have a policy of curatorial independence? That was assured.

The crisis that rocked this year's Adelaide Writers' Week stemmed from the former festival board's decision to cancel Palestinian-Australian author Randa Abdel-Fattah's appearance. This decision, influenced by controversial past comments she made about Israel and Zionism, triggered a mass boycott by writers and ultimately led to the cancellation of the entire festival, along with the resignation and replacement of the board.

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It's [Adelaide Writers' Week] got a long legacy, it's much-loved and this year was regrettable, but it doesn't represent that long history.

Milsom described the fallout as "disappointing," "unfortunate," and "regrettable" but conveyed confidence in the new Adelaide Festival board's direction. She emphasized the long legacy and beloved status of Adelaide Writers' Week, stating that the past year's events do not represent its history. Her goal is to help repair the damage and move forward, hoping that the painful lessons from this episode will guide future decisions.

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I wanted to help repair what has happened and move on. Hopefully now … really important lessons have been learned.

The article also touches upon the external pressures Milsom faced previously at the Newcastle Writers' Festival, where she was pressured to remove authors. She views such pressure and the subsequent discarding of artists as a "slippery slope." This stance suggests a commitment to artistic freedom and a resistance to censorship, which will be a key aspect of her leadership in Adelaide.

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The idea that you discard an artist because of that pressure and because of that scrutiny, I think it's a slippery slope.