Newcastle Writers Festival

It is the desire of many readers to see themselves reflected on the page, especially when their faces and voices have been excluded from the dominant narrative. Graham Akhurst , Kirli Saunders and Melanie Saward discuss writing First Nations characters in fiction for – and about – young people. Hosted by Yvette Henry Holt . This conversation was recorded at the 2024 Newcastle Writers Festival. The...

In their recent fiction, Emily Perkins , Megan Rogers and Christos Tsiolkas created characters at a crossroads, disrupting the traditional narrative of ‘coming of age’ as an experience of youth. They discuss belonging, change, and the perennial journey of ‘growing up’ with Ashley Hay . This conversation was recorded at the 2024 Newcastle Writers Festival. The Stories to You podcast series is suppo...

From being told her books ‘weren’t Australian enough’, to winning the 2023 Miles Franklin Literary Award for her third novel Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens , Shankari Chandran ’s writing journey has been anything but linear. She speaks with Ailsa Piper about family and memory, and the stories that shape who we become. This conversation was recorded at the 2024 Newcastle Writers Festival. The Storie...

‘If you're doing work that you feel is important, it will be impossible to have everybody like you.’ Bri Lee first captured the literary world’s attention with her debut memoir Eggshell Skull , a very personal interrogation of the injustices experienced by survivors of sexual assault. Now, she’s turned her attention to fiction. Bri talks with Bridie Jabour about her novel, The Work , a story of lo...

Israel’s spying technology and defence hardware is being used by despots and democracies around the world – from the Pegasus software that hacked Jamal Khashoggi’s phones, and the weapons sold to the Myanmar army that killed thousands of Rohingyas, to the drones being used by the European Union to monitor refugees in the Mediterranean. Independent journalist Antony Loewenstein discusses how Israel...

This is a reading of the 2024 Newcastle Writers Festival program for Sunday, 7 April 2024. Thank you to ABC Newcastle's Dan Cox for assisting. This is a condensed version and more detail can be found on the website . If you would like to contact our accessibility coordinator please email access@newcastlewritersfestival.org.au   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is a reading of the 2024 Newcastle Writers Festival program for Friday, 5 April 2024. Thank you to ABC Newcastle's Dan Cox for assisting. This is a condensed version and more detail can be found on the website . If you would like to contact our accessibility coordinator please email access@newcastlewritersfestival.org.au   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is a reading of the 2024 Newcastle Writers Festival program for Saturday, 6 April 2024. Thank you to ABC Newcastle's Dan Cox for assisting. This is a condensed version and more detail can be found on the website . If you would like to contact our accessibility coordinator please email access@newcastlewritersfestival.org.au   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this session, which was recorded at the 2023 festival, University of Newcastle researcher Phillip McIntyre discusses with Scott Bevan his most recent book Paul McCartney and His Creative Practice . Phillip shares fresh insight into the creative practice developed by Paul McCartney during his extended career as a songwriter, record producer and performing musician.  The Stories to You podcast se...

In this session recorded at the 2023 festival, writer and much-loved broadcaster Richard Fidler discusses The Book of Roads & Kingdoms , which is inspired by the tales of medieval Arab and Persian travellers who ventured to the edges of the known world. He discusses with Paul Bevan the ways in which the expansion of geographical frontiers shaped knowledge. The Stories to You podcast series is...

At the 2023 festival, Pip Williams ’s participation coincided with the launch of her highly anticipated second book, The Bookbinder of Jericho. It tells the story of the onset of World War I from the perspective of a young woman, Peggy, who works in the bindery of the Oxford University Press. In this wide-ranging discussion, Pip speaks to Ailsa Piper about language, censorship and women’s access t...

In this session, which was recorded at the 2023 festival, acclaimed poets  Andy Jackson ,  Kerri Shying  and  Gaele Sobott  discuss Raging Grace, an anthology of collaborative poems and essays on disability. The Stories to You podcast series is supported by  Create NSW . If you would like to support the valuable work of Newcastle Writers Festival, which fosters a culture of reading and writing, pl...

In this session, which was recorded at the 2023 festival, Norman Swan explores the science, myths and mistruths that surround ageing. Hosted by Cassie McCullagh. The Stories to You podcast series is supported by Create NSW. If you would like to contribute to the valuable work of Newcastle Writers Festival in fostering a culture of reading and writing, please consider a tax-deductible  donation .  ...

