Hamish McDonald will be In Conversation with Dr Siobhan McDonnell on his latest book Melanesia: Travels in Black Oceania – Black Inc Books. An immersive journey through the tumultuous past and fascinating present of Australia's nearest neighbours.

Stretching from Fiji in the east to New Guinea in the west, Melanesia is astonishingly diverse. Its islands are home to some 1200 language groups, many of them still isolated from the outside world. In Australia, this complex region tends to make the news only in times of crisis: military coups in Fiji, Kanak unrest in New Caledonia, rioting in Solomon Islands. Melanesia offers readers a deeper insight into the people and places behind these headlines, combining travelogue, history and astute political analysis.

By land and sea, Hamish McDonald travels from one end of Melanesia to the other. Speaking with locals from all walks of life, he uncovers the histories, values, aspirations and tensions that have shaped their communities. He examines the impact of outsiders: the Indians recruited to work in Fiji; the white "blackbirders" who kidnapped Islanders for the Australian cane fields; the Americans during World War II; the Indonesians in New Guinea. And he considers the big changes unfolding today, as shifting demographics and the growing influence of China produce a new balance of power across the region.

Vividly written, Melanesia is essential reading for anyone looking to understand this fascinating part of the world and its growing international significance.

Join us for the Brisbane launch of Jess Hill's Quarterly Essay Losing It. Jess will be joined in conversation by Kathleen Noonan.

The evening will raise money for Second Chance Programme. 

ABOUT THE BOOK

What will it take to stop gendered violence?

Australian governments have promised to end gendered violence in a single generation. But this bold commitment to nation building has not yet been matched by the funding, innovation and resources necessary to achieve it. If anything, since governments made that commitment two years ago, gendered violence has only escalated: men are murdering women at an increased rate, coercive control and sexual violence are becoming more complex and severe, and governments are not doing nearly enough to stop perpetrators weaponising technology and systems. Australians have taken to the streets again this year to demand that governments act.

In this urgent essay, Jess Hill investigates Australia's National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children to find out what's working and what's not – and what we can do to turn things around

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jess Hill is an investigative journalist and the author of See What You Made Me Do and the Quarterly Essay The Reckoning. She has been a producer for ABC Radio and journalist for Background Briefing, and Middle East correspondent for The Global Mail. Her reporting on domestic abuse has won two Walkley awards, an Amnesty International award and three Our Watch awards. See What You Made Me Do won the 2020 Stella Prize and the ABA Booksellers’ Choice Adult Non-Fiction Book of the Year.

Meet three of the brilliant voices behind Growing Up Indian in Australia and hear their stories: editor Aarti Betigeri and contributors Daizy Maan and Priya Saratchandran.

Indian-Australian is not a one-size-fits-all descriptor. Given the depth and richness of diversity of the Indian subcontinent, it is fitting that its diaspora is similarly varied.

Growing Up Indian in Australia reflects and celebrates this vibrant diversity. It features contributions from Australian-Indian writers, both established and emerging, who hail from a wide range of backgrounds, religions and experiences. This colourful, energetic anthology offers reflections on identity, culture, family, food and expectations, ultimately revealing deep truths about both Australian and Indian life.

Growing Up Indian in Australia is a colourful, energetic anthology offering reflections on identity, culture, family, food and expectations, ultimately revealing deep truths about both Australian and Indian life.

Join contributer Daizy Maan as part of our Hamony Week celebrations for this engaging discussion at Frankston Library. Tickets are free!
 

Kate Grenville has often drawn inspiration from her family history for her writing. In her new memoir, Unsettled: A Journey Through Time and Place, she revisits her family story and repositions First Peoples within it. In conversation with Jason Steger at Clunes Booktown Festival, she will reassess both her own and Australia’s history of colonisation.
 

