Everyone’s story is unique. The Nillumbik Festival of Stories is a chance to participate in a multifaceted event with storytellers from across the Nillumbik Shire using poetry, memoir, fiction, song writing, storytelling as a vehicle to showcase their talent. The event is a celebration of the creativity which resides in our midst. Find your voice and hear the voices of others – from established writers and from others who are on their journey – as you engage with, or explore, the festival’s offerings.
FULL PROGRAM:
Thursday 1st May
First Stories from First Nations documentary screening
Friday 2nd May
Nillumbik Songwriters Night
Saturday 3rd May
Memoir workshop
Interactive history tour
AI panel
Trivia Night
Sunday 4th May
Creative writing with harp music
Christmas Hills orchestra and poetry
Kids Storytime
Tween/ teen zines
Rap for Beginners
Skit Night
THROUGHOUT FESTIVAL
Pop-up Shop
Allwood Neighbourhood House foyer
During the Festival, a pop-up shop will operate in the foyer of Allwood Neighbourhood House. The works of local Nillumbik writers and musicians will be on display and available for sale. This is a great chance to get to know and support local talent.
If you would like to have your work/s featured, please contact us and let us know the title/s, type of merchandise, how many copies you will supply, and when you (or a nominated friend/ family member) can help out with the store across the weekend of the Festival (1st-4th May).
The store will be operated by volunteers and supported by Festival of Stories and Allwood Neighbourhood House staff. Once confirmed, sales will be made through Allwood House cash/ EFTPOS machine and reimbursed to each author/ artist after the pop-up shop wraps up.
Silent Reading
Allwood Neighbourhood House gardens
Throughout the Festival of Stories, there will be a quiet reading space set up in the gardens of Allwood Neighbourhood House. A one hour session on Saturday 3rd May, 3-4pm in the afternoon is an invitation to people who would like to come and enjoy a companionable silence, reading together in a quiet space, that is open to all. Bring your own book or choose from our free library, bring a rug or cushion, and enjoy the peace of this calm chill out space
FRIDAY 2ND MAY
Nillumbik Songwriters Night
6:00 – 9:00pm, Allwood Neighbourhood House Gardens, FREE
An evening for emerging artists to showcase their works, emceed and recorded by 88.6 Plenty Valley FM.
Local artists with a connection to Nillumbik were given the chance to be part of the set list for the evening. All songwriters will be interviewed and broadcast on 88.6 Plenty Valley FM. Click here for more information on the songwriters.
We are thrilled to be supported by Phoenix Sound Studios, a state-of-the-art recording studio, that will be presenting a stand-out songwriter on the night 1.5 hours of recording time!
This is a free event, but please book tickets here so we can track attendees in case of venue constraints.
Bring along a picnic and enjoy an evening of local entertainment in the Allwood Neighbourhood House Gardens, 901 Main Road Hurstbridge (main entry and carpark via Arthurs Creek Road).
SATURDAY 3RD MAY
Why Tell Your Story? To Memoir or Not to Memoir?
10 – 11:30am, Hurstbridge Uniting Church, FREE
To memoir or not to Memoir? will take people into the heart of storytelling. Memoir is the ultimate form of sharing your story, understanding who you are, and forming connections with readers and neighbours and strangers. But why do we need/ want to tell our stories? We will explore this and more in this practical memoir writing workshop, facilitated by local writers, Sandy Jeffs and Sabi Buehler.
Sandy Jeffs OAM was diagnosed with schizophrenia in 1976 when it was considered something from which you could not recover. In the 1980s, she was among the first wave of people who started speaking publicly about living with a mental illness. Much of her writing has been about her struggle with schizophrenia. Sandy has published 8 volumes of poetry and her memoir Flying with Paper Wings: Reflections on Living with Madness that was republished March 2024. Sandy co-authored with Margaret Leggatt, Out of the Madhouse: From Asylums to Caring Community? that won the oral history prize at the 2020 Victorian Community History Awards. Her most recent books are: The Poetics of a Plague: A Haiku Diary, about the 2020-21 COVID-19 Pandemic published in 2021 and The Birds of Eltham with photographer Tony Robinson published in 2022.
Sabi Buehler is a retired teacher of both children and adults. Since retirement she was instrumental in starting the Nillumbik U3A and has written two books, A Life in Two Suitcases and Slaying Dragons All on my Own.
Bridging the Century – Hurstbridge Village, 1890-1920
11:00 – 1:00pm, interactive walking tour, meet in Allwood Neighbourhood House Gardens, FREE
Join a lively tour of the Main Street of Hurstbridge with Allwood House historian, David Kerrigan and members of the Hurstbridge Artists Guild (HAGS) to tell you a few tongue in cheek tales and bring the 1920s to life!
Muse in the Machine: On Creativity and Artificial Intelligence
1:00 – 2:30pm, Hurstbridge Uniting Church, $10
What happens when creative minds mesh with artificial intelligence? Hear from four established practitioners about their experiences of AI in our rapidly changing landscape, from inspiration, experiments, development and editing to the ethical challenges of copyright.
Come and listen to a panel of four experts on this topic, including Judith Bishop, Kelly Gardiner, Kate Mildenhall, Sharon Mullins.
Judith Bishop is an award-winning poet and linguist who stumbled into the AI data industry by chance and stayed for almost two decades. Her latest poetry collection is Circadia (UQP, 2024). Now an academic researcher, Judith has generated a dataset of AI versions of poems by Emily Dickinson and is writing a creative nonfiction book on AI and human data.
