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? At the Newcastle Writers Festival, 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 at the Newcastle Writers Festival 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.

What does it mean to be on land taken from others?

‘What does it mean to be on land that was taken from other people? Now that we know how the taking was done, what do we do with that knowledge?’

Kate Grenville is no stranger to the past. Her success and fame as a writer exploded when she published The Secret River in 2005, a bestseller based on the story of her convict ancestor, an early settler on the Hawkesbury River.

More than two decades on, and following the defeat of the Voice referendum, Grenville is still grappling 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”.

So she decides to go on a kind of pilgrimage, back through the places her family stories happened, and put the stories and the First People back into the same frame, on the same country, to try to think about those questions. This gripping book is the result of that journey.

Kate Grenville is no stranger to the past. Her success and fame as a writer exploded when she published The Secret River in 2005, a bestseller based on the story of her convict ancestor, an early settler on the Hawkesbury River.

More than two decades on, and following the defeat of the Voice referendum, Grenville is still grappling 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”.

So she decides to go on a kind of pilgrimage, back through the places her family stories happened, and put the stories and the First People back into the same frame, on the same country, to try to think about those questions. This gripping book is the result of that journey.

Kate Grenville will be in conversation with Professor Larissa Behrendt AO.

Hear from one of Australia’s leading political analysts as he unpacks how Australians are thinking, feeling and voting, now and into the future. Using demographic and social research data and drawing from his latest Quarterly Essay, Minority Report, George Megalogenis explores shifting electoral dynamics and the possibilities offered by minority government to re-engage and reinvigorate Australia’s democracy. This session will be moderated by The Age columnist and former political advisor, Sean Kelly.

Kate Grenville will be in conversation with Ann McGrath on her new book Unsettled: A Journey Through Time and Place for ANU's Meet The Author event.

What does it mean to be on land taken from others? ‘What does it mean to be on land that was taken from other people? Now that we know how the taking was done, what do we do with that knowledge?’

Kate Grenville is no stranger to the past. Her success and fame as a writer exploded when she published The Secret River in 2005, a bestseller based on the story of her convict ancestor, an early settler on the Hawkesbury River.

More than two decades on, and following the defeat of the Voice referendum, Grenville is still grappling 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”.

So she decides to go on a kind of pilgrimage, back through the places her family stories happened, and put the stories and the First People back into the same frame, on the same country, to try to think about those questions. This gripping book is the result of that journey.

Kate Grenville is one of Australia's most celebrated writers. Kate will be in conversation with multiple award-winning writer, Jock Serong.

‘What does it mean to be on land that was taken from other people? Now that we know how the taking was done, what do we do with that knowledge?’

Kate Grenville is no stranger to the past. Her success and fame as a writer exploded when she published The Secret River in 2005, a bestseller based on the story of her convict ancestor, an early settler on the Hawkesbury River.

More than two decades on, and following the defeat of the Voice referendum, Grenville is still grappling 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”.

So she decides to go on a kind of pilgrimage, back through the places her family stories happened, and put the stories and the First People back into the same frame, on the same country, to try to think about those questions.

This gripping book is the result of that journey.

Tickets $20 or $10 for Geelong Regional Library Corporation Members.

If you need any assistance in order to participate in this event, please contact [email protected] at least two weeks prior to the event date.

Book sales and author signings will be offered at this event.

Does history repeat? And if so, should we be nervous? A panel discussion with Judith Brett, Dennis Glover and Don Watson moderated by Tom Wright

Does history repeat? And if so, should we be nervous? Panel discussion with Judith Brett, Dennis Glover and Don Watson moderated by Tom Wright.

Meet my family — memoir writers discuss how their own tribe’s story became a good book. A panel discussion with Christabel Blackman, Lech Blaine and Samah Sabawi moderated by Jane Hone.

Migration Stories In The Round
How human journeys impact storytelling with Jumaana Abdu, Aarti Betigeri (Moderator), Melanie Cheng and Samah Sabawi.

It’s about the optics, stupid. Unpacking the 2025 election with George Megalogenis, Rick Morton and Julianne Schultz, moderated by Sally Warhaft.

