Newcastle Writers Festival

From the page to the stage, Words & Music is a festival project in which songwriters are invited by Newcastle curator Nick Milligan to write and perform an original work inspired by the written word. Whether it be a novel, poem, short story or something unexpected, pre-existing prose is channelled into new art. The 2025 edition of Words & Music saw William Crighton, Melody Pool, Charlie Scott, Candle Drum, Dave Wells and Symphony Rain Riley, Chelsea Reed, Ziggy Ramo, Khin Myint and Chain Daisy all perform new original works. The show also includes a live reading by Dylin Hardcastle from their book A Language of Limbs. This performance was recorded at Newcastle's Conservatorium of Music on Saturday, April 5, 2025 and was hosted by Nick Milligan.

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 shed light on the state of media and what it means for the future of democracy. Hosted by Kylie Morris. This conversation was recorded at the 2025 Newcastle Writers Festival. The Stories to You podcast series is supported by Create NSW. If you would like to contribute to the valuable work of the festival in fostering a culture of reading and writing, please consider a tax-deductible donation. 

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 bittersweet experience of loving them and letting them go. This conversation was recorded at the 2025 Newcastle Writers Festival. The Stories to You podcast series is supported by Create NSW. If you would like to contribute to the valuable work of the festival in fostering a culture of reading and writing, please consider a tax-deductible donation. 

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 Nations leaders who are ready, resilient, and hopeful. This conversation was recorded at the 2025 Newcastle Writers Festival. The Stories to You podcast series is supported by Create NSW. If you would like to contribute to the valuable work of the festival in fostering a culture of reading and writing, please consider a tax-deductible donation. 

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, creativity, and the enduring influence of Virginia Woolf. This conversation was recorded at the 2025 Newcastle Writers Festival. The Stories to You podcast series is supported by Create NSW. If you would like to contribute to the valuable work of the festival in fostering a culture of reading and writing, please consider a tax-deductible donation. 

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 one of this country’s most successful and beloved artists. Hosted by Richard Glover. This conversation was recorded at the 2025 Newcastle Writers Festival. The Stories to You podcast series is supported by Create NSW. If you would like to contribute to the valuable work of the festival in fostering a culture of reading and writing, please consider a tax-deductible donation. 

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 spin a tale of joy and survival. He speaks with Keri Glastonbury. This conversation was recorded at the 2025 Newcastle Writers Festival. The Stories to You podcast series is supported by Create NSW. If you would like to contribute to the valuable work of the festival in fostering a culture of reading and writing, please consider a tax-deductible donation. 

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 syndrome, creative blocks, and debunk second-book blues. This conversation was recorded at the 2025 Newcastle Writers Festival. The Stories to You podcast series is supported by Create NSW. If you would like to contribute to the valuable work of the festival in fostering a culture of reading and writing, please consider a tax-deductible donation. 

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 You podcast series is supported by Create NSW. If you would like to contribute to the valuable work of the festival in fostering a culture of reading and writing, please consider a tax-deductible donation. 

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 2025 Newcastle Writers Festival. The Stories to You podcast series is supported by Create NSW. If you would like to contribute to the valuable work of the festival in fostering a culture of reading and writing, please consider a tax-deductible donation.

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 life full of love, sorrow, and success. Hosted by Dan Cox. This conversation was recorded at the 2025 Newcastle Writers Festival. The Stories to You podcast series is supported by Create NSW. If you would like to contribute to the valuable work of the festival in fostering a culture of reading and writing, please consider a tax-deductible donation. 

ABC Newcastle's Dan Cox reads the 2025 program for 2 to 4 April. This initiative is part of Newcastle Writers Festival's Disability Inclusion Action Plan and is funded by Create NSW.  

ABC Newcastle's Dan Cox reads the 2025 program for 6 April. This initiative is part of Newcastle Writers Festival's Disability Inclusion Action Plan and is funded by Create NSW.  

ABC Newcastle's Dan Cox reads the 2025 program for 5 April. This initiative is part of Newcastle Writers Festival's Disability Inclusion Action Plan and is funded by Create NSW.  

In October, Newcastle Writers Festival hosted a special event with best-selling US writer Jodi Picoult. Mamamia executive editor Jessie Stephens hosted the conversation, which centred on Jodi's well-researched and imaginative new book By Any Other Name about two women, living 400 years apart, who aspire to be playwrights and the battles they must fight for recognition. Jodi speaks about the myths surrounding Shakespeare, the challenges of being a female artists, and her extensive research.  Thank you to our partner University of Newcastle, Allen & Unwin, and podcast funder Create NSW. 

