Roxane Gay Announced For Festival Of Dangerous Ideas 2024

Queer writer and commentator Roxane Gay has been announced as the first guest in this year’s Festival of Dangerous Ideas (24-25 August), and for Melbourne’s Now or Never festival (22-31 August). 

Known for her published works like Bad Feminist and her work as a cultural critic, Gay will be delivering a keynote address at FODI and is set to explore what it takes to be “a serial dissenter in the age of tribal warfare.” She’s also set to appear on a number of panels across the festival. 

It’s the first time that Gay will be appearing in-person at the festival, though she previously appeared on a FODI podcast in 2022. 

Director of FODI Danielle Harvey shared her excitement to host Roxane at the festival in August: “Roxane Gay is one of the world’s most brilliant social commentators. 

“Ten years on since her book Bad Feminist caught the world’s attention, she is still unafraid to call out privilege, hypocrisy, and entrenched social injustice. But today, speaking up can come at a huge cost. 

“I can’t think of anyone else more credentialed than Roxane to talk to FODI audiences about the importance of rocking the boat and facing criticism head on.”

FODI 2024, is the festival’s 12th edition, and this year’s theme is Sanctuary. This year’s program is designed to create a safe haven for attendees to explore new ideas across the weekend-long program. 

The full program for FODI will release on Tuesday 25th of June, with pre-sale tickets for members going live the same day. Otherwise, general release tickets release on Wednesday 26th of June. Find more information at https://festivalofdangerousideas.com.