Join us for the launch of Realms of Gold. by A.J. Mackinnon, hosted by Matilda Bookshop.

Realms of Gold is the charming sequel to the bestselling The Unlikely Voyage of Jack de Crow. When A.J. 'Sandy' Mackinnon sailed a tiny dinghy through twelve countries from North Wales to the Black Sea, he survived pirates, the English Channel, international incidents and all the disasters, big and small, that can befall a little boat on a long voyage. Those adventures became his beloved bestseller The Unlikely Voyage of Jack de Crow.

Decades later, that trip is a happy memory and Sandy is firmly back on land – until a message from a stranger presents an opportunity too good to refuse. Sandy picks up where his first voyage left off, sailing and rowing single-handedly around the coast from Romania to Venice. From Istanbul to Ithaca, Mount Olympus to the ruins of Troy, he finds himself immersed in the legends of antiquity, plays chicken with mercurial border police, and is saved more than once by the kindness of strangers. He recounts it all with his unbreakable enthusiasm and self-deprecating humour, taking the reader on a hilarious and unforgettable adventure.

Tom Griffiths will be in conversation with Mark McKenna on his new book Alice's dreaming. An astonishing work of history about a girl and the Indigenous world she encountered.

Early last century, Alice Duncan-Kemp grew up on a remote Queensland cattle station. Later she would write down her childhood memories of learning from Aboriginal women and men at home on their own Country. In her books, she evoked a rich parallel universe of storytelling and lore, which she felt privileged to witness. She also spoke of an informal local treaty that curbed the violence of the frontier.

What are we to make of 'Alice's dreaming' today? Master historian and writer Tom Griffiths takes us into – and beyond – this revelatory encounter. Through it we glimpse the turmoil of a complex and tragic frontier, and a remarkable story of survival and cultural resilience. In recent years, the Mithaka people Alice lived among and wrote about have reclaimed their Country, drawing in part on her writing to support their claims.

Alice's dreaming is at once biography, literary thriller and stunning evocation of Country and place.' —Mark McKenna

Tom Griffiths reveals how 60,000 years of First Nations history is intricately woven into the fabric of contemporary Australian values. Alice's dreaming is a work of the greatest importance to our understanding of who we are. It is also great literature, an epic story told with imaginative distinction.' —Alex Miller

Tom Griffiths AO is Emeritus Professor of History at the Australian National University. His writing has won prizes in literature, history, science, politics and journalism, including the Prime Minister's Prize for Australian History and the Douglas Stewart and Nettie Palmer prizes for non-fiction. His books include The Art of Time Travel, Hunters and Collectors, Forests of Ash and Slicing the Silence: Voyaging to Antarctica.

Mark McKenna is Emeritus Professor of History at the University of Sydney. He is the author of several prize-winning books, including Looking for Blackfellas’ Point: An Australian History of Place and the multi-award winner An Eye for Eternity, The Life of Manning Clark, winner of the 2012 Prime Minister’s Prize for Non Fiction. His most recent book, From the Edge: Australia’s Lost Histories, won the NSW Premier’s Australian History Prize.

The vote of thanks will be given by Associate Professor Ruth Morgan, Director, Centre for Environmental History. Australian National University

Books will be available for signing from 5.30pm and again after the event. 

Readings Hawthorn are delighted to host the launch of Waves of Plenty by Mark Cully. 

Mark will be in conversastion with George Megalogenis.

Many Australians can trace family journeys to new lives in Australia. In this landmark work, Mark Cully tells the full story of immigration to Australia. Rigorously researched, Waves of Plenty dismantles persistent myths, gives human faces to statistics, and maps the forces that transformed a distant colony into one of the world's most diverse societies. He traces how immigration has changed Australia, making it bigger, younger, diverse, less provincial and more powerful.

This is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand where Australia came from, the fraught politics of immigration, and lessons for the future.

Mark Cully was chief economist for the Department of Immigration and Citizenship and the Department of Industry, as well as chair of the OECD's Working Party on Migration. As head of macroeconomic policy in the Treasury, he led the design of the JobKeeper program during the pandemic. He is an expert panel member of the Fair Work Commission and a visiting fellow at ANU's Crawford School of Public Policy.

George Megalogenis is an author and journalist with more than three decades’ experience in the media. His book The Australian Moment won the 2013 Prime Minister’s Literary Award for Non-fiction and the 2012 Walkley Award for Non-fiction, and later formed the basis of the ABC documentary series Making Australia Great.

A.J. Mackinnon in conversation with Peter Ironmonger

Six seas, eight countries, 3000 kilometres, all in a tiny dinghy ... What could go wrong?

When A.J. ‘Sandy’ Mackinnon sailed a tiny dinghy through twelve countries from North Wales to the Black Sea, he survived pirates, the English Channel, international incidents and all the disasters, big and small, that can befall a little boat on a long voyage. Those adventures became his beloved bestseller The Unlikely Voyage of Jack de Crow.

Decades later, that trip is a happy memory and Sandy is firmly back on land – until a message from a stranger presents an opportunity too good to refuse. Sandy picks up where his first voyage left off, sailing and rowing single handedly around the coast from Romania to Venice. From Istanbul to Ithaca, Mount Olympus to the ruins of Troy, he finds himself immersed in the legends of antiquity, plays chicken with mercurial border police, and is saved more than once by the kindness of strangers. He recounts it all with his unbreakable enthusiasm and self-deprecating humour, taking the reader on a hilarious and unforgettable adventure.


A.J. Mackinnon was born in Australia in 1963 and travelled as a boy on P&O liners between Australia and England, developing a love of slow travel. He has taught in schools around the world, sharing his passion for English literature, mathematics, drama, art and philosophy with countless students. He now lives in the Victorian High Country of Australia. He is the author of the international bestseller The Unlikely Voyage of Jack de Crow, as well as The Well at the World’s End and Quaint Deeds. His forthcoming book is Realms of Gold.

A linguist and lifelong sailing enthusiast, Peter Ironmonger has been involved in sailing since learning with his father at Beaumaris Yacht Club on Port Phillip Bay in the early 1970s. He is currently building an 18-foot plywood trailer sailer, a Norwalk Islands Sharpie designed by Bruce Kirby, in his workshop. He spent 30 years with the Australian Trade Commission, including a posting as Trade Commissioner to Shanghai in the 2000s.

