What does it take for an author to excavate personal history and turn it into searing, emotive prose? And how does an individual situate their experiences within, or against, formidable institutions – the church, the media, the government, the police force?
Lech Blaine’s memoir, Australian Gospel: A Family Saga, tells the gripping true story of the tangled fates of two couples and the foster children trapped between their beliefs. Former police officer Veronica Gorrie’s astonishing debut, Black and Blue, details her passionate fight against institutional racism and sexism in the police force, and saw her win the 2022 Victorian Premier's Prize For Literature. Winning the 2024 Victorian Premier's Literary Awards for Indigenous Writing, Daniel Browning’s Close to the Subject, chronicles his stellar career as a journalist in a collection of essays, interviews, poetry, memoir, art writing and play script, highlighting his vulnerable and passionate creative side in its own right.
Explore the artistry and personal toll of writing non-fiction with these celebrated authors, in conversation with festival director Maeve Marsden.
Lech Blaine is an award-winning writer of Car Crash: A Memoir and the Quarterly Essays Top Blokes and Bad Cop. Lech's second book, Australian Gospel, is a family saga about the tangled fates of two couples and the foster children trapped between their beliefs.
Daniel Browning is a Bundjalung and Kullilli journalist, radio broadcaster, documentary maker, sound artist and writer. His first book, Close to the Subject: Selected Works, has won numerous prizes.
Veronica Gorrie is a Gunai/Kurnai woman whose first book, Black and Blue, won the 2022 Victorian Premier's Prize for Literature and the 2022 Victorian Premier's Literary Award for Indigenous Writing. Veronica is also the editor of a new essay collection, When Cops are Criminals.
Maeve Marsden is the Creative Director of Varuna the National Writers’ House and the Blue Mountains Writers’ Festival. A theatremaker and writer, Maeve has presented work at major festivals and venues across Australia, NZ and the UK, and is the creator of celebrated storytelling project, Queerstories.
Please note that this venue is licensed and entry is for over 18’s only.
This venue is wheelchair accessible, but please visit our Accessibility page or email hello@bluemountainswritersfestival.com.au if you have any other accessibility requirements.
Blue Mountains Writers’ Festival will have Auslan interpreters available for the Festival and will schedule them into sessions on request. Please complete the Auslan request question at checkout.
Festival Ticket Information
To take full advantage of all the events on offer, we recommend purchasing a weekend or day pass. Subject to availability, a strictly limited number of single tickets may become available, see below.