The festival commenced in 1997 and was founded by Peter Barclay and a group of volunteers who in part drew some of their inspiration from the Adelaide Writers Week.
Notable participants included Midnight Oil drummer and songwriter Rob Hirst, writers Delia Falconer and Kate Grenville, and novelist Robert Drewe who lives in the area.
[6] In 2015, individual visitors to the three-day event reached 3000 a day and a total of 65,000 at sessions, compared with 109,000 at Sydney Writers' Festival.
[9] Edwina was praised in the Sydney Morning Herald for growing the festival into an international event, including guests such as Jeanette Winterson and Geoff Dyer.
Notable alumni include Jesse Blackadder, Jarrah Dundler, Jessie Cole, Russell Eldridge, Mirandi Riwoe, Emma Ashmere, Helen Burns, Bronwyn Birdsall and Lisa Walker.