Join acclaimed author and CHL alumnus John Zubrzycki as he brings the history, stories and spirit of one of the world’s great cities to life.

From emperors and sultans to Mughal splendour, colonial rule and the sprawling metropolis of today, Delhi is a city where layers of history are everywhere you look. Join acclaimed author and ANU School of Culture, History & Language (CHL) Hindi alumnus John Zubrzycki for the launch of his latest book, The Shortest History of Delhi, and a fascinating conversation about one of the world's most compelling cities.

John will be joined by Dr Stephanie Majcher and Dr Shameem Black from CHL to explore Delhi's extraordinary history, its cultures and contradictions, and the stories that have shaped the city across centuries. CHL School Director Professor Matt Tomlinson will officially open the event, which will also feature an opportunity for audience questions and conversation.

Whether Delhi is a city you know and love, somewhere you have travelled, or a place you have always wanted to understand better, join us for an afternoon of history, stories and conversation.

 As political debate over the idea of a 'monocultural Australia' escalates, questions of immigration and multiculturalism have once again become defining issues in public life. But beyond the headlines and political rhetoric lies a deeper question: who defines Australian culture?

Former chief economist of the Department of Immigration Mark Cully, author of Waves of Plenty, constitutional lawyer and a leading advocate for the Indigenous Voice to Parliament Megan Davis and CEO of the Grattan Institute Aruna Sathanapally join host Tasneem Chopra for a timely conversation exploring multiculturalism in Australia and how debates about national identity intersect with democracy, inequality and First Nations justice. 

Ashley Hay will be in conversation with Tom Griffiths for his book Alice's dreaming. With opening remarks from Mithaka Elders, George Gorringe and Rainy McKellar.

ABOUT THE BOOK

An astonishing work of history about a girl and the Indigenous world she encountered

Early last century, Alice Duncan-Kemp grew up on a remote Queensland cattle station. Later she would write down her childhood memories of learning from Aboriginal women and men at home on their own Country. In her books, she evoked a rich parallel universe of storytelling and lore, which she felt privileged to witness. She also spoke of an informal local treaty that curbed the violence of the frontier.

What are we to make of 'Alice's dreaming' today? Master historian and writer Tom Griffiths takes us into – and beyond – this revelatory encounter. Through it we glimpse the turmoil of a complex and tragic frontier, and a remarkable story of survival and cultural resilience. In recent years, the Mithaka people Alice lived among and wrote about have reclaimed their Country, drawing in part on her writing to support their claims.

Alice's dreaming shows how moving, intimate – and unexpected – history can be.

Join us at Harry Hartog Mosman Bookshop at 6pm on the 24th of September to hear A.J. Mackinnon speak about his new novel Realms of Gold.

When A.J. 'Sandy' Mackinnon sailed a tiny dinghy through twelve countries from North Wales to the Black Sea, he survived pirates, the English Channel, international incidents and all the disasters, big and small, that can befall a little boat on a long voyage. Those adventures became his beloved bestseller The Unlikely Voyage of Jack de Crow.

Decades later, that trip is a happy memory and Sandy is firmly back on land – until a message from a stranger presents an opportunity too good to refuse. Sandy picks up where his first voyage left off, sailing and rowing single-handedly around the coast from Romania to Venice. From Istanbul to Ithaca, Mount Olympus to the ruins of Troy, he finds himself immersed in the legends of antiquity, plays chicken with mercurial border police, and is saved more than once by the kindness of strangers. He recounts it all with his unbreakable enthusiasm and self-deprecating humour, taking the reader on a hilarious and unforgettable adventure.

Imprint Books are delighted to host the launch of Mark Cully's new book, Waves of Plenty  – with ABC Radio National's Peter Martin, at the Wheatsheaf Hotel.

The definitive story of how immigration made Australia

Many Australians can trace family journeys to new lives in Australia. In this landmark work, Mark Cully tells the full story of immigration to Australia, from pre-colonial origins through colonisation, the gold rush, the post-war immigration boom, the end of the White Australia policy, and the modern policy of temporary migration.

Rigorously researched, the book dismantles persistent myths, gives human faces to statistics, and maps the forces that transformed a distant colony into one of the world's most diverse societies. He traces how immigration has changed Australia, making it bigger, younger, diverse, less provincial and more powerful.

This is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand where Australia came from, the fraught politics of immigration, and lessons for the future.

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 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. And he considers the big changes unfolding today, as shifting demographics 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. 
 

Whether you’re passionate about travel, fascinated by politics, or simply love hearing fresh perspectives that challenge the way you see the world, this is an evening not to be missed. 
Light refreshments provided.  

Mark Cully will be in conversation with Alan Gamlen on Mark's new bookWaves of Plenty: Immigration and the Making of Australia, thedefinitive story of how immigration made Australia.

Many Australians can trace family journeys to new lives in Australia. In this landmark work, Mark Cully tells the full story of immigration to Australia, from pre-colonial origins through colonisation, the gold rushes, the post-war immigration boom, the end of the White Australia policy, and the modern era of unbound temporary migration.

Rigorously researched, the book dismantles persistent myths, gives human faces to statistics, and maps the forces that transformed a distant colony into one of the world's most diverse societies. Cully traces how immigration has changed Australia, making it bigger, younger, richly diverse, less provincial and more powerful.This is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand where Australia came from, the fraught politics of immigration, and lessons for the future.

‘Mark Cully’s detailed and lively account of the waves of migration that have shaped Australia provides new insights into our society, our economy and our place in the world. Written with a researcher’s head but a (migrant) writer’s heart, it goes beyond the numbers to highlight the richness of the migrant experience and contribution. —Danielle Wood, chair of the Productivity Commission

Mark Cully was chief economist for the Department of Immigration and Citizenship and the Department of Industry, as well as chair of the OECD's Working Party on Migration. As head of macroeconomic policy in the Treasury, he led the design of the JobKeeper program during the pandemic. He is an expert panel member of the Fair Work Commission and a visiting fellow at ANU's Crawford School of Public Policy.

