Eric Beecher and Rick Morton in Conversation - Breaking the News

The ability of journalists to publish news in the public interest without interference and threats to their own safety is under increasing pressure. Diminishing resources, AI, and disinformation are just some of the threats to media freedom. Join journalists Eric Beecher and Rick Morton as they she…

Helen Garner in Conversation - About a Boy

Helen Garner returns with her signature candour and wit in an exuberant new book The Season, an account from the sidelines of the highs and lows of her youngest grandson’s footy team. Helen speaks with Newcastle Writers Festival director Rosemarie Milsom about the vulnerability of boys and the bitt…

Thomas Mayo in Conversation - Always Was, Always Will Be

In his book Always Was, Always Will Be, Thomas Mayo investigates 'what's next?' for reconciliation and justice in Australia after the failed Voice to Parliament referendum. Thomas speaks with Clare Wright about lessons from the past, a path towards the future, and the new generation of First Nation…

Michelle de Kretser in Conversation - Theory & Practice

For 25 years, award-winning author Michelle de Kretser has been dazzling readers with her novels. Her new book, Theory & Practice, is set in 1980s Melbourne and is an exquisite blend of fiction, memoir and essay. Michelle makes her first appearance in Newcastle to speak with Kate Evans about craft,…

Jimmy Barnes in Conversation - Highways and Byways

From larger-than-life adventures to vivid and poignant tales of the imagination, no one tells a yarn quite like Jimmy Barnes. In his fourth memoir Highways and Byways, he takes readers on another enthralling tour, this one complete with the odd detour, and a roundabout or two, through the life of o…

David Owen Kelly in Conversation - Host City

It’s the 1980s in Darlinghurst, Sydney, and strange rumours abound: that you can catch the ‘gay plague’ from kissing, or a mosquito bite. There’s talk of quarantines and army intervention, and violence increases on the streets. David Owen Kelly’s Host City fuses memoir with alternative history to s…

Courtney Collins, Hayley Scrivenor, and Jessie Tu - Second Book Syndrome

It’s a well-known phenomenon: the anxious, agonising process of releasing a second book after a successful debut. Is the new book too similar to the first, or maybe too dissimilar? Was the debut effort a fluke? Courtney Collins, Hayley Scrivenor, and Jessie Tu open up to Amy Lovat about imposter sy…

Melanie Cheng, Raeden Richardson, and Molly Schmidt - On Love and Loneliness

In their most recent novels, Melanie Cheng, Raeden Richardson, and Molly Schmidt grapple with the turbulent relationship between love and loneliness, and the complexities of grief. They speak to Steph Harmon.  This conversation was recorded at the 2025 Newcastle Writers Festival. The Stories to Yo…

Kate Grenville in Conversation

In her new book Unsettled, Kate Grenville grapples with what it means to descend from people who were ‘on the sharp edge of the moving blade that was colonisation’. Kate speaks with David Marr about uncovering family stories and confronting difficult truths. This conversation was recorded at the 2…

Markus Zusak in Conversation

From his international bestseller, The Book Thief, to the recent memoir Three Wild Dogs and the Truth, Markus Zusak’s stellar writing career has taken him down unexpected paths. In his first Newcastle Writers Festival appearance, Markus sheds light on the good, the bad, and the ugly moments in a li…