Sydney Writers’ Festival

Join Annabel Crabb and Artistic Director Ann Mossop as they discuss the 2024 Sydney Writers’ Festival program. The pair talk about the 2024 Festival theme, Take Me Away, and how books let us escape into different worlds, live other lives and travel in time and space.  The 2024 Sydney Writers' Festival is out now. Head[...]

[Content warning: Child sexual abuse] Join internet darling Daniel Lavery as he lifts the lid on his writing life and Dear Prudence, a collection of the weirdest and wildest questions received during his tenure as Slate’s agony aunt. Filled with his always sympathetic, thoughtful and good-humoured advice, it offers a good dose of sense and compassion[...]

The Curiosity Lecture series returns to the Festival with a line-up of our most thought-provoking speakers delivering one-time talks on topics of intrigue, interest and importance. In this entertaining talk, author Tabitha Carvan shares the story of how falling for Benedict Cumberbatch while stuck at home with two young children became an unlikely catalyst for[...]

[Content warning: Sexual assault and paedophilia] Women and girls have long been pressured to conform to written and unwritten rules about how to think, act, look and feel. But a new generation of writers and activists are breaking down barriers to allow women and girls to show their real selves.  Hear from Wadjanbarra Yidinji, Jirrbal and African-American[...]

Celebrated Ukrainian novelist Andrey Kurkov has been one of the most important voices throughout the Russian invasion of his adopted homeland, releasing frequent dispatches from Kyiv and the remote countryside. See him in conversation about Diary of an Invasion, his searing on-the-ground account of the human toll of the war, the interrelated history between the nations,[...]

When Ghassan Hage’s seminal study on racism in Australia, White Nation, was published 25 years ago, the Cronulla riots, Christchurch massacre and Black Lives Matter movement all lay ahead. Hear from a lively panel of writers and thinkers as they consider how racism and white privilege have changed here since then and what lies ahead. Anthropologist[...]

Australian author Holly Ringland became a publishing sensation with the release of The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, a gripping coming-of-age novel that has been adapted for TV, starring Sigourney Weaver and Leah Purcell. Her latest novel, The Seven Skins of Esther Wilding, is an equally enthralling tale, tracing the far reaches of grief, courage and[...]

Richard Osman, bestselling novelist of The Thursday Murder Club series and king of British television trivia, talks with Sydney Writers' Festival's Artistic Director Ann Mossop in his first Australian appearance.   The beloved murder mystery series has gripped readers worldwide – soaring to success as an international bestseller with over 10 million copies sold worldwide. Richard talks about[...]

Did podcasts kill the radio star – or completely revitalise storytelling for the 21st century? Join a special line-up of crime podcasters for a discussion about the rise of the medium and how it is changing journalism. They consider how the format fosters creativity and intimacy, and why it may yet rank among the most[...]

In a special series of events, Your Favourites’ Favourites sees our most beloved writers speak with a breakout Australian author from the past year. Join globally bestselling crime novelist Jane Harper as she chats with fellow crime writer and stand-up comedian Benjamin Stevenson about the secrets to crafting a suspenseful story. They talk about the[...]

[Content warning: Explicit language] Eleanor Catton became the youngest winner of the Booker Prize in 2013 for her sprawling Victorian mystery The Luminaries. Its keenly anticipated follow-up, Birnam Wood, is a psychological thriller set in rural New Zealand, where super-rich foreigners face off with ragtag locals on the eve of a global catastrophe. Eleanor is in conversation[...]

In skilled hands, historical fiction brings the past to life in surprising ways. It also helps us make sense of our present, and even offers foreknowledge of the future. Hear from some of the country’s finest writers of historical novels – Geraldine Brooks (Horse), Pip Williams (The Bookbinder of Jericho) and emerging talent Sally Colin-James[...]

Before Markus Zusak became an international bestseller with The Book Thief, he wrote and published the award-winning novel The Messenger. The story of a Sydney taxi driver’s extraordinary adventures, it has now been brought to television by the ABC. In this conversation about the joys and challenges of taking a beloved work of fiction to the screen,[...]

A dazzling love letter to gaming and friendship, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by American novelist Gabrielle Zevin has become a word-of-mouth bestseller across the globe. It follows two university friends who become creative partners in a brilliantly imagined world of video game design, where success brings fame, joy and tragedy. Gabrielle chats with Melanie Kembrey about[...]

