Each year, thousands of writers and readers come together for the annual Sydney Writers’ Festival.

Debut authors from Australia and around the world share and celebrate their work in public for the first time, in front of audiences of more than 80,000. Readers line up for hours to get books signed by authors they have long revered and adored as well as writers they have just encountered for the first time. 

Gleebooks, our longstanding Festival bookseller, sells more than 16,000 books.

Throughout Festival week, conversations that begin on our Festival stages carry on and are debated by audience members as they line up for coffee or stay late into the night for a drink after the last event. Our three unique education programs provide more than 7,000 school students with access to some of the world’s most exciting authors, thinkers and storytellers.

Our Festival is also a chance for writers to meet their heroes and make professional connections that shape and inspire the next stage of their careers. 

We were heartbroken that readers and writers were unable to come together this year. 

We have been devastated by the impacts of Covid-19 on our industry, our friends and the writers scheduled to appear at the 2020 Sydney Writers’ Festival. Like many other arts organisations, the cancellation of our Festival has put us in a perilous financial situation, not only for this year but beyond.  

While we’re so grateful for the support of our Patrons and for government grant support, we stand to lose up to 70% of our income this year. We are turning to you, our valued community, to help us in this moment of great need.

MAKE A DONATION 

We are aiming to raise $250,000, a modest target compared to the $1.5 million we’ve lost in ticket revenue, but funds that will greatly assist us to navigate the critical months ahead. We know this is an extraordinarily difficult time for everybody, but we ask that you consider a donation to help safeguard the future of the Festival. Whatever you can give, will make a big difference. Please know that every donation will help us present the 2021 Sydney Writers’ Festival. 

As a not-for-profit organisation and a registered charity, your donation of $2 or more is fully tax-deductible, and gifts of $1,000 or more qualify for membership to our Patron Program, unlocking a suite of exclusive Patron benefits. If you have any questions about your support, please email [email protected].

With your help, I hope that in one year’s time we’re all back at the Festival, side by side, listening to exceptional storytellers, inspiring readers and celebrating writers. 

Thank you, 

Michaela McGuire 
Artistic Director 

Thank You! 

The Sydney Writers’ Festival is moved by the enormous generosity of the following individuals who have supported this fundraising campaign, and the many others who have donated back the value of their tickets to our cancelled 2020 events. Thank you. 