It’s time for truth-telling. At Clunes Booktown Festival, author Kate Grenville (Unsettled: A Journey Through Time and Place), author Jane Harrison (The Visitors), and historians Clare Wright (Näku Dhäruk: The Bark Petitions) and Amanda Laugesen (Australia in 100 Words) will explore the reality behind Australia’s colonial myths in an enlightening session with Barry Golding.
 

Jess Hill will be in conversation with Hayley Boxall on Jess's new Quarterly Essay Losing It. 

What will it take to stop gendered violence? Australian governments have promised to end gendered violence in a single generation. But this bold commitment to nation building has not yet been matched by the funding, innovation and resources necessary to achieve it. If anything, since governments made that commitment two years ago, gendered violence has only escalated: men are murdering women at an increased rate, coercive control and sexual violence are becoming more complex and severe, and governments are not doing nearly enough to stop perpetrators weaponising technology and systems. Australians have taken to the streets again this year to demand that governments act.

In this urgent essay, Jess Hill investigates Australia's National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children to find out what's working and what's not – and what we can do to turn things around.

Join us to hear Hamish McDonald in conversation with Professor Michael Wesley

Stretching from Fiji in the east to New Guinea in the west, Melanesia is astonishingly diverse. Its islands are home to some 1,200 language groups, many of them still isolated from the outside world. In Australia, this complex region tends to make the news only in times of crisis- military coups in Fiji, Kanak unrest in New Caledonia, rioting in Solomon Islands. Hamish McDonald's Melanesia offers readers a deeper insight into the people and places behind these headlines, combining travelogue, history and astute political analysis.

Free, but bookings are essential.

A crucial and unflinching discussion on Australia’s failed plans to stop perpetrators of violence against women and children – and what must happen next. 

Jess Hill, the esteemed and award-winning investigative journalist who redefined how we hold perpetrators to account in See What You Made Me Do, continues to push for reform in her latest Quarterly Essay, Losing It: Can We Stop Violence Against Women and Children? 

Join Hill in conversation with Tarang Chawla – leading educator, activist, and co-founder of Not One More Niki – as they dissect Australia’s National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children 2022-2032 and its shortcomings in addressing the relentless waves of violence in homes, online and across our communities. 

With a federal election on the horizon, there’s never been a more critical time to demand action to end this national crisis. 

Simmer Down — The role of civilised conversations in a healthy democracy with Rana Hussain, David Marr and Peter Inge.

In Australian Gospel: A Family Saga, acclaimed author Lech Blaine explores the fraught intersections of faith, family, and identity in a gripping memoir. On one side, Michael and Mary Shelley are devout fundamentalist Christians who reject what they see as the indulgences of Australian culture—sports, swearing, and alcohol. On the other, Lenore and Tom Blaine are publicans with a raucous, rugby leagueobsessed household, raising both their biological and foster kids, including Lech himself. This sensational tale, woven with Blaine’s signature wit and keen insight, chronicles these two families’ profound tensions and unexpected connections. It is a story of love, loyalty, and the clash of worldviews, offering an unflinching look at the ties that bind and the beliefs that divide.
Host: Steve Cannane

Join us at Rowville Library for an opportunity to meet Daizy Maan, one of the voices and contributors of Growing Up Indian in Australia. This powerful anthology offers a deep exploration of identity and community, featuring vibrant stories of cultural adaptation and resilience. Don’t miss this chance to discover the rich and diverse experiences of the Australian-Indian community.

Daizy Maan is a founder, advocate and speaker. Her work focuses on empowering diverse women. She is the founder of Australian South Asian Centre - an organisation dedicated to empowering South Asian women founders, creatives and professionals. She recently produced and performed in Brown Women Comedy at Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Sydney Comedy Festival and Edinburgh Fringe. Her work has featured in SBS World News, ABC & The Age. She is proudly Punjabi-Australian and lives in Melbourne.

