From the Sydney Writers’ Festival to Melbourne Writers Festival and beyond, Australia is blessed with a wealth of literary events each year. These events showcase local and overseas talent, and give readers a chance to hear from their favourite writers.
Here we’ve rounded up the best events around Australia for 2025.
Best writers festivals around Australia
Emerging Writers’ Festival, Vic.
This writers’ festival champions new and emerging authors from Australia, with the 2025 event taking place on September 11-18 in Melbourne. As well as the usual talks and events, there are options for professional development and masterclasses for authors. Also, this year is the launch of the EWF Book Club, hosted by Temwani Mazaba.
Who is appearing?
The Emerging Writers’ Festival line-up includes:
- Tzeyi Koay (A Curse Carved in Ink) and Joseph Earp (Painting Portraits of Everyone I’ve Ever Dated) team up for “Fanning the Flame”, a candid discussion about staying resilient through rejection, keeping creative momentum and how writers can make persistence second-nature.
- Nabilah Khan, Zaheda Ghani (Pomegranate & Fig), Vidya Madabushi (Bystanders) and Ayesha Inoon (Untethered), four Australian writers of South Asian origin, share their experiences of publishing.
- Romance authors Emma Mugglestone (In the Long Run) and Louisa Duval (The Longest Speed Date) delve into the popularity of romance, how to write in the genre, and using an entrepreneurial mindset to achieve your publishing dreams.
- Debut authors Nadia Mahjouri (Half Truth), Holly Brunnbauer (What Did I Miss?), and Tanya Scott (Stillwater) talk about finding your writing crew, and what the process of being published is really like.
- For something fun, “Embrace the Cringe” is a panel where writers share cringe-worthy excerpts from their past work! The panellists are: Robert Skinner (I’d Rather Not), Samantha Byres, Seth Robinson (Welcome to Bellevue), Maha Sidaoui, Kimberly Lovegrove and Gabrielle Fallen.
Other guests include: Children’s book author George Green, Natasha Rai (An Onslaught of Light), Darcy Green (After the Siren), Charlee Brooks (Grandpa’s Book Club), Kayla Morton (Those Who Burn the Brightest), Katia Ariel (The Swift Dark Tide), and Sean Fallon (Bobby vs. The Duke).
Brisbane Writers Festival, Qld.
The Brisbane Writers Festival has had an upgrade for 2025. It is relocating to the Brisbane Powerhouse! The 2025 festival is on October 9–12, and also includes a fantastic Schools Program, and Young Adults Program.
Who is appearing?
The festival has more than 100 live events, with 200 artists appearing including national and international guests. The line-up includes:
- Keynote speeches from Anita Heiss (Dirrayawadha) and Bettany Hughes (The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World).
- Personal trainer Michelle Bridges, who is also a panellist for The Women’s Weekly Health Summit series, talks about perimenopause, and exercise and nutritional approaches to this period of life.
- Benjamin Stevenson (Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone) talks about his latest crime novel, Everyone in this Bank is a Thief.
- Fiona McIntosh (The Soldier’s Daughter, sequel to The Champagne War) reflects back on a decades-long career, sharing hilarious anecdotes from her journey.
- Trent Dalton celebrates the release of his latest novel, Gravity Let Me Go.
- A “Romantasy all-stars” panel will be diving into the bestselling romance subgenre. Panellists are Helen Scheuerer (The Legends of Thezmarr series), Sarah A. Parker (When the Moon Hatched), Jaymin Eve (Dragon Marked) and Stacey McEwan (A Forbidden Alchemy), chaired by Vanessa Len (Only a Monster series).
Other guests include: Melissa Leong, Turia Pitt, Sally Hepworth (Mad Mabel), Melanie Saward (Love Unleashed), Di Morrissey (River Song), Helen Garner (The Season), Charlotte Wood (Stone Yard Devotional), Nardi Simpson (The Belburd), Naima Brown (Mother Tongue), Lynette Noni (The Prison Healer; Wandering Wild), Amie Kaufman (Lady’s Knight), Jumaana Abdu (Translations), Andrew Denton, Wen-yi Lee (When They Burned the Butterfly), Laura McCluskey (The Wolf Tree), Andy Griffiths (The 13-Storey Treehouse), Garth Nix (Sabriel), Callie Hart (Quicksilver), Michael Robotham (The Crow), and Siang Lu, winner of the 2025 Miles Franklin Award for Ghost Cities..
Canberra Writers Festival, ACT
Hosted in Australia’s capital city, the Canberra Writers Festival has been running since 2016. It has a perennial theme: Power, Politics, Passion. The 2025 festival is on October 22-26.
