Marieke Hardy resigns from Melbourne Writers Festival

Artistic Director Marieke Hardy has resigned from the MWF with one year of her contract remaining, in order to focus on her own creative practice.

Marieke Hardy has announced her resignation as Artistic Director of the Melbourne Writers Festival (MWF) two years into a three year contract.

Hardy – whose idiosyncratic reshaping of the festival resulted in significant box office growth, but also attracted criticism from some corners of the literary world – has stepped down from the AD’s role in order to pursue other artistic opportunities, including dedicating more time to her own writing.

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Richard Watts is ArtsHub's National Performing Arts Editor; he also presents the weekly program SmartArts on Three Triple R FM, and serves as the Chair of La Mama Theatre's volunteer Committee of Management. Richard is a life member of the Melbourne Queer Film Festival, and was awarded the status of Melbourne Fringe Living Legend in 2017. In 2020 he was awarded the Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards' Facilitator's Prize. Most recently, Richard was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Green Room Awards Association in June 2021. Follow him on Twitter: @richardthewatts