It’s been a fabulous festival, entertaining, exhilarating and a little exhausting. The organisers, sponsors volunteers and audiences all played their part to deliver a mix that really did provide something that everyone could enjoy. Part of the pleasure is being read to – hearing authors read and discuss their books make them come alive and provides new insight into their work. That’s one of the highlights anyway – as our final panel discussion shows.

It is a difficult job to get the mix and match of festival sessions right, but by and large this festival provided plenty of opportunity for audiences to have variety, entertainment and literary stimulation. I also think the free events in libraries and high schools, and the involvement of young and emerging writing talent is a step above what is offered in any other festival in this country – a holistic approach that should be repeated and expanded if possible.

Festivals are also a great place for discoveries and new directions in reading – good for the brain, but perhaps less so for the wallet. On that note though, the UBS crew deserve a special mention for their tireless efforts staffing a very busy book stall which at times was two and three people deep. The festival sponsors should also be happy with the attendance and smoothness of the festival – no news of any major disasters reached these ears.

The library blogging team have worked hard and I think the results speak for themselves – heaps of great content and plenty of food for thought. Best of all, the conversation can continue. Please take the opportunity to join in – read the posts and make a comment – we’d love to hear from you.