Megan Brown and Lucy Sussex, authors of Outrageous Fortunes will be in conversation with Dr Meg Atsker. 

Outrageous Fortunes is the gripping story of Australia’s first female crime writer and her career-criminal son.

When Mary Fortune arrived in Melbourne with her infant son in 1855, she was determined to reinvent herself. The Victorian goldfields were just the place.

After a time selling sly grog and a bigamous marriage to a policeman, Mary became a pioneering journalist and author. The Detective’s Album was the first book of detective stories to be published in Australia and the first by a woman to be published anywhere in the world. Her work appeared in magazines and newspapers for over forty years – but none of her readers knew who she was. She wrote using pseudonyms, often adopting the voice of a male narrator to write about ‘unladylike’ subjects.

When Mary died in 1911, her identity was nearly lost. In Outrageous Fortunes, Megan Brown and Lucy Sussex retrieve Fortune’s astonishing career and discover an equally absorbing story in her illegitimate son, George. While Mary was writing crime, George was committing it, with convictions for theft and bank robbery. In their intertwined stories, crime fiction meets true crime, and Melbourne’s literary bohemia consorts with the criminal underworld.

$10 per person plus booking fee & gst includes light refreshment. All proceeds go to the Ballaarat Mechanics’ Institute to support the staging of our author events.

The gripping story of Australia’s first female crime writer and her career-criminal son.

When Mary Fortune arrived in Melbourne with her infant son in 1855, she was determined to reinvent herself. The Victorian goldfields were just the place.

After a time selling sly grog and a bigamous marriage to a policeman, Mary became a pioneering journalist and author. The Detective’s Album was the first book of detective stories to be published in Australia and the first by a woman to be published anywhere in the world. Her work appeared in magazines and newspapers for over forty years – but none of her readers knew who she was. She wrote using pseudonyms, often adopting the voice of a male narrator to write about ‘unladylike’ subjects.

When Mary died in 1911, her identity was nearly lost. In Outrageous Fortunes, Megan Brown and Lucy Sussex retrieve Fortune’s astonishing career and discover an equally absorbing story in her illegitimate son, George. While Mary was writing crime, George was committing it, with convictions for theft and bank robbery. In their intertwined stories, crime fiction meets true crime, and Melbourne’s literary bohemia consorts with the criminal underworld.

Fortune tackled subjects such as murder, armed robbery, bootlegging, and sexual violence with a frankness unprecedented for a woman in the 19th century, in styles ranging from melodrama and Gothic horror to social realism and what is now called noir. If you would like to read some of these pioneering stories alongside Outrageous Fortunes, you’re in luck. Nothing But Murders brings together a collection of 17 of her finest stories, edited and introduced by Sussex and Brown, and restores her to her rightful place as a major crime writer. A limited number of copies of this book will also be available at the event.

Megan Brown completed her PhD at the University of Wollongong, examining the work of Mary Fortune. She has contributed chapters to The Routledge Companion to Australian Literature and The Unsocial Sociability of Women’s Life Writing.

Lucy Sussex’s books include Blockbuster! Fergus Hume and The Mystery of a Hansom Cab, which won the 2015 Victorian Community History Award, Women Writers and Detectives in the Nineteenth Century and Saltwater in the Ink: Voices from the Australian Seas. She has a PhD from the University of Wales and is an honorary fellow at La Trobe University.

Join Megan and Lucy at the Afterword Cafe. Tickets include a glass of wine or soft drink.

Join award-winning climate scientist and author Dr Joëlle Gergis as she chats about her Quarterly Essay, Highway to Hell: climate change and Australia's future.

Dr Joëlle Gergis is an internationally recognised expert in Australian and Southern Hemisphere climate variability and change. She served as a lead author on the latest United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on the Climate Change’s Sixth Assessment Report – global review of climate change science, which is regarded as the international authority on climate.

As well as scientific publications, Joëlle has written books and essays that combine personal reflection with critical climate insights, including Humanity's Moment: a climate scientist's case for hope (published 2022) and Highway to Hell: climate change and Australia's future June 2024, Quarterly Essay).

During the author talk, Joëlle will be in conversation with local academic, Dr Bonnie McBain, Associate Professor at School of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Newcastle. Come along and hear about Joëlle's journey from climate research to climate communication.

