Festival of the Spoken Word

The Festival of Spoken Word is a new month long multi-venue and multi-genre festival. It celebrates Jewish culture and the stories that shape and bring us together.

Long before they were written, published or posted, stories were spoken. Shared around campfires, across dining tables, in synagogues, and on Country.

It is fitting to present this festival in Australia — on a continent where stories, language and culture have been carried through spoken tradition for more than 60,000 years by First Nations peoples.

For Jewish communities, spoken language has always mattered. We are the People of the Book — a culture of stories, songs, debates, prayers and questions spoken across generations.

This year, Sydney Jewish Writers Festival evolves its traditional format to present Festival of the Spoken Word — a month-long celebration of Jewish storytelling told live. Across theatre, music, poetry, comedy, conversation and performance, Jewish artists reflect the breadth and complexity of contemporary Jewish life. You will hear English, Hebrew, Arabic and Yiddish. Some works give language to experiences that resist expression. Others find meaning through humour, ritual and joy. Together, they reflect the many ways storytelling helps us make sense of our culture and place in the world.

The festival arrives at a curious moment for words. Opportunities for Jewish creatives to share their work are increasingly limited. The spoken word offers something difficult to replicate elsewhere: a live encounter. Imperfect, immediate and profoundly human.

Our role is simply to provide the platform. The voices belong to the artists. We hope you find something worth listening to — and leave with something worth speaking about.

Explore the program, meet the creatives and discover a new world of Jewish culture. 

Discover the events at our festival