Weary of nonstop climate doom? Listen to a trio of environmental experts examine promising developments, signs of hope and viable solutions for a greener, more sustainable future. Climate scientist Joëlle Gergis (Humanity’s Moment: A Climate Scientist’s Case for Hope), inventor and scientist Saul Griffith (The Big Switch), and environmental advocate Claire O’Rourke (Together We Can:[...]

Much-loved Conversations host and bestselling author Richard Fidler delves into The Book of Roads & Kingdoms, an account of medieval wanderers who travelled to the edges of the known world during Islam’s fabled Golden Age. He joins Nicole Abadee to discuss the work hailed by The Sydney Morning Herald as “a bewitching tale consisting of stories within stories that[...]

Hear from Miles Franklin Award–winning Carpentaria novelist and Waanyi nation woman Alexis Wright as she talks about her latest novel, Praiseworthy. Set in a small Australian town beset by a haze cloud that heralds both an ecological catastrophe and a gathering of ancestors, the story is rendered with the richness of language and scale of imagery[...]

[Content warning: Domestic violence] Award-winning and bestselling author Trent Dalton has captured readers with books like Boy Swallows Universe, All Our Shimmering Skies and Love Stories. He has made us laugh, and made us cry, but above all, he has drawn us in to his unique world of storytelling.  His new novel, Lola in the Mirror, is a darkly funny[...]

Hear from acclaimed storytellers Robbie Arnott, Fiona McFarlane and James McKenzie Watson about their beautiful novels, which chart very different lives set against unmistakably Australian backdrops. Robbie’s Limberlost tells the story of a man’s journey through life, while evoking Tasmania’s diverse natural habitat. Fiona’s The Sun Walks Down unfurls the narrative of a missing child in 1883[...]

[Content warning: discussions of mental health and suicide] How can we apply the wisdom of the ages to modern living? This is the question at the heart of books by Worimi storyteller Paul Callaghan and journalist and author Brigid Delaney. Paul’s The Dreaming Path: Indigenous Thinking to Change Your Life reveals the power of Indigenous spirituality[...]

The latest novels of celebrated writers Sophie Cunningham and Gail Jones explore the lives of extraordinary artistic figures at turning points in history. Sophie’s This Devastating Fever interweaves the lives of Leonard and Virginia Woolf and the Bloomsbury Set with modern-day climate change disasters. Gail’s acclaimed Salonika Burning imagines how the stories of famous figures who served in the[...]

A panel of fascinating figures discuss their new memoirs and what it means to live a creative life – on stage, on screen, or in journalism. Mawunyo Gbogbo’s Hip Hop & Hymns recounts growing up African Australian and forging a media career via New York. Shane Jenek’s Caught in the Act charts his hard-won journey to fame as drag artist Courtney Act. Heather Mitchell’s Everything and Nothing depicts[...]

One of the great Australian writers, Don Watson has done much to hold a mirror up to the nation. His latest title, The Passion of Private White, tells the true story of an anthropologist and Vietnam veteran, Neville White who has devoted fifty years to the Yolngu clans of the Donydji homeland in north-east Arnhem Land;[...]

Home cooking is at the heart of our food cultures and brings a comfort that can satisfy our physical and emotional needs. Join a panel of celebrated chefs and writers as they discuss their own home cooking, compare comfort dishes and consider the rich conversation between time-honoured ways of preparing meals and the sometimes-showy food[...]

Admonished or admired for their moxie, ‘difficult women’ make themselves heard, challenge the status quo and shun gendered notions of niceness. In this panel event, two authors reflect on the difficult women who grace the pages of their books, sometimes with no grace at all. What makes these characters so striking? And why do we[...]

Bestselling author Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai and debut Australian author André Dao come together to discuss their new books in which the tumult of Vietnamese history converges with the present day. The follow-up to The Mountains Sing, Quế Mai’s Dust Child is a suspenseful saga of family secrets, hidden trauma and the overriding power of forgiveness. André’s Anam moves through[...]

Trinidadian-British poet, novelist and musician Anthony Joseph was awarded the prestigious T.S. Eliot Prize in 2022 for Sonnets for Albert. A series of elegies to his mostly absent father, it explores the wider edges of Caribbean masculinity, loss and longing, drawing praise from the judges as “a luminous collection which celebrates humanity in all its contradictions[...]

