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The Latest Breaking News from Louise Adler

Call this social cohesion? The war of words that laid waste to the 2026 Adelaide writers’ festival

How a boardroom flare-up sparked an international boycott – and a looming defamation battle

The Guardian - AU

Pulp U-turn on festival boycott as it apologises for dropping Palestinian writer

The Sheffield band will now take part in the Adelaide Festival.

Evening Standard

Jewish American columnist Thomas Friedman says he was uninvited from 2024 Adelaide writers’ week over ‘timing’

Claim comes after former festival board member Tony Berg accused Louise Adler and Randa Abdel-Fattah of ‘hypocrisy’ in their accusations of repressing freedom of speech

The Guardian - AU

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Adelaide Festival Apologises To Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah & Invites Her To 2027 Writers’ Week

Adelaide Festival has issued an official apology to author Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah after disinviting her from Writers' Week.

Pedestrian.tv

Adelaide festival apologises to Randa Abdel-Fattah and invites her to participate in 2027 writers’ week

Apology comes as former Adelaide festival board member accuses Louise Adler of hypocrisy after she resigned citing free speech concerns

The Guardian - AU

Minns says bridge used in Bondi attack should be torn down – as it happened

This blog is now closed

The Guardian - AU

An Australian writers’ festival cut a Palestinian author in the wake of a terror attack. Then it fell apart

Randa Abdel-Fattah, who is Palestinian Australian, has faced criticism for controversial comments on Israel, including alleging Zionists had ‘no claim or right to cultural safety’

The Guardian - AU

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Major Australian arts festival cancelled after mass boycott over Palestinian author’s removal

Adelaide Writers’ Week saw more than 180 speakers pull out after Randa Abdel-Fattah was barred following Bondi Beach attack

The Independent UK

‘Masterclass in poor governance’: what was the board’s role in the end of Adelaide Writers Week?

This afternoon, Adelaide Writers Week was cancelled for 2026 – less than a week after Palestinian-Australian writer Randa Abdel-Fattah was disinvited by the Adelaide Festival board. This came despite the “strongest opposition” from Writers Week director Louise Adler, who resigned this morning. The board has announced its remaining members will…

The Conversation

Afternoon Update: Adelaide writers’ week cancelled; Rudd calls time as US ambassador a year early; and DiCaprio’s viral moment

The writers’ week director Louise Adler also quit in protest of the decision to disinvite Randa Abdel-Fattah

The Guardian - AU

Adelaide Writers’ Festival Cancelled & Apology Issued To Randa Abdel-Fattah

"This is a deeply regrettable outcome."

Pedestrian.tv

Festival canned after author's dumping sparks backlash

A leading writers' festival has collapsed under the weight of backlash over the dumping of a Palestinian-Australian novelist from its program.

AAP

I cannot be party to silencing writers, which is why I am resigning as director of Adelaide writers’ week

Cancelling the Australian Palestinian author Randa Abdel-Fattah weakens freedom of speech and is the harbinger of a less free nation

The Guardian - AU

Louise Adler resigns as director of Adelaide writers’ week

Exclusive: Writing for Guardian Australia, Adler says she ‘cannot be party to silencing writers’ after Adelaide festival board cancelled Randa Abdel-Fattah’s invitation to appear

The Guardian - AU

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The Guardian - AU

Jacinda Ardern pulls out of Adelaide writers’ week as fallout over Randa Abdel-Fattah’s axing continues

Ructions within festival board over Palestinian-Australian academic’s inclusion began in October, email reveals

The Guardian - AU

Adelaide festival did not dump Jewish columnist from 2024 program despite request from Randa Abdel-Fattah and others

Palestinian academic rejects accusations of hypocrisy, saying board resisted attempts to remove Thomas Friedman, while cancelling her invitation this year

The Guardian - AU

SA premier denies pressuring Adelaide festival to drop Randa Abdel-Fattah

Letter from 11 South Australian cultural leaders labels cancellation of Palestinian-Australian’s participation a ‘grave mistake’ which brought festival into disrepute

The Conversation

As authors abandon Adelaide Writers’ Week after cancelling of Randa Abdel-Fattah, is free speech in tatters?

The decision by the Adelaide Festival Board to exclude Palestinian Australian author and academic Randa Abdel-Fattah from Adelaide Writers’ Week on the grounds of “cultural sensitivity” is based on a dangerously broad and vague criterion for suppressing free speech.

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The Guardian - AU

How the Bendigo writers’ festival’s code of conduct caused a walkout and claims of censorship

The last-minute code of conduct and the backlash are the latest in a string of controversies ‘symptomatic of the current environment’ in the arts

The Guardian - UK

Havoc by Rebecca Wait review – a Saint Trinian’s tragicomedy

A mysterious illness sweeps through an isolated girls’ boarding school, in a work brimming with horror, humour and hysteria

The Guardian - AU

Speaking out on Gaza: Australian creatives and arts organisations struggle to reconcile competing pressures

As cultural institutions respond to political statements on the war, many artists say they face a choice between career opportunities and standing up for their beliefs

The Guardian - AU

From Creative Australia to Sydney writers’ festival, the direct threat facing the arts is coming from within

In this adapted extract from What’s the Big Idea? Louise Adler looks at the failure of Australian cultural leaders shying from risk and artistic vision – and letting the tail wag the dog

The Conversation

‘Suicide for democracy.’ What is ‘bothsidesism’ – and how is it different from journalistic objectivity?

“Bothsidesism” is a term of disparagement against a form of journalism that presents “both sides” of an issue without any regard for their relative evidentiary merits.

The Guardian - AU

Melbourne writers’ festival deputy chair resigns over Aboriginal and Palestinian solidarity poetry event

Leslie Reti quoted as saying the event’s program description is ‘deeply offensive’, but artistic director calls it a ‘celebration’ of connection between communities

The Guardian - AU

Safety signals and security guards: when did Australian writers’ festivals become so fraught?

Perth writers’ weekend has a risk-management plan, as a culture war brews ahead of Adelaide writers’ week. How can organisers keeps festivals safe without watering them down?

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