23 January, 2025
WHAT GOES ON … behind the scenes? Part 1
This week, we sit down with Liz Morgan-Jones, Festival Director ...
Interview with Liz Morgan-Jones

The Festival is just over 4 months away, but it’s only 6 weeks until the first author announcement. We’re getting excited already! So in this two-part series, we’re taking you behind the scenes to see what’s been happening at the BRWF. This week, we sit down with Liz Morgan-Jones, Festival Director, to find out how preparations are getting on for our 15th anniversary Festival, and whether she’s enjoyed any time off.
1. When does everything start to come together for the Festival?
Believe me, there is never really much of a break between festivals! With the increasing number of festivals each year, it’s much more competitive for smaller festivals, so planning for the next one starts almost immediately.
Here is a brief summary:
• August–September: The Programming Committee creates a festival ‘wish list’ for the main program, communicates with the publishing houses and sends invitations to authors.
• Schools Program: The Schools Program Coordinator puts together a schools program for the next festival, liaises with the publishing houses and sends invitations to YA authors. Schools in the Coffs Harbour, Bellingen and Nambucca Shires are then invited to participate in the BRWF Schools Program.
• September: All venues and production crews are booked and festival site requirements are organised.
• January–February: All author agreements are completed and signed. We book their airfares via Windsong Travel and arrange accommodation for the authors within Bellingen.
• February–early March: After discussions and negotiations, we finalise the program.
• March–April: Marketing increases in the lead-up to the first author announcements in March, with the full program release and ticket sales in April.
• Fringe Events: The Fringe Events Coordinator puts together a weekend program of free events prior to the program release.
• Lead-up to the Festival: We sign up volunteers, organise airport transfers for authors and arrange drivers to transport the Schools Program authors to the participating schools.
• Week before the Festival: A team of site management volunteers handles all aspects of venue setup, supplier deliveries and general logistics.
While this makes it sounds easy, there’s a lot of time and so much hard work involved!
2. What’s the most rewarding part of bringing the Festival to life each year?
For me personally, it is witnessing the culmination of a year of hard work and planning come together. There is a great sense of achievement that comes from successfully bringing an event such as the BRWF to not just the local community but a greater audience. The overwhelmingly positive feedback from our audience makes all our efforts worthwhile. It’s also truly fantastic to receive personal compliments from the attending authors on both the Festival and how well organised we are.
3. How do you feel the Festival engages with the local community?
At the heart of the Festival is a deep connection with our local community. We proudly offer a diverse lineup of authors, each sharing their unique voices and stories. Through engaging sessions and book signings, our community has the chance to connect with these authors on a personal level. Authors are accessible, often taking advantage of Bellingen’s natural beauty as well as its cafés, restaurants and entertainment venues, and are able to meet with locals, rather than being tucked away as happens at many larger festivals.
The Poetry Slam has developed into a Bellingen tradition, uniting our community in celebrating our local talent. And our popular Schools Program provides an invaluable opportunity for children of all ages to meet and be part of workshops/talks presented by an array of incredible Young Adult authors. Last year, more than 5000 students had a face-to-face encounter with an author.
4. How has the Festival evolved over the past 15 years?
From the beginning, the goal of each committee has been to bring fresh perspectives, ignite a passion for reading and foster a love of literature. Every year, the Festival has evolved based on these principles with each new committee striving to create not just a literary festival, but an event that brings everyone together.
5. What do you envision for the Festival in the future?
Beyond ongoing success, I could possibly foresee an evolution in the diversity of authors at the BRWF. Actors, like our Patron Bryan Brown, who are avid readers due to their profession, delving into novel writing. Chefs, sustainability experts, comedians, Nobel Prize winners and politicians have all found a home at the BRWF. The future of the BRWF may extend beyond being a festival of literature, becoming a festival that celebrates the written and spoken word across various fields.