Includes:
Access to over 40 author interviews, readings and panels across four Festival stages
Tickets:
General Admission
Adult $199 or $184 concession
Events included in the silver pass:
Join Noni Hazlehurst, star of stage and screen, as she discusses her funny, clear-eyed and opinionated memoir, Dropping the Mask, with ABC Radio Sydney’s Sarah Macdonald.
Join bestselling author Jack Heath and award-winning journalist and author Louise Milligan as they discuss what makes crime so damn compelling with ABC Sydney’s James Valentine.
Blue Mountains locals Jen Craig and Shaun Prescott discuss Jen’s 2024 Miles Franklin shortlisted book, Wall, a brilliant novel full of pathos, humour and deep introspection.
Jim Moginie discusses his memoir, The Silver River, with ABC Radio Sydney’s Richard Glover. It’s the Midnight Oil story you haven’t heard – a moving tale of music, family and belonging.
Tackling war, religion and revolution, two acclaimed authors at the top of their game discuss their epic new novels with ABC Radio National’s Kate Evans.
Join multi-award-winning author Veronica Gorrie and editor of Overland, Evelyn Araluen, discussing a new essay collection about the widespread problem of police criminality and corruption.
What is the future of translation in a world of new technologies and AI? Join Siang Lu, whose novel Ghost Cities centres a young translator, in conversation with professional translator, Yu Shi.
Don’t miss this incredible chance to ask burning questions about climate change and the environment, with three people who REALLY know what they’re talking about: Dr Karl, Professor David Lindenmayer and Bianca Nogrady, who between them have published 102 books about science!
How do writers choose the creative tools best suited to effect change? Join Shankari Chandran and Jordana Silverstein in this conversation about the experience of refugees in Australia.
What does it take to excavate personal history and turn it into searing, emotive prose? Explore the artistry of writing memoir, and the challenges of working within flawed institutions, with these celebrated writers.
Hayley Scrivenor and Benjamin Stevenson talk clifftops, cablecars and wilderness as they discuss setting their latest crime fiction novels in the beautiful Blue Mountains.
A master of character and observation, Tony Birch discusses his latest book, Women & Children, with ABC Radio National’s Kate Evans.
Don’t miss this chance to hear from Alexis Wright, the author of the first book to have received both the Stella Prize and the Miles Franklin, described as ‘the most ambitious and accomplished Australian novel of this century’ by the New York Times Book Review.
In The Year I Met My Brain, Matilda Boseley digs beyond the diagnosis to explore the impact of ADHD on identity, relationships, careers and self-esteem.
Peter Polites and Winnie Dunn discuss class, migration, identity and familial bonds in their brilliant novels, God Forgets About the Poor and Dirt Poor Islanders.
Internationally bestselling author Markus Zusak discusses his new memoir, Three Wild Dogs and the Truth, a tender love letter to animals, and to our need for connection and chaos.
Weaving connections across oceans, lands and cultures, some of the world’s leading First Nations poets share their collaboratively conceived work.
The ocean, unlikely friendships and the powerful possibilities of MDMA. Two acclaimed authors talk getting back to nature in the face of grief and trauma in this soul-searching conversation.
What happens when the need to belong becomes an obsession? Consider family, religion, diet culture, sport and social media with these brilliant books by Lech Blaine, Ernest Price and Karen Viggers.
Bestselling novelist Pip Williams and award-winning author, poet and playwright Peter Goldsworthy chat rights, process and form in this focused discussion on the art of adaptation, with ABC Radio Sydney’s Sarah MacDonald.
What is the place of morality in public policy? In his latest book, Mean Streak, journalist Rick Morton investigates the Robodebt debacle and what it tells us about our society.
Turning seemingly improbable futures into plausible inevitabilities, bending the boundaries of genre and sparking the reader’s imagination in thrilling ways, Siang Lu and Kate Mildenhall talk adventures and dystopias in this in-depth discussion of their latest books.
Traversing class, culture, sexuality and history, this considered conversation about three brilliant books explores masculinity and maternal bonds with depth, love and humour.
Bestselling novelist Pip Williams joins ABC Radio National’s Kate Evans for a wide-ranging conversation about life, books, history and writing.
‘If you found out you had less time to live than the average bear, how might you spend it?’ Beloved comedian Michelle Brasier and acclaimed writer and doctor, Peter Goldsworthy discuss turning to humour and creativity in the face of their own mortality, with ABC Radio Sydney’s James Valentine.
Blending scientific inquiry with remarkable creativity, from the great forests to the far reaches of outer space, Ceridwen Dovey and Dave Witty discuss their beautiful new books with ABC Radio Sydney’s Renee Krosch.
Explore the power of language, both as a tool for advocacy and activism, or as an intentional tool to do harm, in this vital conversation hosted by co-convenor of Western Sydney University’s Palestine Project Dr Souheir Edelbi.
Festival favourite Nardi Simpson discusses her hotly anticipated new book, The Belburd, a masterfully woven novel about creation, belonging and the precious fragility of a life.
With 48 books under his belt, Dr Karl has finally written a memoir! Join him to discover how a shy Polish immigrant kid evolved into the fabulously eccentric Dr Karl.
Michelle de Kretser, winner of the Miles Franklin Literary Award (twice!), discusses her new book, Theory and Practice, a mesmerising account of desire and jealousy, truth and shame.
In Always Was, Always Will Be, bestselling author Thomas Mayo investigates ‘what's next?’ for reconciliation and justice in Australia after the failed October 2023 Voice to Parliament referendum. He is joined in conversation by local illustrator and proud Bundjalung woman Charmaine Ledden-Lewis.
Four writers deeply versed in the transformative power of poetry discuss class, community, collaboration and survival in their latest collections, each experimental in form and expansive in vision.
With over 20 million copies sold worldwide, there’s no stopping Liane Moriarty. She discusses her latest novel, Here One Moment, with Kate Mildenhall.
Join New Zealand poet, author and playwright Dominic Hoey as he discusses his impressive back-catalogue and bestsellers with artist, poet and frontman of Hip Hop outfit Horrorshow, Nick Solo.
Vulnerable and fierce, hilarious and heartbreaking, Queerstories celebrates the culture and creativity of the LGBTQI+ community one true story at a time. An institution around the country, Queerstories has played to crowds big and small, from Mudgee to Murwillumbah, Albury to Adelaide, Brisbane and beyond.
Join us for this timely conversation about US politics and its impact on Australia, with leading expert Bruce Wolpe, in conversation with host of ABC TV’s Planet America, John Barron.
Join Varuna’s poetry circle, an annual institution that’s been running for more than 30 years. Share your own poem or simply listen to others in this celebration of community and words.
We are thrilled to welcome the inaugural winner of Alone Australia, rewilding facilitator and writer, Gina Chick, to deliver The Mick Dark Talk for the Future, our annual keynote address on the environment.
The master of thrills and twists, international bestseller Chris Hammer discusses his latest book, The Valley, with ABC Radio Sydney’s Renee Krosch.
