August 3rd, 2025Stories of Survival: Words in Winter festival brings voices of resilience to Daylesford
This August, the Words in Winter festival will bring to Daylesford and Hepburn Springs extraordinary tales of human resilience, featuring artists who have transformed war, displacement and trauma into powerful art. From besieged Sarajevo to Somali refugee camps and the Palestinian struggle, their stories offer profound insights into the human capacity to endure and create.
From Sarajevo to Safety
Edita Mujkić’s memoir Between Before and After recounts her harrowing escape from Sarajevo during the 1992 siege, when she fled with her two children while her husband remained trapped in the war zone. The book, which details their 600-day separation, has been recognised with several literary awards, including being shortlisted for the 2024 Memoir Prize. Mujkić’s upcoming conversation, alongside author Dani Netherclift (Vessel) and hosted by Sumitra Singam, will explore how to transform trauma into beautiful stories.
Edita Mujkić conversation: Light from the Dark – transforming trauma into beautiful stories: Saturday, August 23, 1.30pm-2.30pm
The Transformative Power of Poetry
Somali-Australian artist Mo Sudi brings his multilingual performance My Temporary Name Was Refugee! to Daylesford Hotel’s Bar Bamford on Saturday, August 23. The work combines spoken word in English, Somali and Arabic with live calligraphy, reflecting his journey from Kenyan refugee camps to becoming a celebrated poet in Australia. Drawing on Somali oral traditions and the communal ritual of shaah tea, Sudi’s performance creates what has been described as a therapeutic, immersive experience that bridges cultures and histories.
My Temporary Name Was Refugee! with Mo Sudi: Saturday, August 23, 4pm-5pm
Palestinian Stories Through Music and History
Yousef Alreemawi’s Understanding Palestine event on Saturday, August 30 at Spade to Blade Catering offers a unique blend of historical analysis and cultural performance. Yousef wears many hats: he’s a respected academic in Arabic language and culture, a translator, writer, proofreader, podcast producer, curriculum developer, refugee advocate, and political analyst – deeply engaged in the intersections of art, identity, and justice. Alreemawi brings both scholarly expertise and personal experience to his exploration of Palestinian identity. The presentation will include stories, music and Palestinian food, providing audiences with multiple pathways into understanding and learning about Palestine.
Understanding Palestine with Yousef Alreemawi: Saturday, August 30, 1pm-4pm
Safeguard Your Heart
And for those seeking to channel personal or collective hardship into art while safeguarding their well-being, psychiatrist and writer Sumitra Singam will lead a transformative workshop, Writing Trauma Without Traumatising Yourself, on Saturday, August 23 at Radius Art, Hepburn Springs.
This practical session blends trauma-informed techniques with creative writing, guiding participants – whether memoirists, fiction writers, or poets – to explore difficult narratives without retraumatisation.
Attendees will learn how trauma shapes neurobiology, how to stay grounded during the writing process, and engage in live exercises to practise these skills. Ideal for anyone navigating trauma’s complexities, the workshop underscores the festival’s ethos: storytelling as a tool for resilience, recovery, and connection.
Writing Trauma without Traumatising Yourself with Sumitra Singam: Saturday, August 23, 10am-12pm
A Festival of Shared Humanity
These artists demonstrate how trauma can be reshaped through creative expression. Mujkić’s memoir transforms wartime terror into a testament of love and endurance. Sudi’s poetry performance makes language itself a home for those who have lost physical ones.
Alreemawi’s work shows how cultural preservation becomes an act of resistance. These artists don’t just share their stories – they invite us into deeper understanding.
Their work offers local audiences not just performances, but portals to build meaningful connections across lived experiences.
The artists’ varied approaches – through memoir, poetry, and discussion – demonstrate the many ways creative expression can help process difficult experiences while building bridges between communities.
Full festival program: wordsinwinter.com