Copies of the Quarterly Essay Highway to Hell: climate change and Australia's future and the recently republished Humanity's moment: a climate scientist's case for hope will be available for purchase.

Light refreshments will be provided.

This author talk is being presented by Lake Macquarie City Council as part of its inaugural Thought Leader Program.

Australia’s favourite financial journalist, Alan Kohler, has much to say about the country’s enduring housing crisis and the solutions we need. He shares the thinking in his book The Great Divide with Richard Denniss.

Alan Kohler is the Editor in Chief of InvestSMART group, and founder of The Constant Investor which was sold to InvestSMART in December 2018. Alan is also currently business editor at large of The Australian, finance presenter on ABC News and adjunct professor in the business faculty of Victoria University. Apart from all that, Alan enjoys being part of a monthly book club and walking Maisy the Labrador along the beach. His new book The Great Divide tackles Australia’s housing crisis.

Richard Denniss is the Executive Director at The Australia Institute. He is a prominent Australian economist, author and public policy commentator. He was previously senior strategic adviser to Australian Greens leader Bob Brown and was also chief of staff to Natasha Stott-Despoja, former leader of the Australian Democrats. He writes columns in the Australian Financial Review and The Guardian, as well as regular essays for The Monthly, and has published six books. 

The influence of the gas and coal industry on our politicians and policymakers is an open secret in Australia. What is less well understood is why this small industry, with little economic significance, wields such apparent power and how easy it would be to free our democracy from its grip. Polly Hemming, Royce Kurmelovs, Ross Garnaut and Sarah Hanson-Young talk through the issues with chair Natasha Mitchell.

Growing Up Indian in Australia is a vibrant anthology celebrating the diverse experiences of the Indian diaspora in Australian, including reflections on identity, culture, family, food, and expectations. Join us for an author talk with two of the contributing writers, Daizy Maan and Preeti Maharaj.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS:
Daizy Maan is the founder of the Australian South Asian Centre and has served on multiple boards, including a publicly listed company board and led Deakin University's flagship startup & entrepreneurship program and later University of Melbourne's. She is also the producer of Brown Women Comedy at Melbourne International Comedy Festival and advocates for diversity in the arts. She is proudly Punjabi-Australian and lives in Melbourne.

Preeti Maharaj was born in Fiji. She is the descendent of Girmityas, who were indentured labourers taken from India to work in sugar cane fields of Fiji by the British. She emigrated to Australia with her family when she was twelve after two military coups. She remains eternally grateful to her ancestors for their tenacity and fortitude.

Join us to hear from contributors Daizy Maan, Natasha Pinto and Tasneem Chopra, three Australian-Indian writers, and contributors to the anthology Growing up Indian in Australia.

This colourful, energetic anthology offers reflections on identity, culture, family, food and expectations, ultimately revealing deep truths about both Australian and Indian life.

Come along for an evening of conversation, celebration and contemplation of the experiences and vibrant diversity of our speakers.

Growing Up Indian in Australia is a powerful and celebratory exploration of the vibrant diversity within the Australian-Indian community. This colourful, energetic anthology offers reflections on identity, culture, family, food and expectations, ultimately revealing deep truths about both Australian and Indian life.

Join influential curator, speaker, and advocate Daizy Maan as she speaks about her contribution. 

Investigative journalist Jess Hill shares what she found about Australia's National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children, and discusses her new Quarterly Essay Losing It: Can We Stop Violence Against Women and Children?

Hamish McDonald's Melanesia is an immersive journey through the tumultuous past and fascinating present of Australia's nearest neighbours.

On Tuesday 18th March at The Royal Oak, Balmain, join Hamish McDonald in conversation with Oliver Nobetau.

Copies of Melanesia: Travels in Black Oceania will be available for purchase at the venue through Roaring Stories, with McDonald signing copies after the discussion.

Join us for the Brisbane launch of Jess Hill's Quarterly Essay Losing It. Jess will be joined in conversation by Kathleen Noonan.

The evening will raise money for Second Chance Programme. 

ABOUT THE BOOK

What will it take to stop gendered violence?

Australian governments have promised to end gendered violence in a single generation. But this bold commitment to nation building has not yet been matched by the funding, innovation and resources necessary to achieve it. If anything, since governments made that commitment two years ago, gendered violence has only escalated: men are murdering women at an increased rate, coercive control and sexual violence are becoming more complex and severe, and governments are not doing nearly enough to stop perpetrators weaponising technology and systems. Australians have taken to the streets again this year to demand that governments act.

