Michaela Bolzan talks holding the Southern Highlands Writers' Festival for 10 years

With a background in producing, and degrees in drama honours from the University of Newcastle and the National Institute of Dramatic Art Playwright Studio, she was unsure what to focus a festival on.

It was not until she moved to the Highlands that she saw a gap that needed to be filled.

As a lover and attendee of the Sydney Writers' Festival and other regional writers festivals, she used it as a blueprint for the Southern Highlands' Writers Festival (SHWF), which is celebrating its 10^th birthday this year.

Creating the event also gave her the opportunity to meet, and immerse herself in the region's creative community.

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"Not only the interest and entertainment, I just love there is a shared experience with people," she said.

"It's the opportunity to come together as a community and celebrate books and thoughts."

Since it began, the SHWF has attracted people from the Highlands, the coast, Blue Mountains, Sydney, Goulburn and the ACT.

There are some attendees who have come to all 10 festivals

"For me, I think one of the most exciting thing that happens each year is the recurring names of people coming to the festival again," she said.

"When I see a recurring booking each year, it gives me such a great feeling."

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Writers, actors and producers who have spoken at the event are a mix of household names and those might fly under the radar.

For Ms Bolzan, a highlight has been "discovering" unknown talents, and well-known writers such as Mike Carlton, Robert Dessaix, Nikki Gemmell and Don Watson have left "lasting impressions" on her.

As much as the creative director is a passionate bookworm, it was important for her to showcase other types of writing.

The SHWF line-up has evolved to delve into writing for movies and television, poetry, theatre and songwriting.

This was a particular focus for the 10^th festival, which is being held at the Empire Cinema from July 21 to 23.

The 2023 agenda also includes a screening of the movies Oppenheimer and Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One, with talks of adapting works to the screen.

"There is something about sitting in a live audience and having shared experiences when you listen to one, two or three people talk," the creative director and founder of Creative and Co said.

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"There's something so special about that."

The popularity of the festival has strengthened since the pandemic, she said, suggesting people are craving that human connection.

"People love to come together and to see something is a human need," she said.

While she is at the heart of the festival, without the help of others, it would not have been possible, Ms Bolzan said.

James Norton and his wife Saneia have been two main people who have also helped bring the festival to life.

Moving forward, Ms Bolzan wants to include new technologies such as social media into the festival to not only attract a younger audience, but to have relevance with the times.

Tickets for each SHWF are $25 and can be bought through shwf.com.au.

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