Rosemarie Milsom Appointed Director of Adelaide Writers' Week After Crisis

Adelaide Festival Corporation has named Rosemarie Milsom as the new director of Adelaide Writers' Week for the 2027–2029 festivals. Milsom, founding director of Newcastle Writers Festival and former journalist, also serves on the NSW Government's Literature Board and the Global Association of Literary Festivals steering committee. Her appointment follows a major crisis in January 2026, when the former board rescinded an invitation to Palestinian-Australian author Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah, prompting director Louise Adler's resignation, mass writer boycotts, and the event's cancellation for 2026. An alternative festival, Constellations: Not Writers' Week, featuring over 100 authors, took place in February–March 2026. A new board appointed by South Australian Minister Andrea Michaels apologized to Abdel-Fattah and reinstated her invitation for 2027. Milsom will start in mid-May 2026; the next Writers' Week runs 27 February–4 March 2027, with program details released 27 October 2026.