Award-winning journalist Kate Legge discusses her search for answers after she learned of her husband’s affair, as chronicled in her memoir, Infidelity and Other Affairs. She reflects on a journey that led to the discovery of a fault line of betrayal spanning generations, and the ensuing path to healing. Kate is in conversation with Ailsa[...]

Can’t get enough romance literature in your life? Join bestselling historical fantasy romance author Freya Marske (A Restless Truth), acclaimed debut novelist Saman Shad (The Matchmaker) and Wiradjuri councillor turned fiction-writer Yvonne Weldon (Sixty-Seven Days) for a panel event that reveals the thrills, spills and secrets of penning page-turning love stories that bring fresh life[...]

In the inspiring field guide to dropping out of the attention economy, How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy, artist and The New York Times–bestselling author Jenny Odell extolled the value of rest as resistance in a culture that always expects us to be productive. In conversation with Jess Scully she takes the discussion further and[...]

After penning the Pulitzer Prize–winning novels The Underground Railroad and The Nickel Boys, American author Colson Whitehead set out to write a trilogy of stories centred on a furniture salesman-turned-crook named Ray Carney. The first in the series, Harlem Shuffle, is a hugely entertaining tale of race, power and the history of New York in the guise of a[...]

Although many of us are lucky enough to eat well, we live in a food system that is broken. Ultra-processed products abound, food workers are exploited, hunger coexists with massive food waste, and farming methods have toxic consequences. Hear from a panel of inspiring advocates as they consider solutions to these problems and the path[...]

Hear from a panel of speakers whose works have, in different ways, illuminated Afghanistan’s kaleidoscopic past and present through war and unrest, but also through culture and community. Durkhanai Ayubi shares her family’s food, heritage and culture in Parwana. Zaheda Ghani speaks to her debut novel Pomegranate & Fig, a story of tradition, family, war and displacement.[...]

RBG: Of Many, One playwright and lawyer Suzie Miller (Prima Facie) read her way into Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s character and intellect via hundreds of pages of cases and judgements. To bring her to the stage, actor Heather Mitchell (Everything and Nothing) even brushed her teeth ‘as Ruth would’. Find out more about the alchemy that brought[...]

Biographies of public figures are perennially popular with readers eager to gain insight into the lives and legacies of political leaders and media titans. But are they beholden to scandals and scoops, or can they bring valuable perspectives to historic events and how we see ourselves as a nation? Hear from Paddy Manning, Niki Savva[...]

Regarded as one the great Sri Lankan novelists, Shehan Karunatilaka won the 2022 Booker Prize for his epic, searing and darkly funny satire The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida. Narrated by the ghost of a gay atheist photojournalist, it follows a week in the afterlife in which he reckons with his sexual escapades, a gambling habit,[...]

Jane Harper has been hailed “the queen of outback noir” (The Sunday Times) for a string of crime novels that have sold more than 3 million copies in 40 territories worldwide. Her latest book, Exiles, brings back federal policeman Aaron Falk, who was first introduced in The Dry. He investigates the disappearance of a woman from a[...]

Two-time world debating champion Bo Seo and former High Court justice Michael Kirby examine how we might better listen to and disagree with each other in an era of increasingly harsh and divisive discourse. They discuss Bo’s new book, Good Arguments, part memoir of how he discovered the art of debating as a shy, conflict-adverse child,[...]

How is fiction evolving with our times? Is the novel a vulnerable art or more vital than ever? Could AI one day pen a masterpiece or do our storytellers guard an inimitable craft? Join some of the leading names in literature today – Eleanor Catton, Richard Flanagan, Tracey Lien and Colson Whitehead – for a[...]

We are fascinated by stories of crime and how they unfold. There are no finer narrators of such stories than legendary author Helen Garner and The Teacher’s Pet podcaster Hedley Thomas, whose work explores the link between confronting terrible things that happen and the people who are involved. They sit down with Sarah Krasnostein to explore the[...]

With effects rippling into the present, the Sri Lankan Civil War, lasting more than 25 years from the early 1980s until 2009, has found an important place in our current cultural canon. Join lawyer and novelist of Song of the Sun God and Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens, Shankari Chandran, author of Booker Prize–winning The Seven Moons[...]

Culinary icons Stephanie Alexander AO and Maggie Beer have inspired generations of home cooks and fundamentally transformed how we think about food. They reflect on their decades-long friendship, and their partnership in running a cooking school for Australians in a medieval villa in Italy. They also talk about their influential books on preparing, cooking and[...]

