Corrugated Lines: what you need to know ahead of Broome’s biggest annual writers’ festival

Celebrating its tenth year running, Broome’s biggest writers’ festival is back for 2021, with a variety of wordy workshops, performances and stalls popping up across town.

The 2021 Corrugated Lines: A Festival of Words will be held from July 30 to August 1, celebrating Broome and the wider region’s wealth of talent in authors, illustrators and storytellers.

This year’s festivities will see art installations, writing workshops, language lessons, film screenings, musical performances and story time sessions paint the town with culture and fun.

The festival will welcome more than 25 guests, including distinguished authors, poets, educators, researchers, filmmakers and playwrights.

With ties to the Kimberley, one special guest speaker, Elfie Shiosaki, is a Yawuru and Noongar writer who lectures in Indigenous Rights at the University of Western Australia.

Magabala Books Aboriginal Corporation project officer Kate Rendell said the festival celebrated the rich culture of the Kimberley.

“The Kimberley is such a rich place for storytelling and the festival creates the opportunity to celebrate that with locals and visitors alike,” she said.

“There is a real exchange that happens between creators and it’s special to share that with people.”

Ms Rendell encouraged people to attend the festival hub event at Goolarri on Saturday, July 31.

“We’re setting up a festival hub which will have food trucks, activities for kids, book stalls, an open mic night and a live performance from Stephen Pigram,” she said.

“Most events are free but we encourage people to register for some of the workshops such as the lyric writing or the book illustration to secure their spot.”

Celebrating its tenth year, the festival opening will feature a tribute to its history, traditional smoking ceremony and ghost storytelling with Broome locals.

Some guests will not be able to attend because of COVID restrictions, including Flip Prior, Estelle Blackburn and the morning tea event with Blackfulla Bookclub.

But the schedule remains jam packed, with events cancelled due to last year’s restrictions carried over. The festival will take place at Broome Public Library, Broome Circle, Goolarri, the Heritage Centre, Little Local, Mangrove Hotel and Pearl Luggers.