In seven short years the Emerging Writers’ Festival has grown from a small day-long zine fair to a ten-day multi-event festival for writers. Our festival seeks to celebrate and interrogate the business of writing, bringing together emerging writers of all ages, working across forms, styles and genres.

Because we’re serious about writing, we are one of the few emerging writers’ festivals to pay all festival contributors for their work. $75. It’s our flat fee. Whether it’s their very first festival or one in a string of literary appearances, $75 it is what the Emerging Writers’ Festival pays our artists to speak, perform or be a public part of our official program.

We’d like to continue doing this. In dire economic times, we’d particularly like to buck the trend of cutting back on artists’ fees.  So we’re looking for festival Pen Pals – generous people to help develop the career of an emerging writer.

For a fully tax deductible investment of $75 you can become a Pen Pal of the 2010 Emerging Writers’ Festival. Your contribution will cover the artists’ fees for an emerging writer to appear in what may well be their first, career-launching literary event.

As well as bathing in the warm glow that comes when you make a very real difference to the Emerging Writers’ Festival and to our writers, as a Pen Pal you’ll receive the following benefits:

1. An Invitation to the 2011 Hidden Word Event
This is the exclusive Festival’s artists’ party for interstate and Victorian guests to meet and mingle. Low-key but high-profile, the Hidden Word is not advertised and is not open to general public. At this event you will be able to meet the writer you sponsored. You can’t take them home though.

2. Acknowledgment
Pen Pals will be acknowledged in the Festival program and on our web site. You will also be thanked in person at your writer’s event, whether that’s a panel, performance or reading.

3. Tax Deduction
Your investment in the Emerging Writers’ Festival is a fully tax deductible donation and will work for you when the tax man calls.

We know that $75 is a considerable amount of money, but for one of our writers it may be the kick off to the next stage of their career. Your investment will help us to offer the most promising emerging writers – whatever their background, medium or form – the opportunity to connect with the inspiring group of peers, publishers, editors and other literary professionals who come to our Festival.

If you are interested in being a Pen Pal please email [email protected].

With thanks to our 2010 Festival Pen Pals…

With thanks to our 2010 festival Pen Pals for supporting our emerging writers…. Bendigo Writers’ Council, Tansy Bradshaw, Jen Breach, Vivienne Corcoran, Corie Cross, Annie Drum, Catherine Deveny, Jason Ensor, Caroline Hamilton, David Hibbins, Tim Hughes, Andee Jones, Jordi Kerr, Emily Sexton, Wanda Stelmach, Alexander Stratton-Funk, Adeline Teoh, Meg Upton, Owen Vandenberg  and Angela Woods.