Professor Alan Gamlen is the Founding Director of the ANU Migration Hub and a Professor in the School of Regulation and Global Governance at ANU. He has worked on issues of human migration, mobility, and identity for two decades and held related appointments at Oxford University Stanford University, the Max Planck Society, the Japan Centre for Area Studies, Monash University and Wellington University. From 2010-2020 he was Founding Editor-in-Chief of the journal Migration.

The vote of thanks will be given by Elizabeth Collett, a Global Fellow at the Migration Policy Institute and a member of Australia’s Ministerial Advisory Council on Skilled Migration

Books will be available for signing from 5.30pm and again after the event.

Hosted by Avid Reader, 6.00pm for a 6.30pm start | 60 mins

Anne Tiernan will be in conversation with Waleed Aly for his Quarterly Essay: Time of Monsters. 

ABOUT THE BOOK

In this wonderfully clarifying essay, Waleed Aly examines what happened to liberalism. As a set of ideas, it offered formal equality and guaranteed freedoms. But more and more, we live in a post-liberal world.

Aly looks and how and why this has happened. He discusses what has taken liberalism's place as we tackle thorny questions of freedom of speech and equality of opportunity. And he examines the limits of liberalism, the rise of illiberal democracy and the new battles over identity.

This is a supple and original essay about the forces transforming our politics.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Waleed Aly is a writer, academic, lawyer, broadcaster and lecturer in politics at Monash University. He is the author of People Like Us and Quarterly Essay 37, What’s Right? With Scott Stephens, he co-hosts Radio National’s The Minefield program.

Anne Tiernan will be in conversation with Waleed Aly for his Quarterly Essay: Time of Monsters. 

In this wonderfully clarifying essay, Waleed Aly examines what happened to liberalism. As a set of ideas, it offered formal equality and guaranteed freedoms. But more and more, we live in a post-liberal world.

Aly looks and how and why this has happened. He discusses what has taken liberalism's place as we tackle thorny questions of freedom of speech and equality of opportunity. And he examines the limits of liberalism, the rise of illiberal democracy and the new battles over identity.

This is a supple and original essay about the forces transforming our politics.

Waleed Aly is a writer, academic, lawyer, broadcaster and lecturer in politics at Monash University. He is the author of People Like Us and Quarterly Essay 37, What’s Right? With Scott Stephens, he co-hosts Radio National’s The Minefield program.

We are delighted to host the launch of Matt Lloyd-Cape's guide to solving Australia's housing crisis, Our Place.

Australia has faced a housing crisis before – and solved it. We can do it again. In Our Place, leading policy expert Matt Lloyd-Cape cuts through the noise, showing exactly how our housing system broke. Drawing on the latest research, he reveals that although social housing tenants, renters and first-home buyers are worst affected, the whole of society suffers in a housing crisis. From the rise of far-right politics to intergenerational inequality, the housing crisis is reshaping the nation.

Matt Lloyd-Cape joined the progressive think tank Per Capita in 2019, and in 2022 he was the founding director of the Centre for Equitable Housing, where he is now the principal fellow. He is a prominent commentator and adviser on housing issues.

The legendary Kate Grenville discusses her new mystery The Country Schoolmaster with Toni Jordan.

Entry includes a copy of the book and refreshments  

Join us at Albert Park Yacht Club to hear from author and raconteur extraordinaire A.J. 'Sandy' Mackinnon on his new book Realms of Gold.

When A.J. 'Sandy' Mackinnon sailed a Mirror dinghy through twelve countries from North Wales to the Black Sea, he survived pirates, the English Channel, international incidents and all the disasters, big and small, that can befall a little boat on a long voyage. Those adventures became his beloved bestseller "The Unlikely Voyage of Jack de Crow".

Decades later, that trip was a happy memory and Sandy was firmly back on land – until a message from a stranger presented an opportunity too good to refuse. In "Realms of Gold" Sandy picks up where his first voyage left off, sailing and rowing single-handedly around the coast from Romania to Venice. From Istanbul to Ithaca, Mount Olympus to the ruins of Troy, he finds himself immersed in the legends of antiquity, plays chicken with mercurial border police, and is saved more than once by the kindness of strangers. He recounts it all with his unbreakable enthusiasm and self-deprecating humour, taking the reader on an hilarious and unforgettable adventure.

Doors open at 7pm, and Sandy's talk commences at 7:30pm.

Join A.J. Mackinnon and Paul Cullen at Hobart Town Hall for a conversation about Realms of Gold: The Remarkable Return of Jack de Crow.

When A.J. 'Sandy' Mackinnon sailed a tiny dinghy through twelve countries from North Wales to the Black Sea, he survived pirates, the English Channel, international incidents and all the disasters, big and small, that can befall a little boat on a long voyage. Those adventures became his beloved bestseller The Unlikely Voyage of Jack de Crow.

Decades later, that trip is a happy memory and Sandy is firmly back on land – until a message from a stranger presents an opportunity too good to refuse. Sandy picks up where his first voyage left off, sailing and rowing single-handedly around the coast from Romania to Venice. From Istanbul to Ithaca, Mount Olympus to the ruins of Troy, he finds himself immersed in the legends of antiquity, plays chicken with mercurial border police, and is saved more than once by the kindness of strangers. He recounts it all with his unbreakable enthusiasm and self-deprecating humour, taking the reader on a hilarious and unforgettable adventure.

A.J. Mackinnon was born in Australia in 1963 and travelled as a boy on P&O liners between Australia and England, developing a love of slow travel. He has taught in schools around the world, sharing his passion for English literature, mathematics, drama, art and philosophy with countless students. He now lives in the Victorian High Country of Australia. He is the author of the international bestseller The Unlikely Voyage of Jack de Crow, as well as The Well at the World's End and Quaint Deeds. His forthcoming book is Realms of Gold.

A.J. will be in conversation with Paul Cullen. Former Director of the Australian Wooden Boat Festival (AWBF) 2011-2020 and student shipwright, Australian Wooden Boat School in Franklin. Paul is a well-known Hobart identity, active in public events including the AWBF, the Antarctic Festival and the Taste of Tasmania. A former chef and Antarctic station leader, Paul has had an association with Fullers Bookshop for many years. 

Mark Cully in conversation with Emma Alberici on his new book, Waves of Plenty.

