Byron Writers Festival

Trent Dalton has captured the hearts of thousands of readers with his remarkable storytelling, but it is his live conversations that have most endeared him to festival audiences around the country. In this heart warming conversation with David Leser, Dalton takes us on his quest to understand love as a ‘sentimental writer’ on the streets of Brisbane during the pandemic.

In this fascinating panel expertly chaired by Margaret Simons, Guardian Australia columnist Van Badham takes us on the journey behind her work where she joined some of the internet’s most extreme communities to understand conspiracy cults from the inside; Ed Coper schools us on the communications sectors' dark underworld, aptly coined ‘Pink Slime’; and Tim Burrows shares his wealth of knowledge on...

An expansive and fascinating discussion on healing from a First Nations perspective. Authors and academics Judy Atkinson, Paul Callaghan and Marcia Langton ponder the questions of what does it mean to heal, and what healing looks like, for both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people. They share the impacts of intergenerational trauma, examples of traditional First Nations healing methods and explore...

Tackling this challenging topic with respect, breadth and depth of experience David Leser, Yves Rees, Mariam Veiszadeh together with Jess Hill consider patriarchy and how it affects us all. Through the lens of history, non-binary perspectives and cultures around the world, we are presented with hope and practical tools to become aware of patriarchy - external and internal, and the idea of change a...

Authors and activists Dylin Hardcastle, Kathryn Heyman and Jess Hill explore their complicated relationship with anger and how it informs their creative practice, the personal and cultural cost of censoring anger and the reclaiming of controlled and organised anger as a catalyst for change. Powerful readings paired with shared personal experiences and deep dives in the writing process make for a t...

Gabrielle Chan joins Bronwyn Adcock, Joëlle Gergis and Ed Coper to discuss the limits of modern science in a world where disaster mitigation and climate adaptation have become necessary for a sustainable future.

In this moving conversation Chloe Hooper and Tim Baker chat with Nikki Gemmell about the things we can draw on to live everyday life with awe, and how our mortality brings the fullness of life into sharp relief. Together they highlight the importance of conversations around mortality, and how to approach the subject as a community, to inspire robust discussion about how to live life to the fullest...

How can we approach our current moment with radical hope? In this powerful keynote address from the 2022 festival, storytellers, activists, philosophers and rappers each take to the stage with a response to this question, in doing so inspiring new ways to imagine our future. Featuring A.C. Grayling, Mia Thom, Damon Gameau, Anne-Marie Te Whiu and Luka Lesson.

Sarah Wilson sits down with filmmaker and activist Damon Gameau, the ‘electrify everything guy’ Saul Griffith and environmentalist Tim Hollo to imagine a greener future for our world. In a discussion that traverses history, policy, community action and technology, we’re presented with an array of possibilities that embody the 2022 festival theme of Radical Hope.

In this explorative conversation, authors Jessie Cole (Desire) and Nikki Gemmell (Dissolve) sit down with Zacharey Jane for an intimate and at times brutally honest chat about female desire in all its guises – from the purely physical to the more nuanced, deeper yearnings for personal growth, connection and fulfilment. Both Jessie and Nikki share how their writing practices have served to process...

Let us take you on a wild rollercoaster ride of love and other stories! Trent Dalton (Love Stories) , Nigel Featherstone (My Heart is a Little Wild Thing) and Hannah Kent (Devotion) - three incredible novelists in their own right – come together for this wonderful panel about the forever beguiling subject of love. We hear tales of heartbreak and jubilation, we shed tears of sorrow and laughter, we...

This conversation from the 2022 Byron Writers Festival takes a deep dive into stillness in the modern age. We hear from Paul Callaghan about what we can learn from Indigenous wisdom and ways of being, Indira Naidoo discusses how our relationship with the natural world can bring stillness and Christine Jackman provides us with ways of turning down the noise (and turning off our screens). Ultimately...

In this uplifting conversation Matthew Evans and Costa Georgiadis chat with Indira Naidoo about the joy and experience of gardening. They discuss the intimate connection of working with soil, and gardening as the ultimate act of optimism. With practical advice to connect with nature from many different entry points, this chat will leave you inspired and motivated to get your hands dirty and reap t...

