The Bendigo Writers Festival would have taken place this weekend and its absence is being felt by readers and writers across the community.
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The event's cancellation due to the coronavirus pandemic hasn't stopped festival director Rosemary Sorensen from harnessing social media and the festival's website to keep readers and writers engaged.
On Sunday at 11am, the Bendigo Writers Festival will launch Mother: memories, moments & stories on Facebook.
The publication features the work of 20 central Victorian writers, some very experienced and others who have never been published.
The anthology includes heartfelt, powerful and uplifting stories where the authors reflect on their own mothers.
"There's quite a few writers who recently lost their mum, so there are tributes to their memory," Ms Sorensen said.
Contributors to the book include well known authors Pam Harvey and Lauren Mitchell and the Advertiser's Dawn Rasmussen.
Ms Sorensen said she is pleased to have had the opportunity to increase the Writers Festival's website and social media content.
Presenters and writers have been offered the chance to share their experiences of life during the pandemic in the Day by Day series.
"I wish we had the festival instead but I'm really pleased we have the opportunity to rethink our website," Ms Sorensen said.
"A lot of people have been saying and writing, as Steve Kendall pointed out, that this has been a time for us to pause and learn new things.
"It's proven to be a time to energise the people involved in books and writing."
Amy Doak's Of the World Books is selling Mother: memories, moments & stories for $16.
The anthology's 20 writers and some of their mother's will gather on Facebook on Sunday from 11am for the book's official launch.
To take part in the launch, visit the Bendigo Writers Festival's Facebook page.
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