The first guests to be announced were Australian authors Jane Harper (Last One Out), Trent Dalton (Gravity Let Me Go) and Kelly Rimmer (The Midnight Estate), as well as American actor and director Griffin Dunne (The Friday Afternoon Club).
Who else is appearing?
The full line-up includes:
- Melissa Leong, judge on MasterChef Australia and Dessert Masters, discusses her candid memoir, Guts.
- Craig Silvey talks about his novel Runt being adapted for the screen. (You can stream the movie on Apple+)
- Best-selling author Hannah Kent (Burial Rites) runs an informal Q&A session and masterclass.
- Kathleen Folbigg and Tracy Chapman share their incredible story of clearing Kathleen’s name.
- Emma Pei Yin (When Sleeping Women Wake) and Natasha Rai (An Onslaught of Light) discuss both the strength families give us, and the constraints they can impose on our lives.
- Australian women’s fiction legend Rachael Johns talks about her new book, The Lucky Sisters, with Emma Grey (Pictures of You).
Others appearing include: Alli Parker (Until the Red Leaves Fall), Peter Greste (The Correspondent), Sulari Gentill (The Woman in the Library), Madeleine Gray (Chosen Family) and poet Maxine Beneba Clarke (Stuff I’m Not Sorry For).
Writers festival programs yet to be announced
Berry Writers Festival, NSW
Hosted in the historic small town of Berry in NSW, the event happens every second year. The next festival will be held in October 2026.
Did you miss these writers’ festivals?
Sydney Writers’ Festival, NSW
The Sydney Writers’ Festival has been running since 1997 in NSW’s capital city. This year’s theme was In This Together. As Artistic Director Ann Mossop said, “Writing remains one of the most powerful tools to make sense of the world, to spark change and foster understanding.”
The festival ran from May 19–27, but the Sydney Writers’ Festival podcast can be enjoyed year-round.
Which authors appeared?
There were over 40 international guests and more than 100 Australian authors including:
- Samantha Harvey, winner of the 2024 Booker Prize for Orbital.
- Marian Keyes, bestselling author of, among others, Watermelon, Rachel’s Holiday, and My Favourite Mistake.
- Australia’s own Liane Moriarty (Big Little Lies; Nine Perfect Strangers) paired up with English author David Nicholls (One Day) to discuss having their work adapted for TV and film.
- Helen Garner discussed The Season, her first full-length release for several years.
- Stella Prize 2025 shortlisted authors Jumaana Abdu (Translations), Melanie Cheng (The Burrow) and Samah Sabawi (Cactus Pear for My Beloved).
- Annabel Crabb hosted the festival’s annual debate. This year’s topic: True friends stab you in the front.
Other guests included: Charlotte Wood (Stone Yard Devotional), Shankari Chandran (Unfinished Business), Stan Grant (Talking to my Country), Gina Chick (We Are the Stars), Michael Robotham (Storm Child), Anna Funder (Wifedom), Hannah Kent (Burial Rites), Nardi Simpson (Song of the Crocodile), Zoë Foster Blake (Things Will Calm Down Soon), Jane Caro (The Mother), Dylin Hardcastle (A Language of Limbs), and Lynette Noni (Wandering Wild).
Melbourne Writers Festival, Vic.
The Melbourne Writers Festival has been running since 1986, driven by its values of excellence, curiosity, diversity and a future-focused mindset. This year’s theme was “Magical Thinking”, celebrating the “special kind of magic” found in books, said Festival Director Veronica Sullivan.
The festival ran from May 8-11. Select events are available to listen to via The Melbourne Writers Festival podcast.
Which authors appeared?
- Kaliane Bradley, the Sunday Times and New York Times bestselling author of The Ministry of Time.
- Japanese author Asako Yuzuki, whose novel Butter went viral.
- Jimmy Barnes, of Cold Chisel fame, talked about his latest book Jimmy Barnes: Highways and Byways.
- Jane Harper (The Dry; Force of Nature) interviewed Marian Keyes about her new book, My Favourite Mistake.
- Australian authors Anita Heiss (Dirrayawadha) and Kate Grenville (Unsettled).
- Stella Prize 2025 shortlisted authors Santilla Chingaipe (Black Convicts), Amy McQuire (Black Witness) and Samah Sabawi (Cactus Pear for My Beloved).
Others including: Jamila Rizvi (The Motherhood), Sarah Wilson, Marcia Langton (Welcome to Country), Hannah Kent (Burial Rites), Colm Tóibín (Brooklyn), C.S. Pacat (Captive Prince), Bebe Oliver (if this is the end), Froomes (Lucinda Price) (All I Ever Wanted Was To Be Hot), and Kate Mildenhall (The Hummingbird Effect).
