2026 FESTIVAL PROGRAM
FRIDAY 24 JULY
FREE: THE LIBRARY THAT MADE ME
24 JULY, 5:30–7:00PM
Celebrate the publication of The Library That Made Me: 200 Years of the State Library of NSW with guests Richard Glover, Judith Nangala Crispin, Mark Tredinnick and Alana Valentine.
In a live discussion hosted by Phillipa McGuinness, these acclaimed guests will reflect on the libraries that shaped them as readers and writers. This is a free event, ticketed separately, for ages 18+.
FREE: YOUNG WRITERS COLLECTIVE ANTHOLOGY LAUNCH
24 JULY, 7:00–9:00PM
Join us for the launch of the Young Writers Collective’s third anthology, Untestable Questions, created, edited and designed entirely by members of the Collective. Featuring poetry and prose readings by Nic Cathcart, Kit Fox, Holly Haisman, Ray Lee, Rhys Lorenc, Kirsty McInnes, Rebecca Monteleone, Jamilla Ravel and Katie Short, showcasing the distinct voices of a remarkable group of emerging writers.
The Young Writers Collective is a workshop-based writing group for young adult writers from the Illawarra. In 2026 the YWC Anthology is proudly sponsored by Culture Bank Wollongong.
SATURDAY 25 JULY
WELCOME ADDRESS
25 JULY, 10:00–10:15AM
By 2025 Wollongong Citizen of the Year Aunty Barbara Nicholson.
A CENTENARY OF BOOKS
25 JULY, 10:20–11:15AM
A.A. Milne’s Winnie the Pooh, Agatha Christie’s The Murder of Roger Ackroyd and Dorothy Parker’s Enough Rope all turn 100 this year! Join our panel of writers from the University of Wollongong, Joshua Lobb, Christine Howe and Ellie Crookes, to celebrate the anniversary of these beloved books and hear about their enduring legacies, in a discussion led by Hayley Scrivenor.
KATE HOLDEN IN CONVERSATION
25 JULY, 10:20–11:15AM
In her new book The Ruin of Magic, award-winning author Kate Holden brings both humour and sorrow to her exquisitely researched ruminations on longing and belonging in our strange times. She is joined in conversation by Catherine McKinnon.
INTERGENERATIONAL JUSTICE
25 JULY, 11:30AM–12:25PM
Judi Morison’s Secrets is a gripping saga following the traumas, loves and strengths of two families, one Aboriginal, across generations, while Sara Haddad’s The Sunbird follows Nabila, a Palestinian woman expelled from her home as a child, and the effects that one devastating event had over the course of her life. Zohra Aly chairs a nuanced conversation between these authors about intergenerational trauma and justice.
FROM PEN TO PUBLISHED
25 JULY, 11:30AM–12:25PM
Local authors Courtney Peppernell and Pamela Cook write poignant explorations of grief and loss, belonging and love. In the first of our two festival panels on authors and publishing, they discuss their latest books and chart their interesting publishing journeys in conversation with novelist Meredith Jaffé.
TARA RAE MOSS IN CONVERSATION
25 JULY, 1:
15–2:10PM
Tara Rae Moss is the bestselling author of 15 books of fiction and non-fiction, an experienced keynote speaker, documentary and podcast host, award-winning advocate, and holistic practitioner. She speaks to Sue Turnbull about her latest novel The Italian Secret and her remarkable career.
AUSTRALIA’S LITERARY JOURNALS
25 JULY, 1:15–2:10PM
The Australian literary journal sector is in flux — Meanjin was shuttered and then relocated, Southerly was reborn, and the landscape keeps shifting. Chaired by Peter Frankis, this panel brings together two editors, James Jiang of the Sydney Review of Books and Shady Cosgrove of Text, to unpack what's happening in literary and scholarly publishing, and why journals remain so vital to Australia's literary ecosystem. Presented by Sydney Review of Books.
FRIENDSHIPS & ENDINGS
25 JULY, 2:25–3:20PM
Kathryn Heyman’s Circle of Wonders is a luminously beautiful and personal story of two deaths and the legacy of life that flows from them. Debra Adelaide’s novella When I Am Sixty-Four is a profound masterpiece about her lifelong friendship with Gabrielle Carey, reflecting on the final days of her friend's life. They talk their books, love, friendships and endings with Caroline Baum.
OUR NATURE
25 JULY, 2:25–3:20PM
Celebrated nature writer Inga Simpson explores love, longing and the wilderness—both within and around us—in her new book Once We Were Wildlife: stories. Elizabeth Walton’s debut poetry collection How to Read a City, Your Place of Last Resort applies climate science to the question of how to find hope in a world that is in decline. They are joined by Joshua Lobb to discuss the power and influence of the natural world in their creative work.
EVELYN ARALUEN IN CONVERSATION
25 JULY, 3:35–4:35PM
Following the multi-award-winning success of her debut collection Dropbear, Evelyn Araluen’s The Rot is a recalcitrant study of the decaying romances, expired hopes and abject injustices in the dying days of late-stage capitalism. Winner of the ABIA Small Publishers’ Adult Book of the Year and the Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards Prizes for Literature and Indigenous Writing, The Rot explores what happens when poetry swallows more rage than it can console, quiet or ironise. In a festival highlight, Evelyn discusses her blistering new collection and what comes next, with David Stavanger.