In this urgent essay, Jess Hill investigates Australia's National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children to find out what's working and what's not – and what we can do to turn things around

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jess Hill is an investigative journalist and the author of See What You Made Me Do and the Quarterly Essay The Reckoning. She has been a producer for ABC Radio and journalist for Background Briefing, and Middle East correspondent for The Global Mail. Her reporting on domestic abuse has won two Walkley awards, an Amnesty International award and three Our Watch awards. See What You Made Me Do won the 2020 Stella Prize and the ABA Booksellers’ Choice Adult Non-Fiction Book of the Year.

Meet three of the brilliant voices behind Growing Up Indian in Australia and hear their stories: editor Aarti Betigeri and contributors Daizy Maan and Priya Saratchandran.

Indian-Australian is not a one-size-fits-all descriptor. Given the depth and richness of diversity of the Indian subcontinent, it is fitting that its diaspora is similarly varied.

Growing Up Indian in Australia reflects and celebrates this vibrant diversity. It features contributions from Australian-Indian writers, both established and emerging, who hail from a wide range of backgrounds, religions and experiences. This colourful, energetic anthology offers reflections on identity, culture, family, food and expectations, ultimately revealing deep truths about both Australian and Indian life.

Growing Up Indian in Australia is a colourful, energetic anthology offering reflections on identity, culture, family, food and expectations, ultimately revealing deep truths about both Australian and Indian life.

Join contributer Daizy Maan as part of our Hamony Week celebrations for this engaging discussion at Frankston Library. Tickets are free!
 

Kate Grenville has often drawn inspiration from her family history for her writing. In her new memoir, Unsettled: A Journey Through Time and Place, she revisits her family story and repositions First Peoples within it. In conversation with Jason Steger, she will reassess both her own and Australia’s history of colonisation.
 

It’s time for truth-telling. Author Kate Grenville (Unsettled: A Journey Through Time and Place), author Jane Harrison (The Visitors), and historians Clare Wright (Näku Dhäruk: The Bark Petitions) and Amanda Laugesen (Australia in 100 Words) will explore the reality behind Australia’s colonial myths in an enlightening session with Barry Golding.
 

Jess Hill will be in conversation with Hayley Boxall on Jess's new Quarterly Essay Losing It. 

What will it take to stop gendered violence? Australian governments have promised to end gendered violence in a single generation. But this bold commitment to nation building has not yet been matched by the funding, innovation and resources necessary to achieve it. If anything, since governments made that commitment two years ago, gendered violence has only escalated: men are murdering women at an increased rate, coercive control and sexual violence are becoming more complex and severe, and governments are not doing nearly enough to stop perpetrators weaponising technology and systems. Australians have taken to the streets again this year to demand that governments act.

In this urgent essay, Jess Hill investigates Australia's National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children to find out what's working and what's not – and what we can do to turn things around.

Join us to hear Hamish McDonald in conversation with Professor Michael Wesley

Stretching from Fiji in the east to New Guinea in the west, Melanesia is astonishingly diverse. Its islands are home to some 1,200 language groups, many of them still isolated from the outside world. In Australia, this complex region tends to make the news only in times of crisis- military coups in Fiji, Kanak unrest in New Caledonia, rioting in Solomon Islands. Hamish McDonald's Melanesia offers readers a deeper insight into the people and places behind these headlines, combining travelogue, history and astute political analysis.

Free, but bookings are essential.

In Australian Gospel: A Family Saga, acclaimed author Lech Blaine explores the fraught intersections of faith, family, and identity in a gripping memoir. On one side, Michael and Mary Shelley are devout fundamentalist Christians who reject what they see as the indulgences of Australian culture—sports, swearing, and alcohol. On the other, Lenore and Tom Blaine are publicans with a raucous, rugby leagueobsessed household, raising both their biological and foster kids, including Lech himself. This sensational tale, woven with Blaine’s signature wit and keen insight, chronicles these two families’ profound tensions and unexpected connections. It is a story of love, loyalty, and the clash of worldviews, offering an unflinching look at the ties that bind and the beliefs that divide.
Host: Steve Cannane

Join us at Rowville Library for an opportunity to meet Daizy Maan, one of the voices and contributors of Growing Up Indian in Australia. This powerful anthology offers a deep exploration of identity and community, featuring vibrant stories of cultural adaptation and resilience. Don’t miss this chance to discover the rich and diverse experiences of the Australian-Indian community.

