POETRY   |   MUSIC   |   FOOD

A sensory feast of community and beyond.
Come dip into the warmth of Words in Winter

Hot off the press! Here’s our 2023 programme featuring
Jon Faine, Marieke Hardy, Alicia Sometimes, Erin Reilly, Sean M Whelan, Shalini Kunahlan, Petrus Spronk, Rebecca Lister and many more…

Clever Town Crossword Challenge
Clever Town Crossword Challenge
Saturday 12 August
10:00 am
U3A-Schools Morning Tea Readings
U3A-Schools Morning Tea Readings
Friday 25 August
10:00 am
Poetry Popups
Poetry Popups
Friday 25 August
12:00 pm
Bird songs & Stories / Kids Event
Bird songs & Stories / Kids Event
Friday 25 August
1:00 pm
Shadow Puppetry Performances
Shadow Puppetry Performances
Friday 25 August
1:00 pm
Ordinary Objects, Extraordinary Stories @ Creswick Courthouse
Ordinary Objects, Extraordinary Stories @ Creswick Courthouse
Friday 25 August
1:00 pm
Erin Riley
Erin Riley
Friday 25 August
4:00 pm
Festival Launch. Wear it Purple Day
Festival Launch. Wear it Purple Day
Friday 25 August
5:00 pm
Maia vs Petrus
Maia vs Petrus
Friday 25 August
7:30 pm
Women to the Front panel
Women to the Front panel
Saturday 26 August
10:00 am
The Spirit of the Books
The Spirit of the Books
Saturday 26 August
10:00 am
Puppetry Workshop - Georgie Rose
Puppetry Workshop - Georgie Rose
Saturday 26 August
10:30 am
Oscar Wilde / Dorian Grey
Oscar Wilde / Dorian Grey
Saturday 26 August
11:00 am
Fireside Funeral Chat hosted by Beverly Risstrom
Fireside Funeral Chat hosted by Beverly Risstrom
Saturday 26 August
12:00 pm
Poetry Readings with Anne Gleeson
Poetry Readings with Anne Gleeson
Saturday 26 August
1:00 pm
Stephanie Powell
Stephanie Powell
Saturday 26 August
1:30 pm
Grief Pilgrimage, in the Shadows too Long with Di Percy
Grief Pilgrimage, in the Shadows too Long with Di Percy
Saturday 26 August
2:00 pm
The Art of Co-Writing
The Art of Co-Writing
Saturday 26 August
2:00 pm
Australian Outback Noir
Australian Outback Noir
Saturday 26 August
2:45 pm
The Day the School Went Under
The Day the School Went Under
Saturday 26 August
3:00 pm
Dead Poets Society
Dead Poets Society
Saturday 26 August
4:00 pm
Words in Winter Festival Gala at the Palais-Hepburn with guest speaker Jon Faine
Words in Winter Festival Gala at the Palais-Hepburn with guest speaker Jon Faine
Saturday 26 August
6:00 pm
Good Storytelling: Write Under Your Nose – with Mark Dickenson
Good Storytelling: Write Under Your Nose – with Mark Dickenson
Sunday 27 August
10:00 am
Social Justice workshop with Jade Rosina McCutcheon
Social Justice workshop with Jade Rosina McCutcheon
Sunday 27 August
12:30 pm
Daylesford Writers - Live & Reading
Daylesford Writers - Live & Reading
Sunday 27 August
2:00 pm
Stories & Music Around the Hearth
Stories & Music Around the Hearth
Sunday 27 August
2:00 pm
On The Couch with Beck Lister
On The Couch with Beck Lister
Sunday 27 August
3:30 pm
Venie Holmgren Environmental Poetry Prize announcement & closing drinks
Venie Holmgren Environmental Poetry Prize announcement & closing drinks
Sunday 27 August
5:00 pm
Book Ball
Book Ball
Saturday 16 September
6:00 pm

Words in Winter 

Words in Winter is a literary and arts festival held in August in the Hepburn Shire and surrounding districts. Words in Winter is a celebration of words, stories and ideas in all their forms shared by locals and visiting presenters through readings, poetry, theatre, music, talks, workshops, visiting authors, and exhibitions.
You can find out more about the festival here

Cover image by Kim Percy @kimpercy

Previous Festival Highlights

“We live by stories. It’s the principle by which we organize our experience and thus derive our sense of who we are. ”

Tobias Wolf

Words in Winter is an annual literary and arts festival held in August each year in the Hepburn Shire and surrounding districts.