Melbourne writers festival deputy chair resigns over Aboriginal and Palestinian solidarity poetry event

Leslie Reti quoted as saying the event’s program description is ‘deeply offensive’, but artistic director calls it a ‘celebration’ of connection between communities

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The deputy chair of the Melbourne writers festival, Leslie Reti, has resigned over a poetry session on Aboriginal and Palestinian solidarity in this year’s program.

The festival’s artistic director, Michaela McGuire, has also announced her resignation, for unrelated reasons, and the interim chief executive, Fiona Menzies, is stepping back to a consulting role “for personal reasons”.

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