In a special series of events, Your Favourites’ Favourites sees one of our most beloved writers speak with a breakout Australian author from the past year. Join popular writer and broadcaster Benjamin Law as he chats with Tracey Lien, a southwestern Sydney–raised, Brooklyn-based reporter and debut novelist of All That’s Left Unsaid. Set in 1990s[...]

Australian novelist Pip Williams drew wide acclaim for her bestselling debut, The Dictionary of Lost Words, “a marvellous fiction about the power of language to elevate or repress” (Geraldine Brooks). Her new novel, The Bookbinder of Jericho, covers similar terrain, with the story of a young British woman working in a book bindery who gets a chance[...]

Relive all the thrills and spills of the past year in Australian politics with veteran journo Barrie Cassidy and his hand-picked squad of the country’s sharpest pundits. From ScoMo’s secret ministries to the climate reckoning of the Teal wave and the verdict on Labor’s first year in office, it’s all up for dissection as they[...]

Celebrated actor Sam Neill shares stories from his memoir Did I Ever Tell You This, a wild and witty account of a career in film and TV spanning half a century. From his early days in amateur Shakespeare productions in New Zealand to leading roles in movies such as My Brilliant Career, Jurassic Park and[...]

Four favourite writers come together to give the lowdown on having their works adapted into TV shows and movies and adapting the work of others. Hear from Eleanor Catton, whose novels The Rehearsal and The Luminaries have made their way to the screen; Holly Ringland, whose bestseller The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart is being[...]

Asma Khan, the Indian-British chef, restaurateur and star of Netflix’s Chef’s Table, shares culinary memories and treasured recipes from her book Ammu. Well-known for her all-female kitchen team and her commitment to social change, Asma speaks with Annabel Crabb about a cook book that is a joyful celebration of heritage, of slow-cooked dishes passed through generations,[...]

Whether in his magical realist tale of climate crisis The Living Sea of Waking Dreams or Booker Prize–winning window into the cruelty of war, The Narror Road to the Deep North, Australian novelist Richard Flanagan has used fiction to explore some of the great topics of our time. In his engrossing Closing Night Address, Richard[...]

Former prime minister Julia Gillard deep dives into her new book with Indira Naidoo. Not Now, Not Ever celebrates 10 years since Julia clapped back at misogyny with a speech in Parliament that continues to echo through the years. What inspired her words? What progress has been made since then? And what does future look[...]

From Pulitzer Prize–winning author and journalist Geraldine Brooks, Horse is a historical saga of spirit, obsession and injustice. With the moral complexity of her novel March and a multi-stranded plot reminiscent of People of the Book, she explores the true tale of one of America’s greatest racehorses while reckoning with the corrosive legacy of slavery[...]

With the campaign for a First Nations Voice to Parliament in full swing, leading First Nations thinkers Stan Grant and Teela Reid ask whether we are entering a new era for Australian democracy. Are we ready to speak and hear the truth about history as we move into the future? Two storytellers with different experiences[...]

What will a Voice to Parliament actually mean? Indigenous leader Thomas Mayo and legendary journalist Kerry O'Brien have worked together to write an accessible and engaging guide to this important question. Whether you want to understand more about the Voice in the lead-up to the referendum, or would like some clear answers to share in conversation with loved ones,[...]

"…it’s also a question of thinking about what lies ahead and what is the history behind it." Ann Mossop, Artistic Director of Sydney Writers' Festival Join Annabel Crabb and Artistic Director Ann Mossop as they discuss the 2023 Sydney Writers’ Festival program. The pair talk about the 2023 Festival theme, Stories For The Future, and[...]

Join acclaimed Australian authors Jennifer Down and Hannah Kent as they discuss their immersive and lyrical novels that find beauty and hope amid tragedy. Praised as “mesmerising, brutal and unforgettable” (Sydney Morning Herald), Jennifer’s Bodies of Light traces a woman’s quest to forge a meaningful life after overcoming cycles of abuse and trauma. Hannah’s Devotion is a historical queer[...]

If creativity and building a cultural and intellectual contribution are difficult undertakings, does doing it in collaboration with another person make it easier or harder? Whether making a podcast, writing a book or building a following are two heads better than one? With their acclaimed podcast, Ladies, We Need to Talk Yumi Stynes and Claudine[...]

