Writers’ groups, authors, community organisations, publishers and booksellers have joined together to organise a replacement for the cancelled Adelaide Writers’ Week.

They have organised a range of events for readers and writers under a one-off umbrella festival, Constellations, to be held from 28 February to 5 March and are encouraging regional groups to hold their own events.

“This festival will not replicate the programming of much-respected Adelaide Writers’ Week director Louise Adler,” says Adelaide author Jennifer Mills. 

“We won’t try to recreate the scale and feel of Adelaide Writers’ Week – we don’t have the time or resources for that. Instead, we are supporting decentralised, community-driven events. 

“This is a collective response to the frustration and disappointment felt by so many of us at the way this year’s Writers’ Week was lost. We want to create spaces where readers and writers can come together in a show of strength and solidarity.” 

The umbrella festival has been organised by a broad range of local representatives, including booksellers, publishers and authors, with not-for-profit industry body Writers SA acting as a central point of communication and logistics. 

It was initiated to show support for the writers and readers who withdrew from Adelaide Writers’ Week 2026 in protest at the previous Adelaide Festival board’s decision to cancel the appearance of Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah. 

The new board has subsequently apologised to Dr Abdel-Fattah and invited her to speak at Adelaide Writers’ Week 2027. 

“Adelaide Writers’ Week is a huge opportunity for writers – from bestselling international authors, to local debuts – to participate in fruitful discussions about their work, to meet readers and to sell their books,” according to Alisa Ahmed, managing editor at Hardie Grant Publishing. 

“Those authors are missing out on key financial and professional opportunities, which is particularly devastating for local authors.” 

Under the heading of Constellations, organisers are inviting bookshops, libraries, schools and other venues and community groups across the state to register events and get involved. 

Participants can organise an event independently, or the group is happy to play matchmaker, putting interested venues and authors in touch to coordinate details as needed. 

“We have been overwhelmed by the number of people offering their time, their expertise or their space to support this grassroots festival,” bookseller Annie Waters says. 

“Now that we are opening up the call to the wider community, we can't wait to see what kind of creative events will occur. We do ask that events have a registration page even if they are free so that they can be shared; that all writers involved are paid at ASA rates; and that the events are organised in the spirit of the festival: highlighting the importance of literary conversations in South Australia. Watch this space – or, better yet, be a part of it.” 

To find out more about getting involved in Constellations, follow these links:

Guidelines for Events

Event Involvement and Support Form

Donations