The definitive story of how immigration made Australia

Many Australians can trace family journeys to new lives in Australia. In this landmark work, Mark Cully tells the full story of immigration to Australia, from pre-colonial origins through colonisation, the gold rushes, the post-war immigration boom, the end of the White Australia policy, and the modern era of unbound temporary migration.

Rigorously researched, the book dismantles persistent myths, gives human faces to statistics, and maps the forces that transformed a distant colony into one of the world's most diverse societies. Cully traces how immigration has changed Australia, making it bigger, younger, richly diverse, less provincial and more powerful.

This is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand where Australia came from, the fraught politics of immigration, and lessons for the future.

Mark Cully was chief economist for the Department of Immigration and Citizenship and the Department of Industry, as well as chair of the OECD's Working Party on Migration. As head of macroeconomic policy in the Treasury, he led the design of the JobKeeper program during the pandemic. He is an expert panel member of the Fair Work Commission and a visiting fellow at ANU's Crawford School of Public Policy.

Emma Alberici spent 29 years as a reporter and foreign correspondent. From News Corporation as a cadet on the Herald Sun and later a finance editor, she moved to Sydney to take on a role as a researcher and producer on the Money Show. After eight years at Nine and the publication of three books on entrepreneurialism, she moved to the ABC where she spent 18 years, as Europe Correspondent, Finance Editor of 7:30 and host of Lateline. Emma is now a Partner at Derwent - Australia's largest executive recruitment firm. She is searching for interesting people, hearing their stories, telling them to others and relishing the opportunity to influence leadership across the not for profit and public sectors.

Kate Grenville combines forensic research, gripping storytelling and a profound curiosity about the complexities of the past in her latest work of non-fiction.

Hear from one of the country’s most acclaimed authors, Kate Grenville, on her dazzling new work of non-fiction – a colonial-era cold case that’s part locked-room mystery, part captivating exploration of a writer's imagination navigating the blurred boundaries between fact and possibility.

The Country Schoolmaster: A Mystery in 88 Letters begins with the discovery of an unassuming bundle of letters in an archive. On closer inspection, they reveal a complex and curious tale of victims, villains and small-town secrets. Was schoolmaster Joseph Connor savagely beating the students in his care? Or was he the victim of a small-town vendetta? And what went so terribly wrong between him and his daughter?

Fearlessly grappling with complicated histories and the strange textures of the past, Grenville once again reveals how great stories can emerge from unassuming archival fragments. Join her in conversation with Santilla Chingaipe as she lifts the lid on this fascinating true story. 

Kate Grenville will be in conversation with Karen Viggers on Kate’s new book The Country Schoolmaster : A Mystery in 88 Letters.

‘I stood there holding the hundred-year-old letter with a feeling that was familiar from other archives, other bulging files of dog-eared paper. It was a blood-running-fast, itchy-palm, eyes-wide-open feeling of stumbling on something. A story …’

Rummaging around in the archives one afternoon, Kate Grenville comes across an innocuous-looking file full of letters about a schoolteacher in country New South Wales. Intrigued, she keeps reading – and discovers a tale far more curious and complex than first appears. Was Joseph Connor savagely beating the students in his care? Or was he the victim of a small-town vendetta? And what went so terribly wrong between him and his daughter?

Ultimately, Grenville simply has to know: was Connor a victim or a villain? Part colonial cold case, part locked-room mystery, part the dance of a writer's imagination among facts and semi-facts, The Country Schoolmaster is a book like no other. In it, the novelist comes to understand the seductive pleasure of story-making, but also its dangerous limitations.

Kate Grenville AO is one of Australia's most celebrated writers. Her novels include the international bestseller and award-winning The Secret River,  The Lieutenant, Lilian's Story, the Orange Prize–winner The Idea of Perfection and A Room Made of Leaves. Her works of non-fiction include One Life: My Mother's Story, Elizabeth Macarthur's Letters and, most recently, Unsettled: A Journey Through Time and Place. Kate has received honorary doctorates from Sydney University, Macquarie University and the University of New South Wales and a Lifetime Achievement in Literature from the Australia Council.

Karen Viggers is a veterinarian and award-winning, bestselling Australian author of five novels: The Stranding,The Lightkeeper’s Wife, The Grass Castle, The Orchardists’s Daughter and Sidelines. She is co-host with Irma Gold of the Secrets From the Green Room podcast. Karen's work is set in Australian landscapes and explores dying with dignity, displacement of First Peoples, wildlife conservation and clear-felling of native forests.

Ann McGrath, AM FASSA FAHA, Distinguished Professor, School of History, Australian National University, will give the vote of thanks.

Kate Grenville in conversation with Nicole Abadee on The Country Schoolmaster.

Rummaging around in the archives one afternoon, Kate Grenville comes across an innocuous-looking file full of letters about a schoolteacher in country New South Wales. Intrigued, she keeps reading – and discovers a tale far more curious and complex than first appears. Was Joseph Connor savagely beating the students in his care? Or was he the victim of a small-town vendetta? And what went so terribly wrong between him and his daughter?

Ultimately, Grenville simply has to know: was Connor a victim or a villain? Part colonial cold case, part locked-room mystery, part the dance of a writer's imagination among facts and semi-facts, The Country Schoolmaster is a book like no other. In it, the novelist comes to understand the seductive pleasure of story-making, but also its dangerous limitations.


Kate Grenville is one of Australia's most celebrated writers. Her international bestseller The Secret River was awarded local and overseas prizes and is now a much-loved classic. Grenville's other novels include The Lieutenant, Lilian's Story, the Orange Prize–winner The Idea of Perfection and A Room Made of Leaves. Her works of non-fiction include One Life: My Mother's Story, Elizabeth Macarthur's Letters and, most recently, Unsettled: A Journey Through Time and Place.

Nicole Abadee is an event moderator and journalist who writes for the Sydney Morning Herald and Harper’s Bazaar. She has been a literary judge, podcaster and a guest on ABC Radio. Nicole is a board member of the Eleanor Dark Foundation which runs Varuna and the Blue Mountains Writers’ Festival and the Sydney Women’s Fund Advisory Council.

