Free online workshops from Byron Writers Festival are being made available to teachers and children at local primary and secondary schools this year.

The annual Schools Programs are going online this August due to Covid restrictions cancelling the annual gathering. But that doesn’t stop Australia’s writers and thinkers being streamed on-demand into classrooms. 

Interested teachers need to register at byronwritersfestival.com/primary-schools or byronwritersfestival.com/secondary-schools to access the free programs.

Byron Writers Festival director Edwina Johnson said she was pleased to present the online programs free of charge thanks to the support of both Southern Cross University (SCU) and The Copyright Agency’s Cultural Fund.

SCU School of Education Dean Professor Amy Cutter-Mackenzie-Knowles said for the first time, teachers will be given resources to support student learning during these sessions.

“This includes a selection of teacher’s notes, videos, podcasts and classroom activities curated by academics from SCU,” she said.

The Secondary Schools program invites students to explore their unique writing style and voice with Christos Tsiolkas (The Slap, Damascus), discover the stories behind the songs with musician and writer Clare Bowditch (Your Own Kind of Girl) and be inspired by former Socceroos captain Craig Foster (Fighting for Hakeem) who is now an Ambassador for Human Rights and Refugees with Amnesty Australia. 

The Secondary Schools program also includes engaging sessions with former Triple J presenter, comedian and writer Matt Okine (Being Black ‘N Chicken, & Chips), teen novelist Vivian Pham (The Coconut Children), award-winning writer and poet Ellen van Neerven (Comfort Food, Throat) and LGBTIQ rights activist, writer and Executive Director at change.org, Sally Rugg (How Powerful We Are). 

These topical, enthralling conversations are exclusive to Byron Writers Festival and facilitated by authors Sunil Badami, Zacharey Jane, Benjamin Law, Maeve Marsden and Story Factory executive director Cath Keenan.

Primary School students will be inspired and entertained by best-selling author of funny books for kids Tristan Bancks (Nit Boy, Tom Weekly series), beloved children’s author Felice Arena (The Boy and the Spy, Fearless Fredric, A Great Escape), celebrated climate-change trilogy author Deborah Abela (Grimsdon, New City and Final Storm), award-winning children's author, poet and NSW Aboriginal Woman of the Year Kirli Saunders (The Incredible Freedom Machines, Kindred) and author and illustrator Dub Leffler (Once There was a Boy and Sorry Day with Coral Vass). 

Registration and more info at: 

(Primary Schools) www.byronwritersfestival.com/primary-schools/ 

(Secondary Schools) www.byronwritersfestival.com/secondary-schools/