This regional event, introduced last year, drew an enthusiastic crowd of over 400 students who are interested in the written, spoken, visual and digital word.

The overwhelming success means #LitFest2444 will return with more presenters and workshops open to all Mid North Coast secondary school students.

Next year’s event will take place April 9-10, 2018 across several venues in Port Macquarie.

Presenters from various backgrounds will include modern novelists, journalists, photographers, poets, podcasters and bloggers, including leading public figures.

Event organisers, Karen Bale and Suzanne Penson, are thrilled that after only one year, the festival is expanding and will have the capacity to reach twice as many students.

“Our goal is to encourage and inspire students to find the medium they enjoy most and share their story. They’ll walk away with a clearer understanding of how they can use their talents and skills in the working world,” Karen said.

“We want to reach as many students, introduce them to new experiences and expose them to careers that they didn’t know existed.

“Litfest2444 will engage all students who enjoy storytelling and creativity accessing both traditional and multimodal formats,” Suzanne added.

Charles Sturt University and nearby Grace Church will host all of the year 7-10 workshops and presentations making it easy for festival-goers to attend a variety of programs in one location. Satellite locations will also host events to allow more students to participate.

New this year will be programs for upper primary students hosted by St Peter’s Primary School. St Joseph's Regional College will also host the senior secondary workshops for students in years 11-12.

“The amount of community support we receive allows us to offer dynamic speakers and engaging workshops locally. We can reach more students by bringing great presenters here. Similar festivals are in large metro areas and inaccessible for most families,” added Karen.

The Port Macquarie Hastings Council’s Community Grants program is a major source of funding for #LitFest2444 along with the Catholic Schools Office Lismore. It is through their support along with local businesses that #LitFest2444 is able to inspire local youth on the Mid North Coast.

Charles Sturt University, Port Macquarie Hastings Council, Snap Printing and various small businesses in our region all help to make this festival possible.