Of the (many) exhausting things about social media, one of the most tedious is the self-appointed authorities spouting armchair commentary on any and every subject, all while experts are increasingly degraded or ignored in our politics and media. From climate science to historical knowledge, if expert findings don’t suit a certain political narrative, they’re ultimately[...]

Generations of inertia on the climate crisis, entrenched political partisanship and a public sphere defined by the volume of opinions rather than the willingness to listen means changing minds is a big ask. But from teachers to activists, artists and corporations, a huge effort has gone into trying to effect real change. What tools of[...]

In these uncertain times we live in, how exactly are we meant to make up our minds? New York Times Australian Bureau Chief and author of Into the Rip, Damien Cave; philosopher, science writer and author of How We Became Human, Tim Dean; and cognitive neuropsychologist Muireann Irish discuss what drives us to action. How[...]

In award-winning writer Fiona Murphy’s (The Shape of Sound) first year of work as a physiotherapist, a patient asked her: “How does it feel to be nothing more than a glorified walking stick?” In some ways the work of a physiotherapist appears passive – congenial, even, involving gentle walks and small talk. But they are[...]

William Shakespeare has long been regarded as one of the greatest writers in the English language, but have we heard enough from The Bard? Is it time we prioritised other writers? Wirlomin Noongar writer and poet Claire G. Coleman (Lies, Damned Lies: A personal exploration of the impact of colonisation) contends that Shakespeare’s work lacks[...]

The authors of two of 2022's most atmospheric historical fiction novels come together to discuss their books which trace compelling family dramas in richly-drawn settings from Western Australia to Iceland. Emily Brugman’s The Islands follows the sweeping story of the Saari family, a small group of Finnish migrants who come to find a new home on[...]

We’re living in an attention economy, but some of us are paying a steeper price than others. Being disabled or chronically ill means navigating a world not designed for you and having no choice but to always pay attention. 2022 Sydney Writers’ Festival Guest Curator Fiona Murphy asks: what if we flipped the equation and[...]

The authors of two of 2022's most anticipated releases, Arab-Australian writers Omar Sakr and George Haddad, come together to discuss their debut novels about family, history and identity, and Western Sydney. Omar’s Son of Sin is a story of growing up queer and Muslim that illuminates the bonds that bind families, and how they can break.[...]

Published by SBS Voices and Sweatshop: Western Sydney Literacy Movement, ‘Straight-up Islander’ is Australia’s first online collection from writers with specific ancestral ties to the many islands and oceanways that make up the South Pacific Ocean. As Australia’s closest neighbours, we have a long and complicated history together: from the brunt of brownface humour to slavery and[...]

In this special event, Sweatshop: Western Sydney Literacy Movement celebrates the release of BLACKLIGHT, an anthology showcasing 10 years of First Nations storytelling from Western Sydney and beyond. Join a panel of First Nations writers as they delve deep into the art, history and soul of Black and Brown literature in Australia. Featuring Travis De Vries,[...]

“Poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world,” Percy Bysshe Shelley once mused. His famous epithet resonates today as readers turn to a new generation of poets who are bringing rhyme and reason to bear on thorny ideas and urgent emotions in uncertain times. In this special event, the poets behind some of 2022's most[...]

“10 September 1996: Pauline Hanson delivered her maiden speech, and I lost all faith in Australian politics. 20 August 2018: Mehreen Faruqi was sworn in as the first Muslim Senator to join the Upper House, and my faith was finally restored." – Michael Mohammed AhmadMiles Franklin–shortlisted author Michael Mohammed Ahmad (The Other Half of You)[...]

The new books from acclaimed journalists Antoinette Lattouf (How to Lose Friends and Influence White People) and Amy Remeikis (On Reckoning) each draw on their personal and professional insights into challenging structural power. They come together to discuss their work: Antoinette on how to make a difference when championing change and racial equality with witty[...]

The newest works of non-fiction by Australian writers Delia Falconer and Indira Naidoo offer deeply personal and profound meditations on our relationship with the natural world. Delia’s Signs and Wonders explores how it feels to live as a reader, writer, mother and lover of nature in an era of extreme ecological change. Indira’s The Space Between the Stars[...]

Louisa Lim and Kylie Moore-Gilbert come together to discuss the complexities of power, persecution and freedom. Louisa’s Indelible City: Dispossession and Defiance in Hong Kong is a deeply researched and personal account of Hong Kong, its people and the untold history they are claiming. Kylie’s The Uncaged Sky: My 804 days in an Iranian prison is the gripping[...]