In conversation with Michael Ondaatje

The United States has been in the news a lot lately - but tracing its past can bring fresh perspective to its tumultuous present. Lucky for us, acclaimed historian Don Watson - who’s been enlightening readers for decades with his elegant and engaging commentary on US history, culture and politics - is on the case. His latest book is a pithy and perfect introduction to America’s grit, glamour and grift, from the declaration of independence to the twenty-first century.

A schoolmaster accused of shocking violence. A boy who’s learnt the power of silence. An unrepentant war criminal. A judge facing the collision of her personal and private lives. These engrossing fictional and real-life tales of resistance, retribution and reckoning ask us to consider the nature of justice and the limits of the law.

Suzie Miller (Inter Alia), Kate Grenville (The Country Schoolmaster), Michael Mohammed Ahmad (Bugger), Olivera Simic (Madam War Criminal). Chair: Jessica Rudd 
 

Kate Grenville: The Country Schoolmaster: A Mystery in 88 Letters
In conversation with Matthew Condon 

A locked-room mystery. A colonial cold case. A family feud. And a cache of 88 letters that pose a series of tantalising questions. Celebrated writer Kate Grenville’s new book is a mesmerising reconstruction of a hundred-year-old true story she discovered in the archives. Was New South Wales schoolteacher Joseph Connor an abusive villain or the victim of a small-town witch hunt? Grenville is at her masterful best here, piecing together the facts as she ruminates on the pleasures and pitfalls of storytelling.

A locked-room mystery. A colonial cold case. A family feud. And a cache of 88 letters that pose a series of tantalising questions. Celebrated writer Kate Grenville’s new book is a mesmerising reconstruction of a hundred-year-old true story she discovered in the archives. Was New South Wales schoolteacher Joseph Connor an abusive villain or the victim of a small-town witch hunt? Grenville is at her masterful best here, piecing together the facts as she ruminates on the pleasures and pitfalls of storytelling.

Join Kate Grenville, author of The Secret River and one of Australia's most celebrated writers, as she brings her new book The Country Schoolmaster: A Mystery in 88 Letters to the Northern Rivers for this special in conversation event on Monday 12 October at Bangalow A&I Hall.

‘I stood there holding the hundred-year-old letter with a feeling that was familiar from other archives, other bulging files of dog-eared paper. It was a blood-running-fast, itchy-palm, eyes-wide-open feeling of stumbling on something. A story…’

Rummaging around in the archives one afternoon, Kate Grenville comes across an innocuous-looking file full of letters about a schoolteacher in country New South Wales. Intrigued, she keeps reading – and discovers a tale far more curious and complex than first appears. Was Joseph Connor savagely beating the students in his care? Or was he the victim of a small-town vendetta? And what went so terribly wrong between him and his daughter?

Ultimately, Grenville simply has to know: was Connor a victim or a villain? Part colonial cold case, part locked-room mystery, part the dance of a writer's imagination among facts and semi-facts, The Country Schoolmaster is a book like no other. In it, the novelist comes to understand the seductive pleasure of story-making, but also its dangerous limitations.

Join us for a 10th anniversary celebration event to open the festival with a stellar panel of international and national writers who have dedicated their lives to their love of literature – Andrew O’Hagan, Anna Goldsworthy, Siang Lu and Sophie Gee. They will share their reflections on the formative books that shaped them, insights into their writing lives, and hopes and fears for the book at this moment in human history. We invite you to come along and honour the precious books you love – the ones that struck a chord when you were a kid, the ones printed on your heart.

Rummaging around in the Archives one afternoon, Kate Grenville comes across an innocuous-looking file full of letters about a schoolteacher in country New South Wales. Intrigued, she keeps reading – and discovers a tale far more curious and complex than first appears. Was Joseph Connor savagely beating the students in his care? Or was he the victim of a small-town vendetta? And ultimately, Grenville simply must know: was Connor a victim or a villain? Part colonial cold case, part locked-room mystery, part the dance of a writer’s imagination among facts and semi facts, The Country Schoolmaster is a book like no other.

Kate Grenville is one of Australia’s most celebrated writers. Her international bestseller The Secret River was awarded local and overseas prizes and is now a much-loved classic. Grenville’s other novels include The Lieutenant, Lilian’s Story and A Room Made of Leaves.

Matt Lloyd-Cape in conversation with Jack Toohey on Our Place: How to Solve the Housing Crisis and Rebuild the Australian Dream.

An evidence-based guide to solving Australia's housing crisis from a leading policy expert

Australia has faced a housing crisis before – and solved it. We can do it again.

In Our Place, leading policy expert Matt Lloyd-Cape cuts through the noise, showing exactly how our housing system broke. Drawing on the latest research, he reveals that although social housing tenants, renters and first-home buyers are worst affected, the whole of society suffers in a housing crisis. From the rise of far-right politics to intergenerational inequality, the housing crisis is reshaping the nation.

To solve the crisis, Lloyd-Cape argues, we need to think bigger – much bigger. Our Place shows how a bold national housing plan could:
• End homelessness by 2045
• Provide the next generation with appropriate rental standards and an affordable path to home ownership
• Create thriving urban centres away from the capital cities
• Place housing at the heart of an ambitious plan for a fairer and more prosperous Australia.

The tools are within reach. What's missing are leaders willing to rethink the economic and political assumptions that got us here.

Our Place is a powerful, solutions-focused vision for an Australia where everyone has a place to call home.


Matt Lloyd-Cape joined the progressive think tank Per Capita in 2019, and in 2022 he was the founding director of the Centre for Equitable Housing, where he is now the principal fellow. He is a prominent commentator and adviser on housing issues.

Jack Toohey is a Sydney-based author and creative director focused on systems literacy, social inequality and climate justice. In 2023, he released a video examining housing affordability that went viral. In 2025, he released his debut non-fiction Better Things Are Possible and in 2026 he appeared before a senate inquiry into intergenerational housing in Australia.

Luke Stegemann will be in conversation with Linda Jaivin for her book The Shortest History of Madrid.

Madrid's story is one of the most unlikely of any European capital.

The only European capital founded as a Muslim settlement, Madrid has a story as diverse as its population today. From the grandeur of the Habsburg and Bourbon dynasties to the chaos and trauma of civil war and dictatorship, Madrid has survived it all with defiant spirit.

