Adelaide writers’ week 2026 cancelled as board apologises to Randa Abdel-Fattah for ‘how decision was represented’

The Guardian - World NewsCenter-LeftEN 1 min read 100% complete by Sian CainJanuary 13, 2026 at 07:43 AM

AI Summary

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Adelaide Writers' Week 2026 has been cancelled following significant backlash over the disinvitation of Palestinian Australian author Randa Abdel-Fattah. The Adelaide festival board announced the cancellation on Tuesday after more than 180 authors and speakers withdrew from the event in protest. The board also issued an apology to Abdel-Fattah regarding the representation of the decision. The turmoil led to the resignation of almost all board members, with only the Adelaide city council representative remaining until their term expires in February. The event was scheduled to begin on February 28th.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Adelaide city council 40% Australia 50% Adelaide ×260% Adelaide writers’ week 2026 ×280% Randa Abdel-Fattah ×290%

Keywords

adelaide writers’ week 100% cancellation 90% randa abdel-fattah 80% disinvite 70% resignations 60% authors 60% protest 50% festival board 50% palestinian australian author 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Negative

Score: -0.40

Source Transparency

Source

The Guardian - World News

Political Lean

Center-Left (-0.40)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

85%

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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adelaide writers’ week cancellation randa abdel-fattah disinvite resignations authors protest festival board palestinian australian author

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