From the soapbox to the stage, carefully crafted speeches have inspired and persuaded minds throughout the ages. As we lose faith in our leaders and the institutions of civil society cede their moral authority, we gather a group of stirring orators to recreate their favourite moments of speechifying – from the worlds of politics and[...]

Too often our notions of life outside Australia’s capital cities are that it is monochrome and homogenous. The Growing Up In Country Australia anthology offers a fresh, modern, and at times surprising look at country life today, bringing together the perspectives of established and emerging writers. Join the collection’s editor, prize-winning One Hundred Years of[...]

[Content warning: Sensitive themes including suicide] Two fascinating non-fiction works explore our relationship to life, our bodies and mortality itself. In Bedtime Story, Chloe Hooper looks to classics by the likes of Brothers Grimm and JRR Tolkien to teach her own children about grief and resilience after her partner falls seriously ill. In her essay[...]

With so much concern around silencing and censorship in contemporary discourse, it’s hard to think of any one element that has a greater impact on what can and can’t be said in Australia than our defamation laws. No matter how much of an idiot **REDACTED** might be, or however well founded the allegations against **REDACTED**[...]

Two extraordinary writers of short fiction come together to discuss crafting fully realised worlds that capture our interest over just a few pages. Patrick White Literary Award winner Tony Birch’s latest collection of short stories (Dark as Last Night) captures the humanity and humour of kids toughened beyond their years on the edges of society.[...]

This All Come Back Now is the first anthology of speculative fiction by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander writers, spanning bush horror, ghost stories, time travel and post-human futures. Hear from a panel of contributors as they discuss how their work is rooted in Indigenous ways of being, knowing and becoming, and what the toolkit[...]

Booker Prize-winning British author Julian Barnes returns to Sydney Writers’ Festival to introduce his latest novel, Elizabeth Finch. Charting the story of a remarkable teacher through the recollections of a former student, the book has been hailed as a loving tribute to philosophy, a careful evaluation of history and an invitation to think for ourselves.[...]

Two beloved figures in Australian media come together to discuss their hopeful and heartfelt new memoirs that excavate the struggles and secrets of their youth. Funkytown charts ABC journalist Paul Kennedy’s path to redemption as a promising young AFL player who lost his way to drinking, brawling and a faulty notion of what it means to be[...]

A hot new novel can keep you turning the pages late into the night, but a different – and some may argue, greater – pleasure comes from the act of re-reading. Whether it’s returning to a classic and seeing its humour in a fresh light, or expecting to be swept off your feet by a[...]

When it comes to crime fiction, mothers are too often cast as one-dimensional, tragic or hysterical minor players. Shaking up the tired tropes, gripping new novels by Jane Caro (The Mother), Dinuka McKenzie (The Torrent) and Laura Elizabeth Woollett (The Newcomer) unfold through the eyes of complex, deftly drawn mothers pushed to their limits absolving,[...]

From Siri to medical devices, technology and AI are helping us navigate daily life with greater efficiency and ease. But on the flip side, instances of algorithm bias, questions around who is collecting our data and for what ends, and fears about how technology is degrading public discourse are bringing into focus pressing new ethical[...]

Many classic crime and thriller reads centre around uncovering long-held secrets or investigating cold cases, but what new terrors are right here in our present-day? Here are three writers of gripping novels that highlight the frightening possibilities of the present and what untold fears await us in the near future. Hear from Tim Ayliffe (The[...]

Holding together a family in the face of life’s disappointments and let-downs has long been the stuff of literature; as farce, drama, comedy or tragedy. Paddy O’Reilly’s Other Houses follows Lily and Janks as they struggle pay-day to pay-day to try to offer their daughter the future they dream of. Toni Jordan’s Dinner with the Schnabels tracks Simon’s[...]

Bestselling novelist Hannah Kent (Devotion) speaks with SJ Norman about Permafrost, SJ's debut collection of short fiction that updates the gothic and romantic literary traditions. Sydney Writers' Festival podcasts are available on all major podcast platforms. If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and subscribe to our channel.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Concerns about cultural appropriation and authenticity – about who gets to tell a story, and who owns it – now dominate conversations about literary endeavour and value. Booker Prize–winner Damon Galgut (The Promise), Larissa Behrendt (After Story) and Paige Clark (She Is Haunted) join host Sisonke Msimang to ask: what are the responsibilities and opportunities[...]