It has been home to some of Spain's – and the world's – most brilliant writers, thinkers and artists, from Cervantes and Goya to Hemingway and Almodóvar. It has been the setting for outrageous political scandals, mass movements and wild literary rivalries. And it continues to be a city that refuses to be defined by anything but its own irrepressible energy.

We’re fascinated by the lives of first responders: paramedics, firefighters and police officers. What draws people to these intense professions? How does what they see reshape them? Martin McKenzie-Murray has had three life stories entrusted to him by experienced first responders. He joins Nigel Featherstone in conversation and together they’ll traverse danger, camaraderie, trauma and its aftermath.

Deep fakes, curated companions and killer drones… could AI become so intelligent it is game over for humanity? What are the benefits and pitfalls of AI? What might it do to our sense of self, our creativity and what it means to be human? Join researchers and writers Toby Walsh, Ange Lavoipierre and Waleed Aly for a conversation we need to have.

Wikipedia is one of humanity’s most underappreciated triumphs – a standout in the cesspool that is much of the internet – and it has been achieved by unpaid, amateur and mostly anonymous volunteers. Join Richard Cooke and Bernard Keane to foray into the Wonderful World of Wikipedia, its controversies and characters.

What makes a book a ‘Classic’—and can a 21st-century work make the cut? Authors Lisa Wilkinson, Michelle de Kretser, Moreno Giovannoni and Maria Takolander each champion a favourite Australian or international work, and put their reps on the line debating, defending and challenging one another’s choices. Expect bold opinions, surprising picks and spirited bookish banter. With Michael Cathcart. 

Micaela Sahhar, winner of the 2026 Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for Find Me at the Jaffa Gate, Moreno Giovannoni, 2026 Age Book of the Year winner for The Immigrants, and Antoun Issa, author of Rebirth, explore their parents’ experiences in Palestine, Italy and Lebanon—and the extraordinary personal stories, memories and histories that compel them to put family life onto the page. With Louise Adler. 

Presented in partnership with The Bookshop at Queenscliff.

Uncover the truth behind a gripping colonial cold case with one of Australia's most celebrated authors, Kate Grenville.

‘I stood there holding the hundred-year-old letter with a feeling that was familiar from other archives, other bulging files of dog-eared paper. It was a blood-running-fast, itchy-palm, eyes-wide-open feeling of stumbling on something. A story …’

Rummaging around in the archives one afternoon, Kate Grenville comes across an innocuous-looking file full of letters about a schoolteacher in country New South Wales. Intrigued, she keeps reading – and discovers a tale far more curious and complex than first appears. Was Joseph Connor savagely beating the students in his care? Or was he the victim of a small-town vendetta? And what went so terribly wrong between him and his daughter?

Ultimately, Grenville simply has to know: was Connor a victim or a villain? Part colonial cold case, part locked-room mystery, part the dance of a writer's imagination among facts and semi-facts, The Country Schoolmaster is a book like no other. In it, the novelist comes to understand the seductive pleasure of story-making, but also its dangerous limitations.

Join us at Paperchain to hear Linda Jaivin, author of The Shortest History of Madrid, in conversation with John Zubrzycki, author of The Shortest History of Delhi.

The only European capital founded as a Muslim settlement, Madrid has a story as diverse as its population today. From the grandeur of the Habsburg and Bourbon dynasties to the chaos and trauma of civil war and dictatorship, Madrid has survived it all with defiant spirit.

It has been home to some of Spain's – and the world's – most brilliant writers, thinkers and artists, from Cervantes and Goya to Hemingway and Almodóvar. It has been the setting for outrageous political scandals, mass movements and wild literary rivalries. And it continues to be a city that refuses to be defined by anything but its own irrepressible energy.

Delhi, with its stories of intrigue and empire, decadence and artistry, destruction and rebirth, has been exhilarating travellers for centuries. Its history stretches back thousands of years, through invasions, empires and the struggle for independence.

This many-layered history can be seen on the streets of Delhi today – in ancient monuments to emperors, saints, princesses and eunuchs; in the domes of mosques clad in shimmering white marble; in stately Mughal gardens; and in the bustling laneways of its markets and neighbourhoods. Now, Delhi is a vast megalopolis, drawing people from all over the subcontinent, a cornucopia of religions, castes, languages and economic classes.

In The Shortest History of Delhi, John Zubrzycki pairs an invigorating account of Delhi’s past with an insider's guide to the city today.

Linda Jaivin has been studying Chinese politics, language and culture for more than forty years. She has been a foreign correspondent in China, and is co-editor of the China Story Yearbook, an associate of the Australian Centre on China in the World at the Australian National University and the author of twelve books including The Shortest History of China.

John Zubrzycki is an Australian author with a PhD in Indian history from the University of New South Wales. A former foreign news editor with The Australian, he has worked as a correspondent in India and as a diplomat in New Delhi and Jakarta. He is the author of four books on India, the latest being House of Jaipur: The Inside Story of India’s Most Glamorous Royal Family.

Join one of the world's leading researchers in artificial intelligence, Professor Toby Walsh as he discusses his new release, God AI: Boom or Doom? What to Expect When Machines Outsmart Us.

Our fears about artificial general intelligence go deep. They touch on our very identity as thinking, feeling creatures, and on our place in the universe. Are we creating our own successor? And might this creation be a god?

Join Professor Toby Walsh explores the existential risks posed by our accelerating efforts to realise an AI-powered future.

‘If you only read one book about what happens when machines get smarter than us, make it this one. This is the guide you want for the scariest journey in human history.’ —Dr Karl Kruszelnicki

$5.00 + booking fee

Books will be available for purchase and signing on the night.

Non-alcoholic refreshments and nibbles on arrival.

Bookings required.

In Waves of Plenty, Mark Cully tells the full story of immigration to Australia, from pre-colonial origins through colonisation, the gold rush, the post-war immigration boom, the end of the White Australia policy, and the modern policy of temporary migration. Join the author in conversation with ABC’s Josh Becker as they discuss the fraught politics of immigration and dismantle its persistent myths.

Join Bob Brown, former leader of the Australian Greens and trailblazing environmentalist and biographer Mark McKenna for a conversation about Defiance, Brown's reflection on fifty years of environmental activism. In this special event, Brown and McKenna will discuss the motivations that continue to drive his activism and his enduring commitment to protecting nature for future generations.