Kelly Gardiner writes historical fiction, fantasy, and crime fiction for all ages. Her new novel, Miss Caroline Bingley, Private Detective, is inspired by Jane Austen and co-authored with Sharmini Kumar. Kelly’s recent series is The Firewatcher Chronicles, and her other books include 1917; Act of Faith and The Sultan’s Eyes; and the Swashbuckler pirate trilogy. Goddess, her novel based on the life of the seventeenth-century opera star, Mademoiselle de Maupin, is being adapted for the screen. Kelly taught creative writing at La Trobe University for many years and is Deputy Chair of the Australian Society of Authors.
Kate Mildenhall is an author, writing teacher and podcaster. She has published a picture book and three novels, the most recent The Hummingbird Effect (2023), shortlisted for the ABIA Literary Fiction Book of the Year and longlisted for the Stella Prize and the Indie Book Awards Fiction, 2024, explores the consequences of technological advances including the impact of AI. She wrote the AI sections of this novel with the aid of ChatGPT.
Sharon Mullins is an editor and copywriter with a career spanning scholarly, trade and digital publishing, as well as corporate communications in the library sector. She currently teaches editing and publishing studies at the University of Melbourne in the School of Culture and Communications. Sharon is chair of IPEd’s working group on AI and part of a cross-institutional academic research group investigating the possibilities and pitfalls of using generative AI as an editing tool.
Trivia Night – Literary Theme with Cabaret Flair
7:00pm – 9:00pm, Bridges Restaurant, $5 per person
Gather your family and friends together for a night of fun literary trivia! Win drinks and other local prizes and enjoy live entertainment with emcees, Fee Sievers and Brent Ditchfield, of Eltham Platform Poets fame.
There will be 12 tables of 8 people on the night – get a group of friends together or join a table to meet new people. And of course, dress up in your Cabaret finest if you wish!
SUNDAY 4TH MAY
Step Into Creative Writing
10:30am – 12:00pm, Hurstbridge Hub, FREE
This workshop is suited to beginners/ writers looking for different ways to step into creative writing of any format. In an ‘accessible to all approach’, we will explore different writing activities based around live harp music as part of our inspiration to get that imagination switched on. Please bring pen and paper or laptop. (If you have always been ‘harping on’ about wanting to write creatively, then this is the session for you!)
Christmas Hills Rhapsody
1:30pm – 3:00pm, Hurstbridge Hub, GOLD COIN/ DONATION
An epic poem by Sandy Jeffs OAM, narrated by Sabi Buehler, to celebrate the beauty and sanity of living in Christmas Hills. With incidental music played by CHOPS (Christmas Hills Orchestral Players) and the Skyline Singers.
Musical Program:
Jean Baptiste Lully – Marche Pour la Ceremonie des Turcs
Jenny Hanson (Christmas Hills composer) – Mayrion
Jess Morgan (Christmas Hills composer) – A Hearth Amongst Our Arcadian Hills
Shostakovich: Prelude for 2 violins and piano
English Traditional Carol – Ah Poor Bird
Anon. Anglais ca 1250 – Summer is a cumin in
CHOPS & Skyline Singers – Christmas Hills Song
Wild Bush Days – Storytime with local author, Penny Harrison
2:00pm – 3:00pm, Allwood House, FREE
This is a special Children’s Storytime with local author Penny Harrison, reading from her book, Wild Bush Days. Suitable for children aged 3-8 years old, supervised by an adult.
Chat, Snack & Zine
3:00pm – 4:00pm, Allwood House, FREE
Are you a budding writer? Bring your questions for local author Penny Harrison to answer about making books, publishing and more. Have a go at making and illustrating your own zine (mini magazine). Suitable for ages 8-12 years old.
Flash Poetry Presents: Freestyle Rap for Beginners
3:00pm – 5:00pm, The Anglers Club, $5
Join us for an exciting Freestyle Rap Workshop designed for beginners, where you’ll dive into the art of spontaneous lyrical self-expression. This workshop is all about connecting with your true self in the moment, letting go of your inner critic, and creating something powerful through words and rhythm.
You’ll learn the fundamentals of freestyle rap, including the philosophy of improvisation and self-expression. Whether you’re looking to express your thoughts, emotions, or ideas through rap, or simply want to try something new and fun, this session will help you tap into your creative energy.
In small groups, you’ll have the chance to practice, experiment, and improve your freestyle skills in a supportive and friendly environment. We’ll end the workshop with a chance to perform your freestyle in front of the group, followed by a live freestyle performance by facilitator, Nico Lim, using themes from the workshop and audience suggestions!
Workshop Highlights:
Discover the art of freestyle rap and self-expression
Learn how to connect with your inner creativity and express it rhythmically
Fun group activities and collaborative exercises
Opportunity to perform your freestyle rap live
Whether you’re a complete beginner or just curious about freestyle rap, this workshop will help you break through creative barriers and experiment with story-telling. Don’t miss out on the chance to express yourself and see where your words can take you! All ages welcome.
Skits Night & Announcement of the Festival of Stories short story competition winners
6:00pm – 8:00pm, The Anglers Club, FREE
A last hurrah party at the Anglers Club in Hurstbridge is the perfect way to end the Festival of Stories! There will be a line-up of entertaining skits, monologues, stories, comedy and presentations from artists who have participated throughout the Festival. If you have something to share or you would like to be considered for the program on the night, please contact us. In the lead up to the Festival we ran a short story competition, focussing on unique local stories. The winners will be announced at this event, with the overall stand-out story shared in part.
