Newcastle Writers Festival

Hannah Diviney is many things: writer, actor, co-founder of a media company. A disability and women’s rights advocate, the face of the ‘Disabled Disney Princess’ campaign, and the one who called out Lizzo for using an ableist slur in her music. Most importantly, she’s a young woman with a battle ...

When her son said, ‘Mum, I want a robot slave’, Tracey Spicer had an epiphany, and set about exploring who should be held accountable as society grapples with the rise in AI. This exchange, and years of research, resulted in her most recent book, Man-Made. The Walkley Award-winning journalist exp...

Three beloved authors discuss overcoming fear and self-doubt to tap into the magic of storytelling. Emily Perkins, Christos Tsiolkas and Charlotte Wood speak with Kate Mildenhall about their creative practice and learning to let go.

Thought you knew the story of The Teacher’s Pet? Walkley Award-winning journalist Hedley Thomas shares insights from behind the scenes of one of the most intriguing Australian murder cases of our time. He speaks with Richard Glover about what prompted him to explore the disappearance of Lynette D...

In Clementine Ford’s most controversial book to date, she argues an impassioned case against the institution of marriage. I Don’t reveals the capitalist, patriarchal structures that work to maintain control over women’s agency, ambitions, and autonomy. Clementine speaks with Maeve Marsden about t...

After decades working as journalists, it might seem a natural progression for Chris Hammer and Louise Milligan to turn their attention to crime fiction. Chris covered international affairs and federal politics for more than 30 years, and Louise’s investigative journalism has most notably included...

Making her first festival appearance, New York Times bestselling author Sally Hepworth speaks about her stellar career, from writing her first novel on maternity leave and gaining interest from Hollywood heavyweights, to recently publishing her ninth novel, Darling Girls. Hosted by Amy Lovat.

He is a beloved Aussie actor who has become a best-selling writer. Bryan Brown appears at the festival for the first time to chat about his first novel, The Drowning, which follows the stunning success of his short story collection, Sweet Jimmy. The Drowning is a cleverly plotted, tension-filled ...