It was billed as a “vibrant gathering of readers, writers, and creative thinkers” who would spark “ideas, conversation, and inspiration”. 

So what happened last weekend to turn the Bendigo Writers Festival from an idyllic ideas-fest into an event that exemplified “an authoritarian abuse of power”, as the festival’s founder put it? 

Today, senior culture writer Kerrie O’Brien on the slow-moving car crash of a cultural event that left dozens of writers stunned, and appalled.

It was billed as a &ldquo;vibrant gathering of readers, writers, and creative thinkers&rdquo; who would spark &ldquo;ideas, conversation, and inspiration&rdquo;.&nbsp;
So what happened last weekend to turn the Bendigo Writers Festival from an idyllic ideas-fest into an event that exemplified &ldquo;an authoritarian abuse of power&rdquo;, as the festival&rsquo;s founder put it? Today, senior culture writer Kerrie O&rsquo;Brien on the slow-moving car crash of a cultural event that left dozens of writers stunned, and appalled.

The Morning Edition (formerly Please Explain) brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris from the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, weekdays from 5am.

The Morning Edition (formerly Please Explain) brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris from the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, weekdays from 5am.

The Morning Edition

The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris from the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, weekdays from 5am.

The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris from the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, weekdays from 5am.

The country writers festival that descended into chaos

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/88b564ea-a9a6-4751-910a-a5d800019396/clips/cbd0f49e-bf2f-44d2-af1c-b33e00b5e635/transcript

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