Three novelists Emily Brugman (The Islands), Ashley Hay (Gum) and Christos Tsiolkas (7 ½) discuss their work and the synchronous exchange that occurs between writing and the natural world. Together they examine the fine line between inspiration and exaggeration, the role of intuition, the importance of space and silence and the care that must be taken when describing sensory experiences. Coupled w...

In this lively conversation, authors Sarah Armstrong, Bronwyn Brancroft and Isobelle Carmody sit down with Tristan Bancks to discuss children’s books, and what they can offer readers of all ages. Each speaker explores what draws them to read and write children’s books, and the ingredients required to create quality children’s literature, including the balance between lighter themes, such as hope,...

Sarah Armstrong interviews Kathryn Heyman about her memoir Fury. They unpack questions around the writing process: What stories do we choose to tell and why? When is the right time to write about personal or traumatic events? Kathryn also talks about her early writing life, the books that inspired her, gender politics and the reverberations of the #metoo movement. About the book: At the age of twe...

Produced in collaboration with Griffith Review, Sarah Sentilles talks with Ashley Hay about her latest works. They discuss her essay, ‘Creation Stories’, from Griffith Review 73: Hey, Utopia! as well as Sarah’s new memoir Stranger Care. In this insightful discussion, Ashley and Sarah discuss many topics, including the collision between bureaucracy and love, the nature of creativity and the ability...

Nicole Abadee talks with Kavita Bedford about her book Friends and Dark Shapes. They discuss the contours of contemporary life in the city, from insecure employment and housing, to second-generation identity, waves of migration, online dating and social alienation. About the book: A group of friends moves into a share house in Redfern. They are all on the cusp of thirty and big life changes. Frien...

In this Byron Writers Festival X BooksBooksBooks podcast collaboration, Pip Williams talks with Nicole Abadee about her novel, The Dictionary of Lost Words. They discuss the history of the Oxford English Dictionary, and how the exclusion of particular words inspired Williams' sweeping story of Esme as she sets about collecting the discarded vernacular of the English lexicon. About the Book: Set wh...

Chris Raja talks with Sunil Badami about his insightful and moving memoir, Into The Suburbs. They discuss the roles of truth and fiction in memoir, as well as family, migration, homelands and identity. About the book: Exploring topical issues of race, class and migration, Into the Suburbs is an affecting portrait of one family’s search for home.

Sophie Hardcastle talks with Emily Brugman about their novel Below Deck. They discuss writing techniques and processes, as well as the characters and themes of the book, including sexual violence, trauma, nature and renewal. About the book: Below Deck is a heartbreakingly poetic and haunting story about the vagaries of consent, about who has the space to speak and who is believed.

Tristan Bancks, longtime Byron Writers Festival supporter and Room to Read ambassador, chairs a discussion with Sisonke Msimang, Jennie Orchard and Alice Pung about their contributions to the anthology The Gifts of Reading, including the books they all love to give. The Gifts of Reading is an anthology of essays about the joys of reading and of giving books, from some of the world's most beloved w...

Fiona Murphy kept her deafness a secret for over 25 years. After an accident to her hand, she discovered that sign language could change her life, and that Deaf culture could be part of her identity. In this podcast, Fiona talks with Caroline Baum about her memoir The Shape of Sound, and her journey from a position of shame to one of pride as she navigated the world of d/Deafness and disability. B...

Described as a spiky, sharp, intriguingly dark and tender book, full of pathos, fury and wit, Meg Mason’s Sorrow and Bliss has received wide critical acclaim. In this podcast, Sarah Kanowski from Radio National’s Conversations talks with Meg about her unforgettable characters, the interplay between humour and suffering, and about her gentle rendering of mental illness.

Join celebrated Australian storyteller Jock Serong and acclaimed writer Mirandi Riwoe for a lively discussion about Jock’s new novel The Burning Island, recorded live at Lennox Cultural Centre, in collaboration with Lennox Arts Board (LAB). Irresistible prose, unforgettable characters and magnificent, epic storytelling: The Burning Island delivers everything readers have come to expect from Jock S...