I wrote a bestseller — and then what? A panel discussion with Lech Blaine, Nikki Gemmell and JP Pomare moderated by Hannie Rayson.

Words & Music Act 1 — The voice in music and how choirs enhance composition and musicianship with Andrew Ford, Richard Piper, Nardi Simpson and Kim Williams.

Writing about me — how hard was that, anyway? A panel discussion with Lech Blaine, Kim Carr and Ailsa Piper moderated by Hannie Rayson.

The healing power of nature with Joelle Gergis, Inga Simpson, Caroline Parker and Paulette Whitney.

Kate Grenville in conversation with Rosemarie Milsom.

Kate Grenville in conversation with Rosemarie Milsom.

If Rupert dies, what next? The future of News Ltd and the great dynasty crisis with Eric Beecher, Erik Jensen, Paddy Manning and Madeleine Grummet.

If Rupert dies, what next? The future of News Ltd and the great dynasty crisis with Eric Beecher, Erik Jensen and Paddy Manning moderated by Madeleine Grummet.

The history of music in 256 pages with Andrew Ford, in conversation with Michael Shmith. 

Outside the box — why our writers like to experiment and play with form with Michelle de Kretser, Dennis Glover and Jock Serong, moderated by Fiona Gruber.

David Marr in conversation with Ramona Koval. 

From podcast to platform — exploring new ways to tell stories today with Julia Baird, Shaun Grant, Paddy Manning and Christian White moderated by Libbi Gorr.

Our political parties — where to from here? A panel discussion with Frank Bongiorno, Kim Carr and Paul Kelly moderated by Jo Dyer.

Is Australia a racist country? A panel discussion with Aarti Betigeri, Julianne Schultz, Erik Jensen, and Thomas Mayo moderated by Rana Hussain.

Sorrento Writers Festival 2025

Is Australia a Racist Country? Panel Discussion with Aarti Betigeri, Julianne Schultz, Erik Jensen and Thomas Mayo with Rana Hussain.

Yeah, nah, just joking, mate. Are Australians as eloquent and hilarious as we think? A panel discussion with Andrew Knight, Don Watson and Libbi Gorr discuss.

Reimagining Australia — how to make this next quarter of the 21st Century really matter with Inala Cooper, Joëlle Gergis, Sean Kelly and Emma Shortis moderated by Tom Wright.

Who’s better Bach or Mozart — and other ridiculous musical provocations with Andrew Ford, Barry Jones and Michael Cathcart.

Sorrento Writers Festival

The DEI Dilemma — How corporate Australia might handle the backlash with Mim Bartlett, Catherine Fox, and Alan Kohler.

Elon, AI, no boundaries, no truth. Where to for the media? A panel discussion with Eric Beecher, Paddy Manning and Josh Taylor moderated by Amanda Smith.

The Great Australian Nightmare — Housing in crisis with Kevin Bell, Alan Kohler, Russel Howcroft and Libbi Gorr.

Telling the truth about Australia’s history with Santilla Chingaipe, Thomas Mayo and Don Watson moderated by Inala Cooper.

Sorrento Writers Festival

My Life and India — a conversation about the nation, its people and its great diaspora with Aarti Betigeri, Gideon Haigh and Sally Warhaft.

Mother nature – and why she needs our help with Joëlle Gergis, Simon Holmes à Court and Harry Youngman moderated by Madeleine Grummet.

Writers on nonfiction writing with Santilla Chingaipe, Erik Jensen and Rick Morton moderated by Katrina Strickland.

Mother nature – and why she needs our help with Joëlle Gergis, Simon Holmes à Court and Harry Youngman moderated by Madeleine Grummet.

Australian Writing, From Where I Sit with Robert Dessaix and Kate Grenville moderated by Jason Steger.

Join us for the launch of Josephine Rowe's beautiful and highly-anticipated new novel, Little World. Josephine will be speaking with The Paperback's Anna MacDonald.

Josephine Rowe is the author of three story collections and two novels, including A Loving, Faithful Animal, longlisted for the 2017 Miles Franklin Award and selected as a New York Times Editors' Choice. She has twice been named a Sydney Morning Herald Best Young Australian Novelist, and Here Until August was shortlisted for the 2020 Stella Prize. She currently lives in coastal Victoria.