Recently I had the opportunity to attend three very different celebrations of literature.

The first was the 2025 Beijing International Book Fair (BIBF), the second largest book fair in the world after Frankfurt and this year attended by more than 300,000 people. 

The second was the inaugural Reef to Range Readers & Writers Festival in Ravensthorpe and Hopetoun, in WA’s Goldfields-Esperance region.

The third was the Perth Comic Arts Festival (PCAF), which took place last weekend in the Discovery Lounge on the ground floor of the State Library of Western Australia.

One could not find three more disparate events in terms of function, form and content. Yet they had much in common, not least of which was the strong signalling of a passionate commitment to storytelling and to the art and craft of the traditional printed book, by creators and consumers alike. And a passionate commitment to culture and community.

This was most evident looking at the PCAF stalls which filled SLWA’s ground floor on Sunday, officially Market Day (the Saturday was given over mostly to talks and workshops aimed at “aspiring creators, academics, professionals or other enthusiasts”).

Here were zines, indie comics and merch aplenty by local, interstate and international writers, artists and publishers, around 150 or so, catering for every taste. Purveyors of fantastical literature and manga offshoots, dressed especially for the occasion, whilst fans seemed to be spending up big time. 

I especially appreciated the fine exhibition and handsome display of wares by WA publishing legend Gestalt Comics, whose 20^th anniversary is this year. Its commitment to First Nations writers and artists is particularly to be celebrated – witness the success of the Cleverman series, written by Ryan Griffen and Wolfgang Bylsma with art by Emily K. Smith and adapted for television.

Other creators exhibiting included Aśka, Bruce Mutard, Campbell White, Ellery Harris, Harriet Jane, KINROKU, Max Loh, Regina Akora, Strange Creatures, Wild North Comics and Sky Machine.

The atmosphere on the day was vibrant, family-friendly and collegiate.

A mere two weeks beforehand, I found myself making the six-hour drive to Ravensthorpe and nearby Hopetoun for the four days of the Reef to Range Festival. 

Organised by local writing group the Southern Scribes and generously supported by the local shire and businesses, this terrific little festival featured writers from various fields of endeavour (fiction, poetry, journalism, children’s books) such as Noongar Elder Carol Petterson, Michael Trant, Leanne White, Dorothy Henderson, SJ Eeles, Sky O’Brien and yours truly.

There were workshops, panel discussions, exhibitions, readings and open mics in different venues across both towns. It was heartwarming to see the local community come out in support of the event; it was equally heartwarming to find the mythical small-town friendliness and hospitality are not myths at all. 

Over the years, I’ve directed or participated in writers’ festivals large and small, including Perth Festival Writers Week and Melbourne Writers Festival. But I can in all honesty say the Reef to Range is one of the loveliest and most enjoyable I’ve had the honour of attending.

A mere week before this, I was in Beijing – a world away in every sense – for the 2025 Beijing International Book Fair, as a guest of NFP publishing platform Fableration. 

But what exactly is a book fair? They are essentially global trade fairs, and serve a variety of functions, among which are networking, the negotiation of publishing rights, translation deals, the showcasing of literature, advocacy and education and the propagation and preservation of culture.

Other famous book fairs include the London Book Fair, Bologna Children’s Book Fair, the New Delhi World Book Fair and Paris’s Salon du Livre. All feature thousands of exhibitors and act as hubs for the global book industry. 

The BIBF was established in 1986 and since then has served as an important platform for copyright trade, publishing cooperation and cross-cultural dialogue. This year, there were 1,700 exhibitors from 80 countries and regions, including Australia.

I had ample time to explore the cavernous BIBF pavilions in the Convention Centre in Beijing’s Olympic Park and found the experience both overwhelming and exhilarating. Of particular note was the strong presence of academic publishers such as those of Harvard, Princeton, Oxford and Cambridge, as well as heavyweights Penguin Random House and Hachette. 

During both the Reef to Range and BIBF, one of the hottest topics under discussion was the impact on publishing of digital technology, AI, and social media. Indeed, Fableration is employing ethical AI and blockchain technology to create an innovative and equitable digital marketplace in which writers can find their ideal readers and vice-versa.

At BIBF, I also took part in a public in-conversation with Fableration CEO Simon Harding on the future of publishing and the increasing use of AI. To say this is one of the hottest topics in the publishing world at present would be an understatement. 

It’s also complex and certainly deserving of separate treatment. On the one hand, there is the unauthorised use of IP for LLM training purposes – the recent infamous Meta episode being but one example. On the other, there is the very real value of tools such as Google NotebookLM and Perplexity to writers looking to streamline their research and administration processes. 

That’s the key word: process. Creativity and critical thinking are processes, not products, which enrich and enlarge the human spirit and consciousness. They are also deeply personal, and as such cannot be outsourced or delegated.

And what are festivals if not one of the finest examples of communal creative and critical processes, in which real flesh-and-blood people engage with each other in real time, in real spaces to share stories and ideas? Surely that’s one definition of humanity?