ACCESSORY: GHOSTWRITTEN
25 JULY, 3:35–4:35PM
Felicia Djamirze and Erin O’Dwyer share a unique relationship: Erin was the ghostwriter for Felicia’s memoir. Hear Felicia’s incredible true story about being a former Miss Australia, convicted drug trafficker and gangland girlfriend, and how Erin helped bring her past to life in Accessory, in this remarkable festival session with ABC’s Nick Rheinberger.
A POETRY SHOWCASE
25 JULY, 5:00–6:00PM
5 Islands Press was founded in Thirroul by the late Ron Pretty, and this year is its 40th anniversary. Hosted by Gareth Jenkins, this poetry showcase will celebrate this milestone. Featuring Mark Tredinnick’s forthcoming New & Selected Poems, Chain of Ponds, and Hemat Melak’s debut collection Shelf Life, plus readings from 5 Islands Press published poets Elizabeth Walton and Linda Godfrey.
KATE MILDENHALL IN CONVERSATION
25 JULY, 5:00–6:00PM
Kate Mildenhall’s fourth novel arrives with serious heat: The Hiding Place is a razor-sharp literary thriller — White Lotus meets The Slap — about deception, self-deception, and how far people will go to protect what they believe they deserve. Hayley Scrivenor joins Kate in conversation about the book, the craft of literary suspense, and life as one of Australia's most versatile fiction writers.
SUNDAY 26 JULY
CRIME DONE DIFFERENTLY
26 JULY, 10:00–11:00AM
James Bradley is a writer and critic whose latest novel, Landfall, is a crime novel with a terrifying vision of a future bearing down on us. Sulari Gentill’s Five Found Dead is a reimagined Christie where cosy crime meets metafiction. They are joined by Andy Muir for a conversation on crime writing done differently.
MORE THAN A BOOK
26 JULY, 10:00–11:00AM
Kate Liston-Mills and Judith Nangala Crispin work across genres. Their books blend fiction, poetry, music and art to create something more than a regular book. Christine Howe sits down with Kate and Judith to discuss their extraordinary new works and the art of telling stories through multiple mediums.
CENSORSHIP & COURAGE
26 JULY, 11:15AM–12:15PM
What does it mean to speak truth in Australia right now? Poet and editor Evelyn Araluen joins journalist and human rights advocate Antoinette Lattouf in conversation with Antony Loewenstein about their latest work — and the courage it takes to say the thing that needs to be said.
JOURNEYS THROUGH PUBLISHING
26 JULY, 11:15AM–12:15PM
Meredith Jaffé’s latest novel, The Importance of Being Delia, is a witty and poignant exploration of women ready to reclaim their own identity after a lifetime of sacrifice on the altar of love. Claire Zorn’s Better Days encapsulates both the pitfalls of fledgling adulthood and the ‘what ifs’ of later life. These local South Coast authors discuss their new books and their journeys as authors with Gretel Van-Lane.
WRITING AS CRAFT
26 JULY, 1:00–2:00PM
Multi award-winning author of Theory & Practice Michelle de Kretser and Catherine McKinnon, author of critically acclaimed To Sing of War, take a deep dive into the craft of writing in this stand-out festival session.
INHERITANCE
26 JULY, 1:00–2:00PM
Raven Mother, a memoir by Jane Messer, traces the tragic and hopeful steps of her Jewish German grandmother, Bella, reflecting on the complex histories of the Holocaust and Nakba. Anne Casey’s Seang (Hungering) reclaims the lost stories of the daughters of refugees from Ireland’s Great Famine. They are joined by Paris Rosemont to talk memory, loss and inheritance.
TRANSITIONS & DECLINE
26 JULY, 2:15–3:15PM
What happens to ordinary lives when institutions fail? In The Transformations, Andrew Pippos traces the quiet revolutions that shape a life against the backdrop of a dying newspaper. In Kill Your Boomers, Fiona Wright dramatises Australia's entrenched housing affordability crisis through one increasingly desperate protagonist. Fiona and Andrew join Antony Loewenstein to talk housing, journalism, and the fiction of the Australian dream.
THREE BOOKS OF POETRY
26 JULY, 2:15–3:15PM
Three new collections arrive at this year's festival. Jonathan Cant reads from Finding Pan, Ed Southorn from Sea Lake Mountain, and Anne Casey and Anne Walsh Miller perform poems from Witchcraft — the latest volume in the Heroines anthology series, edited by festival director Sarah Nicholson. An unmissable hour for poetry lovers.
CLIMATE & CARTOGRAPHY
26 JULY, 3:30–4:30PM
Tim Flannery’s A Brief History of Climate Folly looks at the history of the ways humans have been trying—or claiming—to influence the weather for millennia and asks if we can do better. Sarah Hamylton’s Plotting the Oceans shares the history and power of ocean maps and the impact they have on our understanding of our world. In an electrifying panel Tim and Sarah discuss human intervention and influence on the world around us, with Claire O’Rourke.
WRITING YOUNG MEN
26 JULY, 3:30–4:30PM
Growing up has never been simple. Gary Lonesborough’s latest outing, Good Young Men, is an incisive, cutting story of three Aboriginal boys fighting for their own truth and their place in an adult world that would have them stay silent. Rawah Arja’s The F Team is a rip-roaring young adult novel about footy, community, and the hard, necessary work of confronting the darker parts of our selves. Rhys Lorenc joins them to discuss what it means to write for and about young men who are fully and messily human.
