Louise Adler

Louise Adler is the former director of Adelaide Writers’ Week, a prominent literary festival in Australia. She recently resigned from her position following a controversy surrounding the cancellation of Palestinian Australian author Randa Abdel-Fattah's invitation to participate in the event. The Adelaide festival board rescinded Abdel-Fattah's invitation, citing concerns about cultural sensitivity after a mass shooting that targeted Jewish Australians. This decision led to a wave of speaker withdrawals (around 180 writers) in solidarity with Abdel-Fattah and accusations of censorship. Adler stated she could not be party to silencing writers, prompting her resignation. The festival was ultimately canceled. The new Adelaide festival board has since apologized to Abdel-Fattah and invited her to participate in the 2027 writers’ week. The controversy also involves claims from Jewish American columnist Thomas Friedman that he was uninvited from the 2024 event.