Margaret River Readers and Writers Festival, WA
Founded in 2009, the Margaret River Readers & Writers Festival is now the largest regional writers event in Western Australia. There is also a Young Readers & Writers Program as well as a podcast, The Readers & Writers Podcast, which is available to listen to year-round.
Which authors appeared?
- Charlotte Wood, whose novel Stone Yard Devotional was shortlisted for the Booker Prize 2024.
- Tasma Walton, actor and author, discussed her novel I Am Nannertgarrook.
- Crime fiction writer Chris Hammer (Scrublands, Silver, The Valley) talked about his career.
- Inga Simpson discussed her latest novel, The Thinning.
- Markus Zusak reflected on 20 years since publishing The Book Thief.
Other authors included: Marian Keyes (My Favourite Mistake), Samantha Harvey (Orbital), Hannah Kent (Burial Rites), Stan Grant (Talking to my Country), Peter Godwin (Exit Wounds), Madeline Te Whiu (The Assassin Thief), and Craig Semple (The Cop Who Fell to Earth).
Adelaide Writers’ Week, SA
This event occurs every year as part of the Adelaide Festival. It’s the largest free literary festival in Australia, with six days of free panel sessions. The talks are also made available via their podcast, Adelaide Writers’ Week. The 2026 event will happen during the Adelaide Festival, Feb 27 – Mar 15.
Newcastle Writers Festival, NSW
The Newcastle Writers Festival was in early April. The inaugural event was held in 2013 and it has since bloomed into one of the largest regional writers festivals in Australia.
Some of the 2025 guests were Markus Zusak (The Book Thief), Julie Goodwin, Peter Greste, Geraldine Brooks (Horse), Omar Sakr (Son of Sin) and Michelle de Kretser (Theory & Practice).
Byron Writers Festival, NSW
This year the Byron Writers Festival took place at the Bangalow Showground, 15 minutes from Byron Bay, over August 8-10. In true Byron Bay fashion, the event had food stalls, artist markets, bars and also a sculpture walk. Sadly, heavy rain impacted the festival, leading to cancellations, but the good news is you can catch up on last year’s festival talks through the Byron Writers Festival podcast.
Which authors appeared?
The Byron Writers Festival had an impressive line-up of 160 artists from around the world. Below is just a sample of the events.
- Beloved Australian writer Di Morrissey (River Song) in conversation with Jane Novak.
- Gina Chick (We Are the Stars), Esther Freud (My Sister and Other Lovers) and Nardi Simpson (The Belburd) chat about matriarchy and womanhood.
- Peter Greste (The Correspondent) and John Vaillant (Fire Weather) discuss the state of play for press freedom.
- Crime writers Chris Hammer (The Seven), Dervla McTiernan (The Unquiet Grave), and Michael Robotham (The White Crow) chat about the booming genre.
- For memoir lovers, Robert Dessaix (Chameleon), Hannah Kent (Always Home, Always Homesick) and Markus Zusak (Three Wild Dogs and the Truth) reflect on the power of sharing personal stories.
- 2024 co–Australian of the Year Richard Scolyer talks about his fight against a diagnosis of incurable brain cancer.
- “Romantasy” in the spotlight with Tigest Girma (Immortal Dark) and Stacey McEwan (A Forbidden Alchemy).
Other guests included: Shankari Chandran (Unfinished Business), Zoë Foster Blake (Things Will Calm Down Soon), Jane Caro (The Mother), Helen Garner (The Season), Melanie Cheng (The Burrow), Joe Aston (The Chairman’s Lounge), Michelle de Kretser (Theory & Practice – which has been shortlisted for the 2025 Stella Prize), Thomas Mayo (Always Was, Always Will Be), Saman Shad (The Sex Lives of Married Women), and Layne Beachley.
Primary and Secondary Schools Days guests included: Australian Children’s Laureate Sally Rippin (Billie B Brown series), comedian Peter Helliar, poet Maxine Beneba Clarke (Stuff I’m Not Sorry For), Isobelle Carmody (The Obernewtyn Chronicles), Anita Heiss (Who Am I?), Corey Tutt (Deadly Science series) Sarah Armstrong (Big Magic) and Tony Armstrong.
Bendigo Writers Festival, Vic.
Since 2012, the Bendigo Writers Festival has prided itself on being a “vibrant gathering of readers, writers, and creative thinkers”. The 2025 festival run August 15-17, and included schools days, creative sessions for kids, book club discussions and events for foodies.
