2026 Festival Program

Saturday 19 September 2026, Kirrawee Library

09.30 am - 10.30 am - Events Room

The Power of Young Readers

Susanne Gervay, Sue Whiting and Belinda Murrell come together in a poignant conversation on the power of children’s fiction to inspire and educate. What role do books play in the lives of our youngest readers, and how has the landscape of expectation changed for authors who step into this role?

(MC: Melinda McNaughton)

Author Discussion

10.00 am - 11.00 am - Theatre

Substack, Self-Publishing & Setting Your Own Course

Sal Gallaher shares her personal journey from aspiring writer to independently published novelist. She explores the realities of writing a book, choosing the self-publishing path, and navigating the stages of brining a manuscript to life. From editing and cover design to building connections with readers through communities like Substack, this workshop offers an honest look at the indie author experience.

Workshop

11.00 am - 12.00 am - Events Room

Truth Tellers

John Ayliffe, Anna Dombkins and Adam Courtenay unite for a discussion on the opportunity, and the burden, to retell true stories and memoirs. Includes practical questions on research.

(MC: Christine Sykes)

Author Discussion

11.30 am – 12.30 pm - Theatre

World of Wonder: Writing for Children

Drawing on more than 25 years of experience working in children’s publishing, Sue Whiting will share her top tips for writing a children’s manuscript that will grab the attention of editors, publishers and most importantly young readers! Session will include a couple of quick practical exercises.

Workshop

12.30 pm - 01.30 pm - Events Room

Romance

Penelope Janu and Alyssa Montgomery discuss the enduring popularity of romance writing, the key trends in the genre and what readers expect from modern romance releases.

(MC: Sal Gallaher)

Author Discussion

1.00 pm - 2.00 pm - Theatre

The Perfect Crime: Research & Authenticity in Crime Fiction

In this worksop, crime writer Dinuka McKenzie will take participants through writing. authentic characters, research tips, the challenges of writing crime (including writing violence and depicting victims), and generating ideas for compelling crime narratives. The workshop will include a short writing exercise for participants to complete during the session.

Workshop

2.00 pm - 3.00 pm - Events Room

Fanatical About Fantasy

Fantasy author Lily Crozier will speak on the current global obsession with fantasy fiction, the power of social media marketing in this genre, and her bestselling series of books.

(MC: Maureen Flynn)

Author Discussion

2.30 pm - 3.30 pm - Theatre

Character Building

All stories benefit from interesting, complex characters. But how do you create them? In this practical workshop, Nick Bolton will take you through a number of exercises in building characters for any format - theatre, film, tv, novels and more. Bring a pen and your imagination and we’ll do the rest!

Workshop

3.30 pm - 4.30 pm - Events Room

In it for the Thrill

Tim Ayliffe and Dinuka McKenzie are two of Australia’s most exciting crime and thriller writers. They’ll discuss their new releases and share insights on what keeps a reader on the edge of their seat, and what draws them to this genre again and again.

(MC: Anna Loder)

Author Discussion

4.00 pm - 5.00 pm - Theatre

Perfecting the Pitch

Workshop for writers who are close to completing their manuscript and are considering next steps. Abigail Nathan will cover topics like: How to decide if traditional publishing is right for you, what agents and publishers are looking for, crafting the perfect query letter and pitch and finding the right agent or publisher. She will also explain some of the dos and don’ts of pitching and submitting, common mistakes, and the secrets to writing the synopsis.

Workshop