In this session recorded at the 2023 festival,  Tim Baker  and  Chloe Hooper  share their perspectives on the role that hope can play in helping us cope with life’s darkest moments. Hosted by Ailsa Piper. The Stories to You podcast series is supported by Create NSW. If you would like to contribute to the valuable work of Newcastle Writers Festival in supporting a culture of reading and writing, pl...

Literary critic Declan Fry has described Chris Flynn as ‘a restless experimenter, a fabulist’. In his compelling new collection of short stories, Here Be Leviathans , Chris gives a voice to the world around us, with narrators including a bear, a river, a platypus and a hotel room.  At the 2023 festival, he spoke to Kate Mildenhall about embracing the absurd, breaking rules, and finding your voice...

At the 2023 festival, Anna Downes spoke to three writers about their critically acclaimed debut crime books .  Shelley Burr was awarded the prestigious Crime Writers’ Association Debut Dagger for Wake, which explores how the unsolved disappearance of a girl continues to haunt a small town . James McKenzie Watson ’s Denizen won the 2021 Penguin Literary Prize and is informed by his upbringing in re...

In this session recorded at the 2023 festival, investigative journalist Paddy Manning turns his attention to Lachlan Murdoch, one of the world’s most influential  – and enigmatic  – people.  In his compelling biography The Successor , Manning explores Murdoch’s upbringing and political beliefs. He shares with host Antony Loewenstein what he has learnt about the head of Fox Corporation and how powe...

In their recent books, Robbie Arnott , Bronwyn Birdsall , and Holly Ringland create vivid settings that transport readers to locations in Australia and across the globe – to a bygone era in Tasmania’s north,  myth-laden Denmark and Faroe Islands, and a Balkan city recovering from war. At the 2023 festival, they spoke to Geordie Williamson about the places and liminal spaces at the pulsing heart of...

At the 2023 festival, we introduced a new series called I'd Like You to Meet and invited  established writers to shine the spotlight on an emerging writer whose work they admire. Craig Silvey introduces you to Cadance Bell , whose coming-of-gender memoir, The All of It: A Bogan Rhapsody , was published in 2022. The Stories to You Series is supported by Create NSW. If you would like to individually...

With the support of Robert Adamson 's wife Juno Gemes , Newcastle Writers Festival was honoured to host a commemoration of the late poet’s life and work at the 2023 festival. This special event includes readings by Judith Beveridge, Robbie Coburn, Keri Glastonbury, Sarah Holland-Batt , and Mark Mordue . The host is Michele Seminara. The Stories to You podcast series is supported by Create NSW . If...

When the Taliban arrived at the gates of Kabul in August 2021, Andrew Quilty had been living and working there for eight years. He was one of only a handful of Western journalists remaining. In this conversation, which was recorded at the 2023 festival, Andrew discusses his book August in Kabul , which explores the humanitarian cost of the 20-year war. The conversation is hosted by  Antony Loewens...

Newcastle Writers Festival hosted a very special 10th anniversary opening night event on 31 March 2023 featuring activist, sexual abuse survivor, and author Grace Tame. She spoke to  Maddison Connaughton  about her memoir,  The Ninth Life of a Diamond Miner . Please be aware that this conversation includes reference to sexual abuse and eating disorders. If it raises any issues for you, Lifeline is...

In October 2022, Newcastle Writers Festival hosted a special event with internationally respected human rights and media lawyer Jennifer Robinson and colleague Dr Keina Yoshida. Journalist Maddison Connaughton hosted the conversation, which centred on Jennifer and Keina’s book How Many More Women? Exposing How the Law Silences Women . How Many More Women?  examines the laws around the world that s...

First Nations women are the backbone of their communities. Join this deep dive into storytelling, song, poetry, and activism with Evelyn Araluen , Jasmine Seymour , Nardi Simpson , and Chelsea Watego . Hosted by Narelda Jacobs. This conversation was recorded at the 2022 Newcastle Writers Festival. Thank you to Create NSW for funding the Stories To You series.   See omnystudio.com/listener for priv...

Lech Blaine , Brendan Cowell, and Brandon Jack discuss what it means to explore more expansive expressions of Australian masculinity in writing and in life. Hosted by Nick Milligan . This conversation was recorded at the 2022 Newcastle Writers Festival. Thank you to Create NSW for funding the Stories To You series.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.