Daizy Maan is a founder, advocate and speaker. Her work focuses on empowering diverse women. She is the founder of Australian South Asian Centre - an organisation dedicated to empowering South Asian women founders, creatives and professionals. She recently produced and performed in Brown Women Comedy at Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Sydney Comedy Festival and Edinburgh Fringe. Her work has featured in SBS World News, ABC & The Age. She is proudly Punjabi-Australian and lives in Melbourne.

Almost 18 months after The Voice referendum, it is regarded as one of the key political failures of the Prime Minister and his government. We reflect on the emotional and cultural impact of this pivotal event and explore the heartbreak, resilience, and ongoing journey of Australians deeply affected by its rejection through Broken Heart by lawyer and adviser on Indigenous Constitutional recognition, Shireen Morris, and through two novels that explore the same themes: The Desert Knows Her Name by Lia Hills and The Leaves by Jacqueline Rule.
Host: Isabella Higgins 

The Indian diaspora in Australia is one of the country’s fastest-growing and most vibrant and diverse cultural groups. According to recent Australian Bureau of Statistics data, more than 700,000 Australians identify as having Indian ancestry, many of whom are first-generation migrants. Growing Up Indian in Australia, compiled by Aarti Betigeri, is a heartfelt, reflective account of navigating two worlds: the rich traditions of Indian heritage and contemporary Australian life. Betigeri and her contributors, including Manly local Sharon Verghis, capture the joys, struggles, and humour of straddling two worlds, also captured by the tales of Deep Gujral (Manjits and the Tandoor of Secrets) through his experience as a Sikh child at one of Sydney’s most conservative private boys’ schools to an event and restaurant enterprise catering largely, but not exclusively, to the Australian Indian community.
Host: Summer Land

Two deeply personal journeys that explore episodic mental health breakdowns, the path to recovery, and achieving a new equilibrium. Psychologist Ariane Beeston (Because I’m Not Myself, You See) provides an intimate look at her struggles with post-partum depression and hallucinations. Craig Semple (Getting Back Up Again) shares his experience after dealing with post-traumatic stress and severe depression following 25 years as a detective. Together, their memoirs illuminate what is needed to confront unexpected and unforeseen challenges and the courage to rebuild a fulfilling life.
Host: Tracey Kirkland

A thought-provoking discussion that unpacks how pivotal political events—like the rise of autocrats and the shifting power in Eurasia—are transforming geopolitical relationships and the world order as we know it. Our expert panel will delve into the profound implications of these shifts and their drivers. Drawing on their recent books and extensive political and international experience, our panellists will offer unique insights to help make sense of a rapidly changing world.
Panel: Damian Collins, Dennis Glover, Geoff Raby,
Don Watson
Host: Geraldine Doogue

Join us for a discussion with Hamish McDonald about his book Melanesia: Travels in Black Oceania.

ABOUT THE BOOK

An immersive journey through the tumultuous past and fascinating present of Australia's nearest neighbours
Stretching from Fiji in the east to New Guinea in the west, Melanesia is astonishingly diverse. Its islands are home to some 1200 language groups, many of them still isolated from the outside world. In Australia, this complex region tends to make the news only in times of crisis: military coups in Fiji, Kanak unrest in New Caledonia, rioting in Solomon Islands. Melanesia offers readers a deeper insight into the people and places behind these headlines, combining travelogue, history and astute political analysis.

By land and sea, Hamish McDonald travels from one end of Melanesia to the other. Speaking with locals from all walks of life, he uncovers the histories, values, aspirations and tensions that have shaped their communities. He examines the impact of outsiders: the Indians recruited to work in Fiji; the white "blackbirders" who kidnapped Islanders for the Australian cane fields; the Americans during World War II; the Indonesians in New Guinea. And he considers the big changes unfolding today, as shifting demographics and the growing influence of China produce a new balance of power across the region.

Vividly written, Melanesia is essential reading for anyone looking to understand this fascinating part of the world and its growing international significance.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Hamish McDonald is an award-winning Australian journalist. He has been correspondent and foreign editor for The Sydney Morning Herald and the Far Eastern Economic Review, reporting from the Pacific Islands, Indonesia, Japan, Hong Kong, New Delhi and Beijing as well as around Australia. His latest book is Melanesia: Travels in Black Oceania.

