Important update from NWF Director

After 14 years at the helm of Newcastle Writers Festival, founding director Rosemarie Milsom has announced she will step down from the role in late May to take up the position of director of Adelaide Writers’ Week.

Rosemarie established Newcastle Writers Festival in 2012 while working fulltime as a Newcastle Herald journalist. The inaugural event was held in April 2013. Rosemarie has played a pivotal role in shaping the festival into one of Australia’s most dynamic and inclusive literary events, championing both established and emerging artists while deepening the festival’s national reach and regional impact.

“It has been an extraordinary privilege to lead Newcastle Writers Festival,” she said. “I am deeply proud of what we have built — a festival that reflects the vibrancy, diversity and intellectual curiosity of its community. I am grateful to the writers, audiences, sponsors, volunteers, festival board, and valued colleagues who have helped make the experience so meaningful. Ahead of the festival’s 15th anniversary in 2027, I am excited for the organisation’s future under new leadership and am confident it will go from strength to strength.”

Rosemarie’s appointment to Adelaide Writers’ Week comes less than a month after she delivered the most successful festival in the organisation’s history with record ticket sales and attendance. The new role marks an exciting new chapter as she brings her curatorial vision and commitment to accessible, high-quality literary programming to one of the country’s largest cultural events.

“Adelaide Writers’ Week has a remarkable legacy and an engaged, passionate audience,” Rosemarie said. “I am honoured to join the team and look forward to contributing to its continued evolution.”

The board of Newcastle Writers Festival acknowledged Rosemarie’s significant contribution and leadership, noting her role in leading the event’s artistic direction, establishing key partnerships, and securing its long-term sustainability. In 2025, the festival was awarded three-year funding from Create NSW and earlier this year it received as $100,000 donation from The Macdougall Foundation to support Story Hunter, its unique creative writing program for the region’s primary students.

“Rosemarie has been an exceptional director whose vision, creative leadership and unwavering commitment have significantly strengthened the festival’s profile, reach and reputation,” said President Kate Robinson. “She has not only delivered outstanding programs year after year, but has also built strong relationships with audiences, writers, partners and supporters that will endure well beyond her tenure. We are so proud to see her recognised with this prestigious appointment – our loss is Adelaide’s gain.”

Adelaide Festival Chair Judy Potter welcomed Rosemarie’s appointment. “Rosemarie is an outstanding advocate for writers, with a strong understanding of the cultural conversations shaping Australian literature today,” she said. “Her approach aligns perfectly with the spirit of Adelaide Writers’ Week – curious, inclusive and intellectually rigorous. We are thrilled to welcome her and look forward to the vision and energy she will bring to the role. We are confident Rosemarie’s tremendous breadth of knowledge and connection with writers and readers will build on the special place that Adelaide Writers’ Week has locally, nationally and internationally.”