Anonymous [15], Nicole Abadee, Chantal Abouchar, Joel Abrahamsohn, Kribo Ackerman, Thembi K. Ackerman, Alison Aitken, Jane Allen, Rosemary A. Allison, Zohra Aly, Kim Anderson, Gregory Andrews, Cecile Atkins, Margaret Baird, Sally Baker, Ian Balcomb, Alexandra Ball, Susie Bardwell, David Barnard, Catriona Barry, Caroline Baum, Hannah Bender, Tegan Bennett Daylight, Vahida Berberovic, Judith A. Betts, Brenda Billingsley, Kirsten Black, Jessica Block, Rosie Block, Catherine J. Bloor, Emily Booth, James Bradley, Julia Braguina, Bernadette Brennan, Sean Brennan, Fiona Brown, Lorraine Brown, Emily Buchanan, Caroline E. Buman, Mary Ellen Burke, Alice Burton, Genevieve Buzo, Katarina Byrne, Linda Callaghan, Liliana Capacchione, Breda Carty, Lucinda Castaldi, Belinda Castles, Julie Catt, Melissa Catt, Vanessa Cavasinni, Louise Chain, Margie Chellew, Candace Chidiac, Lucy and Stephen Chipkin, Cassie Chorn, Lauren Circosta, Julia Clark, Sue K. Clark, Brenda Cleaver, Emily Close, Lyn Cobb, Cynthia Coghill, Judge Richard Cogswell, Pamela Cohen, Margaret Cole, Pam Connor, Tom Conroy, Louise Cornege, Annabel Crabb, Carol Crawford, Helen Dalsto, Johanna M. Dalton, Meryl David, Lee Delahay, Joanne Donnelly, Lauren Drake, Teresa Drapalski, Lauren Draper, Roxanne Dunkel, Sarah Dunn, Nita Durham, Kristen Durran, Catherine Eddy, Sara Edson, Rosalind Ellis, Kerry Elphick, Laura Elvery, Julia Faragher, Damien M. Farrell, Mandy Farrugia, Sonya Fearby, Anna Featherstone, Luke Flanagan, Matthew Floro, Ruth Fogarty, Kimberley Freed, Peter Friend, Dorothea Gallacher, Mary L. Gardam, Mary Gardiner, Jillian Gardner, Jo Gardner, Laurie Geddes, Anne Gibbins, Julie Gifford, Ian Gilmour, Lillian Gin, Kari Gislason, Chris Golding, Katherine Gordon, Adrienne Gorra, Carolyn Gould, Christine Green, Rosie Williams and John Grill AO on behalf of the Serpentine Foundation, Chloe Groom, Christine Groves, Lorne Gruenewald, Jenna Guillaume, Marguerite Haertsch, Richard Hall, Martin Halliday, Lara Hancock, Victoria Hannan, Jill Hardwick, Judi Hausmann, Gabrielle Hewison, Alyson Hickey, Annette Hillman, Fiona Hobbs, Sally Hodson, Aly Howard, Rebekah Hunter, Catherine Huntington, Bill Ilkovski, Alison Ireland, Kaavya Jaishankar, Elizabeth A. Jenkins, T Kaley, Andrew Silberberg and Michelle Katz, Rebecca Kelly, Margie Kirkness, Yvonne Korn, Svetlana Kotevska, Ines Krass, Dorit Krawitz, Marita Lacota, Rob Landsberry, Melissa Lane, In loving memory of Shirley Lang, Nicole Langford, Gina Laverone, Benjamin Law, Rachel Lawrence, Suzanne Leal, Adrian Lee, Beth Lee, Jody Lee, Harriet Leigh, Dale Levett, Helen Lindner PHD, Teresa Llewellyn-Evans, Melody Lord, Paris Lord, Alison lowe, Susie Lowy, Shirley Lu, Penelope Lucas, Michelle Lynn, Vicki Mack, Lesley MacLennan, Sarah Magarey, Gayle Malcolm, Judith A. Manion and Peter Dickerson, Mark Marusic, Kiran Mastapha, Celia May, Lin Mcclintock, Kirsten McDonald, Lisa McDowell, Sean McElvogue, Jennifer McGrath, Paula McLean, David B. McMillan, Catriona Menzies-Pike, James Merrington, Sue Mirow, Paul Molloy, Kate Morris, George Morstyn PHD, Georgie Mulcahy, Gabriele Munro, Cynthia Nadai, Penny Neale, Noreen Newton, Liz Nield, Tara Nielsen, Carolyn Noble, Christina Norman, Melanie Nugara, Deirdre OBrien, Catriona and Brendan O'Connor, Gemma O'Donoghue, Lara O'Donoghue, Monique Olgers, Matthew O'Rourke, Shona Parker, Julie Patterson, Gillian Pearl, Gareth Peterson, Laura Pettenuzzo, Lindsay Piacentini, Chris Pollitt, Rachel Pont, Rosie Rae, Clint Rafaud, Ashley Rambukwella, Karen Rawsthorne, Anne C. Rees, Graham Rees, Andrew Refshauge, Debra Reinecke, Viktoria Rendes, Annabel Ritchie, Bianca Nogrady, Heather Rose, Natalie Ross, John Rouse, Lyndal and Colin Russell, Alyce Ryan, Angela Ryan, Kate Ryan, Penny Ryan, Nicole Sabbadin, Rose Saltman, Thomas Saras, Alison Savage, Niki Savva, Heval Sayan, Elfy Scott, Lucienne Scott, Louise Sharp, Jonathan Shaw, Sue Shute, Tilda Sikes, Ramona Singh, Anne Skinner, Vivienne Skinner, Kerry M. Smyth, Alexandra Somerville, Frederick M. South, Kate Steinweg, Anna Stelter, Aveen and Ashley Stephenson, Russell Stewart, Madeleine Streater, Suzy and Ben Strout, Jarrod Sturnieks, Margaret E. Suda, Marjorie Sutcliffe, Jennifer R. Symons, Christina M. Thomas, Marita A. Thomson, Amanda Tobias, Laraine Toms, Jill Toogood, Monica Toohey, Eleni Tsakiris, Lauren Vassallo, Susan Walder, Alex Warner, Anne M. Webb, Jillian Wheeldon, Tony Wheeler, Jessica White, Wildflowers, Graham S. Wilson, Kaya M. Wilson, Nicole Wilson, Sally Wilson, Jo Wilton, Penny Win, Professor Marilyn Wise, Shannon Wiseman, Emily Witt, Margaret C. Witts, Su-Ming Wong, Christine Woodlands, Manuela Zappacosta, Sue Zeckendorf, Amy Ziebell