As AI becomes more human, it brings new existential, social and ethical risks. Will we learn to coexist with it or will we be creating our own successor? Join Toby Walsh, Anna Goldsworthy, Steve Toltz and Michael Black as they explore the risks and benefits posed by our acceleration towards an AI-powered future. 

Tasmania is home to one of the world’s largest temperate wilderness areas, yet this remarkable landscape is facing increasing environmental pressure. Climate change, more frequent and severe fire seasons, pollution from salmon farming, and the loss of endemic species are among the many challenges threatening its ecosystems, its people and their culture. Join us for a timely discussion exploring the environmental challenges facing the island and the responses required to protect and restore Tasmania’s unique natural environments. With Johanna Bell, Romy Ash & Bob Brown with Simon Lauder.

Join former New South Wales Premier Bob Carr and former Australian Greens leader Bob Brown for a timely discussion on the state of Australian politics. Together, they will examine whether conviction, principle, and public service still have a place in an era marked by political instability, growing uncertainty, and shifting public expectations. They will be joined by Liz Ritchie, CEO of the Regional Australia Institute, whose expertise in regional policy and community development will bring valuable insight into the issues that matter most to regional Australians.
 

Join us at the Bendooley Estate as we spend the evening with Kate Grenville and her latest novel investigating a cold case in 1800s Australia. 
Wednesday, 28 October in the Book Barn from 6pm until 8pm, with canapés and a drink served upon arrival.  

Rummaging around in the Archives one afternoon, Grenville unearths 88 letters tracing the mysterious life of a schoolteacher in country New South Wales. What first appears simple soon reveals itself to be a tale far more curious and complex. Was Joseph Connor savagely beating the students in his care? Or was he the victim of a small-town vendetta? And what went so terribly wrong between him and his daughter? 

From one of Australia's most celebrated writers comes a part locked-room mystery, part colonial cold case that will have you realising that The Country Schoolmaster is a book like no other.  

Linda Jaivin and John Zubrzycki in conversation with Satyajit Das for the release of The Shortest History of Madrid and The Shortest History of Delhi.

Linda Jaivin covers Madrid's story, one as diverse as its population today. From the grandeur of the Habsburg and Bourbon dynasties to the chaos and trauma of civil war and dictatorship, Madrid has survived it all with defiant spirit.

It has been home to some of Spain's – and the world's – most brilliant writers, thinkers and artists, from Cervantes and Goya to Hemingway and Almodóvar. It has been the setting for outrageous political scandals, mass movements and wild literary rivalries. And it continues to be a city that refuses to be defined by anything but its own irrepressible energy.

John Zubrzycki writes about Delhi, with its stories of intrigue and empire, decadence and artistry, destruction and rebirth, has been exhilarating travellers for centuries. Its history stretches back thousands of years, through invasions, empires and the struggle for independence.

This many-layered history can be seen on the streets of Delhi today – in ancient monuments to emperors, saints, princesses and eunuchs; in the domes of mosques clad in shimmering white marble; in stately Mughal gardens; and in the bustling laneways of its markets and neighbourhoods. Now, Delhi is a vast megalopolis, drawing people from all over the subcontinent, a cornucopia of religions, castes, languages and economic classes.

Linda Jaivin is the internationally published author of thirteen books, including The Shortest History of China and Bombard the Headquarters! The Cultural Revolution in China. She is also a translator and cultural commentator. After some forty-odd years writing about China, she has turned her attention to Spain with The Shortest History of Madrid.

John Zubrzycki is the author of seven acclaimed books on India that have been published internationally and translated into almost a dozen languages. His books include Dethroned: The Downfall of India's Princely States and The Shortest History of India. He has a PhD in Indian history from the University of New South Wales and has lived and worked in India as a diplomat and foreign correspondent. 

Satyajit Das is an internationally respected financier with half a century’s experience, named in 2014 by Bloomberg as one of the fifty most influential financial thinkers in the world. He is the author of several works on the finance, money and society, and eco-tourism. His latest book is The Everything Bubble, due out in the first half of 2027.

Boom or Doom? Learn what to expect when machines outsmart us as a leading AI researcher discusses his new book on artificial intelligence.

Is it game over for humanity?

Join us at Ryde Library one of the world's leading researchers on artificial intelligence Professor Toby Walsh discusses this vital question. He will be speaking about his newest book, God AI, an essential guide to one of our most dangerous inventions.

There will be an opportunity for Q&A, book purchasing, and have your book signed by Toby.

Attendees on the day also have a chance to WIN a signed copy of the book.

Join authors Susan Wyndham and Susan Lever as they chat about their most recent biographies and the art of writing abut prominent historical figures.

About Woman in the Watchtower by Susan Wyndham:

Elizabeth Harrower wrote some of the most intense, original and highly regarded novels of the twentieth century. Then she abruptly stopped writing in the 1970s and became one of the most puzzling mysteries of Australian literature. Why didn’t she continue? Harrower gave evasive answers to friends and interviewers, and only since her death in 2020 has a deeper search been possible.

In this definitive biography, renowned journalist and writer Susan Wyndham grapples with the elusive Harrower. She immerses us in the author’s tumultuous family, her complex friendships with Patrick White, Christina Stead, Kylie Tennant and Shirley Hazzard, and her timeless probing of the human spirit in five remarkable novels.

Drawing on time spent with Harrower, revealing analysis of her fiction and new research, Wyndham unmasks a literary legend.

Join one of Australia's most trusted voices as Waleed Aly sits down with Amy Sambrooke to discuss Reasoning with Chaos, his guide to finding sense in uncertain times.

Drawing on years of columns and commentary, the collection chronicles a period of profound upheaval, revealing threads he didn't see at the time. Twelve new essays tie the collection together, tackling our shifting relationship with technology, what's genuinely revolutionary about this moment, and what really matters in life, despite the overwhelm and confusion so many of us feel. The result is a real-time record of a chaotic age, recast with hindsight and clarity, from a writer and broadcaster renowned for making the incomprehensible make sense.

