This year, National Young Writers Festival (NYWF) brings its long weekend of literary and arts events from creatives around the country online. The festival, co-directed by Isobel Marmion, Raelee Lancaster, and Mike Louis Kennedy, is programmed to the theme ‘The Raucous Twenties,’ and its all-digital program showcases the unique opportunities offered by programming a festival remotely.
In its over 20-year history, NYWF has always been a space for artists and organisations from around the country to meet, swap notes, make new friends, and learn new skills. The digital program makes these opportunities available for many of who would not be able to attend the usual bricks and mortar festival in Newcastle. The program also delves into the best of computational creativity – and the issues of ethics, safety, and sovereignty and that necessarily arise with working on digital platforms.