What does it really mean to ‘come of age’? Is the journey to adulthood more perilous depending on culture and circumstance? Join Dylin Hardcastle and Molly Schmidt in conversation with Benjamin Law as they tackle the big topics of identity, change, and growing up.

For decades, Newcastle was the centre of an extensive paedophile network run by members of the Anglican church – and protected by parishioners and community members who looked the other way. Anne Manne’s Crimes of the Cross is a searing exposé of institutional child abuse and a tribute to the survivors who refused to be silenced. Hosted by Jackie Dent.

Read the Room: Live Readings
Pull up a beanbag or a comfy chair and engage in the meditative enjoyment of listening to a writer read from their work.

2.00pm Jo Peck
2.20pm Naima Brown
2.40pm David Owen Kelly
3.00pm Liam Pieper
3.20pm Debra Oswald
3.40pm Khin Myint

Sponsored by Pacific Sleep.

Now, more than ever before, we seem more willing to acknowledge difficult histories in our family trees. At the same time, historians are increasingly writing about colonial violence and challenging long-held myths. What impact is this having on how we see Australia’s past, as well as our own? John Maynard, Mark Dunn, Stephen Gapps, and Kate Grenville speak with Julie McIntyre about their experiences of encountering dark moments in their research and how they’ve dealt with them in their work.

Supported by the History Council of NSW.

Words & Music
‘Music is the shorthand of emotion.’ – Leo Tolstoy

This special event returns for its third year and celebrates music, literature and the nature of inspiration. Drawing on the work of influential writers, an eclectic lineup of songwriters and musicians will transform words from the page to the stage.

Featuring ChaiChester, William Crighton, Chain Daisy, Tim McPhee, Khin Myint, Melody Pool, Ziggy Ramo, Chelsea Reed and Dave Wells and Symphony Rain Riley. Curated and hosted by Nick Milligan.

This event will be live streamed. Details for the Zoom event will be emailed to you after 8.00am AEST on the day of the event. If you have not received this information prior to the event please check your spam folder.

Supported by Practical Environmental Solutions

In his Quarterly Essay Bad Cop, which explored Peter Dutton’s rise to power, Lech Blaine pinpointed the opposition leader’s raison d’être: ‘Make Australia afraid again’. As a BBC foreign correspondent, Nick Bryant was posted in Washington, South Asia, Australia, and New York to cover the Trump years. Ahead of the federal election, they share their observations of the interplay of power and politics in Canberra as well as their predictions about where we’re headed. Hosted by Virginia Trioli.

Better Off Said: Eulogies for the Living and Dead is a spoken-word salon celebrating words, stories and human experiences. Is there someone still out there in the world waiting to hear an important message, or a time in history you wish you’d used your voice? Now is the opportunity to leave no verbal stone unturned. To find closure. To sing truth from the rooftops before it’s too late.

Festival guests Robbie Arnott, Nikki Gemmell, Sulari Gentill, and Anita Heiss will speak to the phrase “The words I wish I’d said” and deliver a living eulogy to someone or something still of this earth, to celebrate the best in our lives while we’re here to hear it. David Marr is our special guest eulogist to round out the evening.

Hosted by Emilie Zoey Baker.

Produced by Marieke Hardy.

Kate Grenville starts each book with a question. The latest one she asked is, ‘What does it mean to be on land taken from other people?’ The result is Unsettled – a book that grapples with what it means to descend from people who were, as she puts it, ‘on the sharp edge of the moving blade that was colonisation’. Kate speaks with David Marr about the pilgrimage of the past, uncovering family stories, and confronting difficult truths.

This event will be live streamed. Details for the Zoom event will be emailed to you after 8.00am AEST on the day of the event. If you have not received this information prior to the event please check your spam folder.

Family Sagas
Lech Blaine and Khin Myint grew up on opposite sides of Australia in very different families, but they have written compelling memoirs brimming with understated humour, honesty, and sharp-eyed observations. Join them for a conversation about fractured families, identity, and healing childhood trauma. Hosted by Drew Ambrose.

In this returning series of conversations, we invite authors to share how they interrogate tough topics in their writing lives. Ariane Beeston and Oceane Campbell discuss the secrets and stigma around maternal mental health, perfectionism, and society’s expectations. Hosted by Katharine Gillett.