Vulnerable and fierce, hilarious and heartbreaking, Queerstories celebrates the culture and creativity of the LGBTQI+ community, one true story at a time. Hosted by Festival director Maeve Marsden, who has curated this national storytelling project for more than ten years, listen to unexpected stories from some of our greatest LGBTQI+ authors: tales of pride, prejudice, resilience and resistance.

Queerstories is a beloved favourite of the Festival circuit, and has brought more than 700 writers to the stage, from Brisbane to Byron Bay, Mudgee to Murwillumba, Adelaide to Albury, the Blue Mountains and beyond.

Hosted by Maeve Marsden with Bob Brown, George Kemp, Zoe Terakes, Bobuq Sayed, and Chloe Mills.

What powers of perception, reflection and remembering are needed to craft a truly great memoir? And what tools can life writers use to extend memoir beyond memory to create literature that challenges, inspires and speaks to our times?

Drawing on 50 years at the front line of the environmental movement, Bob Brown’s Defiance gathers stories of nature's defenders, shares reflections on the people and places that have shaped him, and makes the case that courage, persistence and community can still win. 

Author Debra Dank has penned two illuminating and at times devastating memoirs about family, culture and the Gudanji Country to which she belongs: Ankami and the multi-award-winning We Come with This Place. 

In Mother Shadow, journalist Cynthia Banham uncovers a family secret — that her great-grandmother was not an orphan but a foundling, abandoned by an unwed mother; she follows the trail across continents and generations to reckon with what it means to mother, and be mothered, on your own terms.

Together, these acclaimed writers reflect on how the craft of memoir can illuminate both oneself and the society in which we live.

While Australia has a reputation for a larrikin spirit of rebellion, there are core beliefs underpinning Australian society about the institutions we can trust, and what they stand for. We are, by and large, a relatively centrist, conformist society. However, in this particular stage of capitalism, where money trumps most societal values, are the structures we’ve adhered to still serving us? Are Australia’s public institutions even worth salvaging or should we start from scratch?

With countless books, articles, essays and speeches between them, challenging our long-held ideas about religion, public education, the media, politics and more, expect fierce debate, dissent and discussion as Bob Carr, Jane Caro, Waleed Aly and Amy Remeikis share the stage in a powerful meeting of the minds.

In a world of well-stocked supermarkets and florists, why do we garden, even when we don’t have to? This was the question that fascinated Hannah Moloney, a familiar face from the ABC’s much-loved Gardening Australia. 

So she went out and asked. She spoke to politicians, artists, community leaders, activists and thousands of ordinary gardeners. Join Hannah  in conversation with avid gardener Amy Sambrooke, to discuss the book that explores the surprising, insightful and often philosophical answers Hannah received. Much more than a gardening book, Why We Garden is a joyful, life-affirming exploration of nature, humanity and community, featuring interviews with Tim Winton, Bruce Pascoe, Laura Tingle, Clare Bowditch, Bob Brown, Costa Georgiadis and many more.

The Mick Dark Talk for the Future is an annual keynote address on the environment that honours the legacy of Mick Dark, who in 1989 gifted Varuna, the National Writers’ House to the writers of Australia. Mick was an ardent and committed environmentalist, and this year, in collaboration with the Blue Mountains Conservation Society, the Festival is honoured to welcome Bob Brown, an indomitable leader of Australia’s environmental movement to deliver this prestigious address.

An evening with Author Kate Mildenhall & Dr Rose Searby

After visiting Greenpatch camping ground in 2014, Kate Mildenhall became fascinated with the story of the shooting at Cape St George in 1887 and went on to write her debut novel – Skylarking – based on those events. Ten years on, Kate returns to the region to discuss Kate and Harriet’s story, the real-life epilogue she found and the enduring impact of the book on readers. With Dr Rose Searby.

A brave, beautiful and richly textured book that delicately explores the fault lines in love and friendship – Lucy Treloar

The former leader of the Greens takes the stage in Bendigo to share stories from his decades-long career standing up to powerful interest groups that have put profit before planet.

In this special edition of The Fifth Estate in the heart of Bendigo, Bob Brown sits down to reflect on the people and places that have shaped him and shares what motivates him to keep fighting. He considers the challenges facing those who are dedicated to safeguarding life on Earth – from dealing with hostile corporate lobbyists, to press propaganda, to the powerful pull of consumerism – and shows how courage, persistence and community can defeat them all.

Drawing on decades of experience and told with his trademark warmth and humour, these stories will galvanise, uplift and inspire a new wave of individual and collective action. With host Sally Warhaft.

What can we learn from the more than human world, and what might a wilder world look like? Hear original reflections and performances from a lineup of exceptional festival guests, and enjoy a glass of local wine with our popup bar.

Featuring environmental and social justice campaigner Bob Brown, award-winning author and educator Debra Dank, author, poet, rapper, and visual artist, and winner of the 2026 Miles Franklin Award and Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for Fiction Omar Musa, poet, essayist and creative writing teacher Andy Jackson and acclaimed author of  author of over fifteen books for adults and children Maxine Beneba Clarke. Plus, a special musical performance by American cellist widely recognized not just for her virtuosic performances, but as a “fearless explorer” in her field (Chicago Reader), Mariel Roberts Musa. Hosted by beloved broadcaster and writer Jacinta Parsons.

Join us for an important conversation with Professor Toby Walsh and Dr Simon Longstaff about the ethics and impacts of our most dangerous invention, AI.

Our fears about artificial general intelligence go deep. They touch on our very identity as thinking, feeling creatures, and on our place in the universe. Are we creating our own successor? And might this creation be a god?

In this vital contribution, leading researcher and author Professor Toby Walsh explores the existential risks posed by our accelerating efforts to realise an AI-powered future. While AI models are leading to the development of wondrous technologies such as potentially life-saving drugs, they are also disrupting the lives of millions across the globe by rapidly reshaping our relationships with work and with one another. But there are also clear risks that powerful AI threatens our very existence as a species.

In an increasingly fractured world, what happens when AI hits the singularity and gains the ability to recursively self-improve? Could we so fully outsource our own thinking to AI that we make ourselves obsolete? Could machines become so intelligent that it is game over for humanity?

With his typical lucidity and humour, Walsh explores the issues, evaluates the dangers and considers what we can do to prevent AI harms before it is too late.