New Adelaide Writers' Week Director: Rosemarie Milsom

0:00It's April 24th. You're listening to Adelaide News today, AI-powered local news. I'm Cory with the story. Adelaide writers we just got a new director, Rosemary Milsom, who's stepping in after that big boycott earlier this year. She's the founder of the New Castle Writers Festival, and programmed the controversial author, Randa, Abdel Fata, there recently. This comes after the old board quit over pulling Abdel Fata from the lineup amid government pressure claims, leading to a full cancellation. Milsom's staying based in New Castle, so her teenage daughter can finish high school. No move to Adelaide. She's all about curatorial independence and only applied because the board changed. Past directors like Joe Dyer, back her fully, saying she's got the deep experience to embed the festival in the community. Writers are happy but nervous, calling her a great pick, yet wanting real protections against political meddling. People publishers feel the sector is already hurting, with authors livelihoods on the

1:00line, and trust in the government shaken. They note the election barely mentioned arts, showing how the drama hit hard. The arts minister, Kaya Marher's meeting Milsom today, praising her skills in the festival status as Australia's biggest free literary event. There's pending legislation to lock in artistic freedom, though the government's vague on pushing it forward when parliament resumes next year. With Milsom at the helm, eyes are on rebuilding that trust for the 2027 program, hoping it restores Writers Week as a safe space for bold voices in South Australia's cultural scene.