Almost 18 months after The Voice referendum, it is regarded as one of the key political failures of the Prime Minister and his government. We reflect on the emotional and cultural impact of this pivotal event and explore the heartbreak, resilience, and ongoing journey of Australians deeply affected by its rejection through Broken Heart by lawyer and adviser on Indigenous Constitutional recognition, Shireen Morris, and through two novels that explore the same themes: The Desert Knows Her Name by Lia Hills and The Leaves by Jacqueline Rule.
Host: Isabella Higgins 

The Indian diaspora in Australia is one of the country’s fastest-growing and most vibrant and diverse cultural groups. According to recent Australian Bureau of Statistics data, more than 700,000 Australians identify as having Indian ancestry, many of whom are first-generation migrants. Growing Up Indian in Australia, compiled by Aarti Betigeri, is a heartfelt, reflective account of navigating two worlds: the rich traditions of Indian heritage and contemporary Australian life. Betigeri and her contributors, including Manly local Sharon Verghis, capture the joys, struggles, and humour of straddling two worlds, also captured by the tales of Deep Gujral (Manjits and the Tandoor of Secrets) through his experience as a Sikh child at one of Sydney’s most conservative private boys’ schools to an event and restaurant enterprise catering largely, but not exclusively, to the Australian Indian community.
Host: Summer Land

Two deeply personal journeys that explore episodic mental health breakdowns, the path to recovery, and achieving a new equilibrium. Psychologist Ariane Beeston (Because I’m Not Myself, You See) provides an intimate look at her struggles with post-partum depression and hallucinations. Craig Semple (Getting Back Up Again) shares his experience after dealing with post-traumatic stress and severe depression following 25 years as a detective. Together, their memoirs illuminate what is needed to confront unexpected and unforeseen challenges and the courage to rebuild a fulfilling life.
Host: Tracey Kirkland

A thought-provoking discussion that unpacks how pivotal political events—like the rise of autocrats and the shifting power in Eurasia—are transforming geopolitical relationships and the world order as we know it. Our expert panel will delve into the profound implications of these shifts and their drivers. Drawing on their recent books and extensive political and international experience, our panellists will offer unique insights to help make sense of a rapidly changing world.
Panel: Damian Collins, Dennis Glover, Geoff Raby,
Don Watson
Host: Geraldine Doogue

Join us for a discussion with Hamish McDonald about his book Melanesia: Travels in Black Oceania.

ABOUT THE BOOK

An immersive journey through the tumultuous past and fascinating present of Australia's nearest neighbours
Stretching from Fiji in the east to New Guinea in the west, Melanesia is astonishingly diverse. Its islands are home to some 1200 language groups, many of them still isolated from the outside world. In Australia, this complex region tends to make the news only in times of crisis: military coups in Fiji, Kanak unrest in New Caledonia, rioting in Solomon Islands. Melanesia offers readers a deeper insight into the people and places behind these headlines, combining travelogue, history and astute political analysis.

By land and sea, Hamish McDonald travels from one end of Melanesia to the other. Speaking with locals from all walks of life, he uncovers the histories, values, aspirations and tensions that have shaped their communities. He examines the impact of outsiders: the Indians recruited to work in Fiji; the white "blackbirders" who kidnapped Islanders for the Australian cane fields; the Americans during World War II; the Indonesians in New Guinea. And he considers the big changes unfolding today, as shifting demographics and the growing influence of China produce a new balance of power across the region.

Vividly written, Melanesia is essential reading for anyone looking to understand this fascinating part of the world and its growing international significance.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Hamish McDonald is an award-winning Australian journalist. He has been correspondent and foreign editor for The Sydney Morning Herald and the Far Eastern Economic Review, reporting from the Pacific Islands, Indonesia, Japan, Hong Kong, New Delhi and Beijing as well as around Australia. His latest book is Melanesia: Travels in Black Oceania.

Join us to hear Kate Grenville in conversation as she discusses her new book Unsettled: A Journey Through Time and Place.

‘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”.

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.

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? Panel discussion with Judith Brett, Dennis Glover and Don Watson moderated by Tom Wright.

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

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 and Paddy Manning moderated by Madeleine Grummet.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.