Today, we’re exploring an exciting new chapter in Australia’s literary and cultural landscape, with the internationally renowned Jaipur Literature Festival set to make its mark in Western Sydney.

Founded in Jaipur in 2006, the Jaipur Literature Festival has grown into one of the world’s most celebrated literary gatherings, bringing together some of the biggest voices in literature, ideas, politics, history and culture.

In November, audiences will get their first taste of the festival with the inaugural Jaipur Literature Festival Sydney, taking place at Powerhouse Parramatta on 20 November, as part of the venue’s three-week Opening Festival.

And this is just the beginning. In August 2027, Powerhouse Parramatta will host the full Jaipur Literature Festival, bringing writers, thinkers and cultural figures from Australia, India and around the world to Western Sydney.

It’s an exciting opportunity to celebrate storytelling, encourage cultural exchange and strengthen the connections between Australia and India, particularly in one of Australia’s most diverse and dynamic communities.

Joining the Indus Age team is Jemma Birrell, the Head of Writing at Powerhouse Parramatta,  for an interview to talk about the arrival of the internationally acclaimed Jaipur Literature Festival in Sydney and what this means for Australia’s literary and cultural scene.

The inaugural JLF Sydney will bring an extraordinary program of conversations to Powerhouse Parramatta on 20 November, featuring acclaimed Indian filmmaker Kabir Khan, internationally celebrated author Pico Iyer, writer and diplomat Gopalkrishna Gandhi, and award-winning authors Charlotte Wood, Emily St. John Mandel and Ailsa Piper.

The event also sets the stage for something much bigger, with the full Jaipur Literature Festival coming to Powerhouse Parramatta in August 2027.

1. The Jaipur Literature Festival has been described as the “one of the most renowned literary show on Earth”. What first drew you to the festival, and why did you feel Parramatta was the right place for its Australian debut?

For all the years I’ve worked in the books and publishing industry I’ve heard rave reviews about the Jaipur Literature Festival from writers or friends who attended. It’s such a delight for Powerhouse to be partnering with Teamwork Arts who produce the Festival and its international editions to launch JLF in Sydney for the first time in Parramatta. Western Sydney has around 10% of Australia’s population and it’s particularly young, dynamic and interested in cultural events – and Parramatta itself has a strong Indian and literary community – so from our perspective, Powerhouse Parramatta was the perfect place for JLF Sydney to take place.

2. The November 2026 program brings together conversations on cinema, fiction, silence and Mahatma Gandhi. What were the central ideas that connected these sessions when you were putting the program together?

For the launch day of events Friday 20 November, we wanted there to be a range of international and local writers, across interests and disciplines – we also wanted to share stories of India itself, rooted in its multiplicity, modernity and history, from Kabir Khan, the celebrated Indian filmmaker, to Gopalkrishna Gandhi, diplomat, statesman and writer, who brings his deep political and historical knowledge of the country, speaking also about the life and philosophy of his grandfather, Mahatma Gandhi. There’s some extraordinary Indian music which will take place on Powerhouse’s rooftop that same evening too, free and open to all.

3. Parramatta is one of Australia’s most culturally diverse places, with strong connections to South Asia and many other parts of the world. How has this local context shaped your vision for Jaipur Literature Festival Sydney?

That’s hugely important as above – it’s the perfect location to present JLF Sydney, and we welcome people of all backgrounds and interests to join us – there really is such a range of ideas and writing the authors will be sharing. The Jaipur Literature Festival celebrates the power of books and ideas and embodies the inclusive spirit of literature.

4. The festival celebrates storytelling as a way of connecting people across cultures and experiences. In an increasingly polarised and disconnected world, what role do you believe literature and the exchange of ideas can play?

Events with writers entertain and educate us, and also help us understand other perspectives, expanding our world through stories, histories, imagination. We don’t all need to share the same opinions – hearing a range of people speak, allowing different and new ideas to be expressed, concretely helps foster understanding between us, and gives us the strength to welcome difference and embrace it. And of course, reading itself, which a literature festival celebrates, helps us understand other perspectives also, even more deeply perhaps.

5. Powerhouse Parramatta is preparing to open as a major new museum. What role do you see literary programming playing within an institution that brings together science, technology, design and culture?

Writing supported and helped develop exhibitions, programs, publications, our Collection and the wider strategy across the museum. It has so many outputs that speak to science, technology, design and culture. There’s even quotes from writers extracted from commissions within Task Eternal. The voice and insight of writers has brought much to the museum, in different ways. Live events around ideas, writers and thinkers, welcome audiences in our region interested in a multitude of subjects.

6. The November program is an introduction to the festival ahead of its full Australian debut in August 2027. What can audiences expect from the larger festival, and how will it build on this first event?

The main JLF Sydney Festival will be 6-8 August so you can expect a whole range of conversations, music and talks about all manner of subjects, featuring some of the best writers from Australia and the world. I’m so looking forward to hearty conversations – from culture and politics to fiction.

7. How do you balance bringing internationally acclaimed writers and thinkers to Sydney with creating opportunities for Australian voices and stories to be heard on a global platform?

Having this exchange at JLF Sydney, with conversations between authors from different parts of the world, means people discover new writers and word of mouth travels – it’s an opportunity for Australian authors to be seen by one of India’s pioneering curatorial companies from the arts and literary space, and an opportunity for international writers to be showcased here in Australia to our audiences and publishers. The literary world is global, so the more exchange, the more opportunities are possible I think for writers.

8. Looking beyond audience numbers and international recognition, what would success look like for Jaipur Literature Festival Sydney? What do you hope audiences will take away from the experience?

We hope Sydney audiences feel welcome and very much part of this literary celebration, taking much pleasure from the range of discussions, ideas and perspectives, genuinely inspired by some of the world’s greatest thinkers gathering in one place. We’d like the people who attend to have felt encouraged to engage with authors directly, asking questions in events or perhaps afterwards at a book signing. And the best festivals keep all of us thinking and talking about ideas from the events, and I hope that’s the case here. Maybe some people will even be inspired to write themselves!