At Storyfest, 2024 has been a year of incredible growth, community connection, and deepening our mission to celebrate the power of stories. From regional expansions to impactful collaborations – and a whopping 170 events delivered – we’ve been thrilled to share this journey with you.
Reaching new communities
This year, we expanded our reach like never before, bringing the magic of Storyfest to three regional locations: St George, Longreach, and Emerald. Our festivals have always been about connecting people through storytelling, and it’s been so rewarding to see communities in these regions embrace our events. Seeing children engage with authors, families dive into workshops, and everyone connect over shared narratives reminds us why we do what we do. Throughout the regional tour, we engaged with over 4000 individuals and sold in excess of 6011 tickets, which is testament to the demand we hope to meet every year.
This was our third festival in Longreach, and it’s been inspiring to watch it grow with the help of our wonderful Storyfest Out West Ambassadors, Rachelle Moore and Peta Bates, and sponsor Richard Kinnon from Outback Pioneers. Storyfest South West and Storyfest Central Queensland marked a new chapter for us, and we couldn’t be more excited about the relationships and connections we’re building there – with the help of Ewan Mitchell from GeoGlide and Melanie Mills, just to name a few.
Championing literacy
Literacy is at the heart of everything we do. With recent NAPLAN results highlighting concerning trends in Queensland’s literacy rates, we feel more committed than ever to making a difference. Through our school programs and events, we’re creating spaces where children can discover the joy of reading and the power of stories.
It’s about more than just books—it’s about building confidence, sparking creativity, and opening doors to new possibilities. Every time we see a young person light up while talking to an author or sharing their own story, we know we’re making an impact.
Celebrating First Nations voices
This year, NAIDOC Week was an important time for us to amplify First Nations voices and celebrate their storytelling traditions. We curated a list of incredible Indigenous authors and creators to follow, and their work continues to inspire us. It’s essential to us that these voices are heard, celebrated, and recognised for the richness they bring to Australia’s literary landscape.
This sentiment is further highlighted in the programming of our writers’ festivals, where we got to work with such amazing people as Uncle Billy Oui, Brendan Knight, Kiara Levinge, Kerry-Lee Thomson, Sunny Luwe, and more!
Education and creativity
Our children’s programmes are one of our favourite parts of Storyfest. Seeing young people dive into storytelling, whether through writing or performance, is endlessly inspiring. The talent we saw in this year’s storytelling competitions was phenomenal. These students remind us that the future of storytelling is bright, and we’re so proud to be a part of nurturing that.
Check out the 2024 winners of our annual Novella Writing Competition here, and our National Poetry Prize here!
A year of meaningful conversations
We’ve also had the privilege of hosting some unforgettable discussions and workshops this year. Whether it was Nat Amoore sharing her tips for creating a comic book, Mark Mathews discussing fear and everything that comes with it, or Hayley Scrivenor sharing her captivating stories, these moments brought new perspectives and sparked creativity for everyone involved.
And our conversations about unconventional storytelling mediums, like knitting, reminded us that stories aren’t just written on pages—they’re woven into every part of our lives.
Bringing stories to life in the community
Community is at the core of Storyfest, and this year we’ve found new ways to engage and inspire. Our Little Lending Library project has been one of the most joyful initiatives, creating easy access to books and encouraging a culture of sharing stories. We are proud to share that in 2024, we gave away over 8,200 books!
Online, we have interviewed some incredible authors such as Marina Kamenev and Hannah Kent. We have started a new series with people working in the publishing industry, which allows anyone to find out more about the role of different people, such as book publicists, editors, and illustrators. It’s been wonderful to share firsthand insight and knowledge with so many of you.
Looking to 2025
As we look ahead, we’re filled with excitement and gratitude. This year has reaffirmed the importance of what we do: connecting people through the power of stories. Whether we’re helping a child discover their love of reading, amplifying underrepresented voices, or building vibrant literary events in new regions, every moment has been meaningful.
Thank you for being part of the Storyfest journey. We can’t wait to see what 2025 brings and to share even more stories, laughter, and connections with you all.
Here’s to another year of celebrating storytelling together!