With an unexpected turn of phrase or lyrical twist, poetry can surprise, thrill and invite readers to make meaning from between the lines. Hear from acclaimed Australian artists and writers Maxine Beneba Clarke and Omar Musa as they discuss their electrifying new poetry collections, which upend conventional wisdom about colonial history, climate change and our[...]

Booker-shortlisted author Steve Toltz discusses his newest work, Here Goes Nothing, with acclaimed author Sarah Krasnostein. As wildly inventive and savagely funny as his first two books, Quicksand and A Fraction of the Whole, Here Goes Nothing is a razor-sharp take on love, mortality and the afterlife. He shares common ground with Sarah, whose book The Believer explores the universal[...]

Nobody who has listened to Martha Wainwright's music could be in any doubt of her powerful voice, her blistering honesty and her disarming humanity. Her memoir, Stories I Might Regret Telling You, is one to excite established fans and lovers of graceful, candid writing alike. From her childhood amongst musical royalty – daughter to folk[...]

Every new book comes with a host of wildly enthusiastic quotes from early readers hailing the author and/or their work as The Next Big Thing. But what does this hype mean for readers hoping to find their next read? Enter the discerning literary critic, whose expert distillation of a book’s composition helps us to read[...]

Senator Mehreen Faruqi reflects on the hypocrisies and double standards of freedom of speech in Australia. The toxic forces of racism, xenophobia and anti-migrant hostilities, which were heightened during the pandemic, dictate who can and can’t freely express themselves. These forces shape public debate, exclude marginalised voices and consolidate the power of the already powerful.[...]

With leaders who claim to be handpicked by God and ongoing debate over religious freedoms, the separation of church and state in Australia is murkier than ever. What roles do faith and religion play in the leadership, governance and decision-making of our political figures? Can the messages of charity and kindness in scripture benefit the[...]

Having penned two of the past year’s most acclaimed novels, Miles Allinson and Emily Bitto come together to discuss their stories of characters searching for identity and meaning within fractured realities. Miles talks about In Moonland, a family portrait of three generations that stretches from the wild idealism of the 70s to the fragile hopes[...]

Eminent First Nations writers Jackie Huggins and Chelsea Watego discuss their seminal collections that confront vital questions about this country’s past and present. Jackie’s anthology Sister Girl represents decades of writing by the historian and activist, offering deep insight into the history, values and struggles of Indigenous peoples, and her biography of her father Jack[...]

In an era of climate crisis, we consider ways to protect land and Country. Campaigns to confront climate change speak of renewable energy sources and an ending of fossil fuel mining. But what of the inherent values of Country? Are we humble enough to accept its right to autonomy? 2022 Festival Guest Curator Tony Birch[...]

Among the individuals who shape our creative, imaginative and personal selves, the influence and lasting impact of writers, artists and thinkers is irrefutable. So, in this special remembrance of writers past, Festival guests pay tribute to icons lost in the past year, eulogising and celebrating those giants in the sky. With Jackie Huggins (Sister Girl)[...]

Brendan Cowell and Trent Dalton have written two of the year’s most heartfelt and moving books. Brendan chats about Plum, his raucous novel of a fast-living former NRL player who is unexpectedly plunged into a quest for self-care and self-discovery. Trent shares how he hit the streets to speak with strangers when collating Love Stories,[...]

Winner of the 2021 Booker Prize, Damon Galgut, discusses his novel The Promise: a menacing and at times mordantly funny drama that charts the deep hurts and injustices of South Africa’s past and present. It was hailed by Booker judges as “a spectacular demonstration of how the novel can make us see and think afresh”.[...]

Hear from the winner of the 2022 Stella Prize, Evelyn Araluen, who took home the award for her groundbreaking poetry collection, Dropbear. Described by 2022 Stella Prize judge Melissa Lucashenko as "a breathtaking collection of poetry and short prose which arrests key icons of mainstream Australian culture and turns them inside out," Dropbear has received[...]

Beloved Australian journalist and writer Annabel Crabb (The Wife Drought) sits down with Al Campbell to discuss her dazzling debut, The Keepers. “Ever since I read The Keepers, Al Campbell’s debut novel, I’ve been unable to stop thinking about it.” – Annabel Crabb This event was part of the Your Favourites' Favourites series, in which[...]