Upcoming Events


Partnered Events

Enough Said Poetry Slam

Enough Said Poetry Slam is a group that has been running monthly poetry slams independently in Wollongong since 2012, and in 2022 became one of our Partner Programs. They host Enough Said Poetry Slam on the last Thursday of every month at their new venue, Side Door Theatre, as well as poetry workshops and satellite events.

Attending the poetry slams always costs $5/$10, and slam sign-up is on arrival. Go to @enoughsaidpoetryslam on Instagram and Facebook to see their upcoming events.


Hear from participants of the 2025 South Coast Writers Centre Emerging & Established Writers Group Retreat

This talented group of writers from the South Coast will share insights into their current writing projects, and their time as writer-in-residence at Bundanon. This event will be Chaired by Dr. Sarah Nicholson, Director of the South Coast Writers Centre (SCWC).

Sunday 4 May, 11am–12pm @ Bundanon | BOOK NOW


Launching Sista's Green Seas Dreaming Volume 2 & Dreaming Inside Volume 12

Ngana Barangarai (Black Wallaby) invites you to the launch of two anthologies: Sista’s Green Sea Dreaming: Voices from Inside Dillwynia Women’s Prison, Volume 2 and Dreaming Inside: Voices from Junee Correctional Centre, Volume 13. These collections bring together poetry and narratives from incarcerated First Nations writers, reflecting on themes of family, justice, resilience, and identity. The event will include readings and discussions that highlight the ongoing importance of storytelling as a means of connection and cultural expression.

Thursday 22 May, 6:30PM at Wollongong Art Gallery


Live and Local 2025

After the wild success of Live & Local in 2024, Sydney Writers’ Festival returns to Wollongong in 2025 to bring the best of the Festival direct to you.  

One of Australia’s most loved forums for literature, ideas and storytelling, Sydney Writers’ Festival will livestream its headline events from Sydney to The Music Lounge on Saturday 24 May.

Prepare to be invigorated and engaged by conversations, debates and discussions featuring some of the world’s finest writers and thinkers. Audiences can also participate in live Q&A sessions at each event, sending questions straight to the Sydney stage.

SCWC members can access discounted tickets here

  • 9.30am – 11.30am

    Are you writing your own life story, or the true story of someone else? Learn how to braid and shape true stories that don’t follow a straightforward chronology. This creative writing workshop will look closely at examples by other writers, followed by writing exercises that will encourage participants to try new techniques that enhance how they write creative non-fiction.

    Brooke Boland is a freelance writer interested in embodiment and identity and has a PhD in Contemporary Women’s Writing from the University of NSW. Previously, she worked as a casual academic at UNSW and Victoria University. She now works part time as an arts journalist, writing profiles and reviews for various publications. Her essays have been published by Meanjin, Overland, and the Sydney Review of Books.  Her first book is Gulp, Swallow.

  • 12pm – 1pm

    Philosopher A.C. Grayling traces ‘cancel culture’ back to the ancient Greeks and tries to find a middle ground among the incendiary debates flamed by contemporary culture wars.

  • 1pm – 2pm

    Authors Nick Southall and Claire O’Rourke tackle one of the toughest questions of our time with journalist Joanna Macey. Can a grassroots response to global issues, like climate change, make a difference? And is creating a better world together actually possible?

    Nick Southall  is a local social activist, academic and writer. Nick has been published in various academic journals, books, and newspapers. His collaborative works include Illawarra Cooperatives: The First One Hundred Years and Against Fascism and War: Pig Iron Bob and the Dalfram Dispute at Port Kembla. His most recent book is Disaster Communism & Anarchy in the Streets.

    Claire O’Rourke is an author, environmentalist and advocate, with two decades working in journalism, communications and campaigns across Australia and around the world. Claire helps others take action on climate change, currently as CEO of the Australian Environmental Grantmakers Network. Claire’s first book is,Together We Can: Everyday Australians Doing Amazing Things to Give Our Planet a Future .

  • 2pm – 3pm

    Host: Richard Fidler
    Panellist: Ben Macintyre

    Ben Macintyre discusses his definitive account of the 1980 Iranian embassy siege in London which put the SAS on the world stage. With Richard Fidler.

  • 3:30pm – 4pm

    Mark Tredinnick, the managing editor of 5 Islands Press, is one of Australia’s best known poets. The winner of two premier’s prizes, the Montreal Poetry Prize, and many other awards, Mark lives in Bowral on Gundungurra Country. His many books include The Blue PlateauThe Little Red Writing Book, and Walking Underwater. His most recent books are A Beginner’s Guide (2022), House of Thieves (2023), and Bright Crockery Days: the Poetry of Robert Gray (2024).

    Kai Jensen works from home as a consultant and specialist editor at Wallaga Lake on the Far South Coast of New South Wales. His poems (many written in cafés) have appeared in most leading Australasian literary journals and in the United States, in The Inquisitive EaterMen Matters OnlineNewVerseNews and Rattle. His debut book The Zebra Path of Tree Light is published by 5 Islands Press.

  • 4pm – 5pm

    Host: Michael Williams
    Panellist: Ian Rankin

    Following the latest instalment of the Inspector Rebus series, Ian Rankin reflects on his career as an international bestselling author and the UK’s #1 crime writer. With Michael Williams.

  • 5.30pm – 6.30pm

    Authors Brooke Boland and Catherine Rey talk with Meredith Jaffe about writing memoir and biography tackling motherhood, friendship, love, life and death. 

    French-born author Catherine Rey lived in France until 1997, before leaving for Australia. Her debut novel, L’ami intime, was published in 1994 by the iconic French publisher Le Temps Qu’il Fait. Rey followed this with seven more works, two of which have been translated into English. Her French novels have been short-listed for the prestigious Renaudot and Femina Prizes. Also published by Giramondo came the fictionalised autobiography Stepping Out (translated from Une femme en marche by Julie Rose). The Lovers was her first English language novel and her most recent book is Lizette.

    Brooke Boland is a freelance writer interested in embodiment and identity and has a PhD in Contemporary Women’s Writing from the University of NSW. Previously, she worked as a casual academic at UNSW and Victoria University. She now works part time as an arts journalist, writing profiles and reviews for various publications. Her essays have been published by Meanjin, Overland, and the Sydney Review of Books.  Her first book is Gulp, Swallow.


The SCWC Hardship Fund can be made available to members and their children who lack the financial means to attend SCWC workshops, events or courses, or to become members.

If you need access to the fund please email us.