In November, Newcastle Writers Festival hosted a special event with ARIA-winning musician and songwriter Kasey Chambers at the University of Newcastle's Conservatorium of Music. Danni Carr, Kasey's friend and host of the acclaimed podcast How I Quit Alcohol, hosted the conversation about her new memoir Just Don't Be a D**khead and Other Profound Things I've Learnt!, which features compelling stories, rock-solid life lessons and heartfelt observations. Kasey also performed three songs with Brandon Dodd. Thank you to our major partner The University of Newcastle, publisher Hardie Grant Books, and podcast series funder Create NSW. 

In October 2024, Newcastle Writers Festival hosted a special event with acclaimed Australian writer Tim Winton. Festival director Rosemarie Milsom hosted the conversation which centred on Tim's most recent novel Juice, described by Tara June Winch as a 'masterful story for the ages'. Tim speaks about its central theme of climate devastation and contemplates whether a book can change the world.   Thank you to presenting partner University of Newcastle. This podcast series is supported by Create NSW. 

Poets Susie Anderson, Sara M Saleh and Rob Waters discuss the interconnection between identity and creativity with Magdalena Ball. This conversation was recorded at the 2024 Newcastle Writers Festival. The Stories to You podcast series is supported by Create NSW. If you would like to contribute to the valuable work of the festival in fostering a culture of reading and writing, please consider a tax-deductible donation. 

Hannah Ferguson co-founded an independent news commentary platform at a time when the world needed it most. In 2020, Cheek Media Co. quickly established itself as the go-to platform for daring feminist opinions and progressive perspectives on everything from right-wing politics to overcoming taboos around sex and pleasure. The mission? To provoke conversation and inspire meaningful social change. In Hannah’s memoir, Bite Back, she tells the whole story – and more. Hosted by Maddison Connaughton. This conversation was recorded at the 2024 Newcastle Writers Festival. The Stories to You podcast series is supported by Create NSW. If you would like to contribute to the valuable work of the festival in fostering a culture of reading and writing, please consider a tax-deductible donation. 

In his new book, How We Became Post-Liberal, Newcastle philosopher and legal scholar Russell Blackford examines how Western liberal democracies became nations where traditional liberal principles of toleration, individual liberty and freedom of speech are frequently dismissed to support conservative policies. He speaks to The Ethics Centre's Simon Longstaff about why liberalism’s ideas and language are still worth saving. This conversation was recorded at the 2024 Newcastle Writers Festival. The Stories to You podcast series is supported by Create NSW. If you would like to contribute to the valuable work of the festival in fostering a culture of reading and writing, please consider a tax-deductible donation. 

The book and film The Last Daughter centre on Brenda Matthew’s life journey, and how she reconciled both halves of her history; being raised by a white foster family, before being returned to her Aboriginal family. Brenda shares her story with Melissa Lucashenko. This conversation was recorded at the 2024 Newcastle Writers Festival. The Stories to You podcast series is supported by Create NSW. If you would like to contribute to the valuable work of the festival in fostering a culture of reading and writing, please consider a tax-deductible donation. 

The Netflix adaptation of Trent Dalton’s much-loved novel Boy Swallows Universe has been applauded by the book’s loyal fans, but no one could have predicted its international success. Meet the Newcastle-based BAFTA and Emmy-nominated director, Bharat Nalluri, who helped bring this very Australian story to life for a global audience. Hosted by Rosemarie Milsom. This conversation was recorded at the 2024 Newcastle Writers Festival. The Stories to You podcast series is supported by Create NSW. If you would like to contribute to the valuable work of the festival in fostering a culture of reading and writing, please consider a tax-deductible donation. 

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 Stories to You podcast series is supported by Create NSW. If you would like to contribute to the valuable work of the festival in fostering a culture of reading and writing, please consider a tax-deductible donation. 

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 supported by Create NSW. If you would like to contribute to the valuable work of the festival in fostering a culture of reading and writing, please consider a tax-deductible donation. 

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 Stories to You podcast series is supported by Create NSW. If you would like to contribute to the valuable work of the festival in fostering a culture of reading and writing, please consider a tax-deductible donation. 

‘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 love, vulnerability, and privilege set amid the art world. This conversation was recorded at the 2024 Newcastle Writers Festival. The Stories to You podcast series is supported by Create NSW. If you would like to contribute to the valuable work of the festival in fostering a culture of reading and writing, please consider a tax-deductible donation. 

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 became a leader in the development of weaponry and surveillance technology. Hosted by the ABC's Matt Bevan. This conversation was recorded at the 2024 Newcastle Writers Festival. The Stories to You podcast series is supported by Create NSW. If you would like to contribute to the valuable work of the festival in fostering a culture of reading and writing, please consider a tax-deductible donation. 

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  

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  

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  

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 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, 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 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.  

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 to knowledge. 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, 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, please consider a tax-deductible donation. 

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, please consider a tax-deductible donation.  

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 as a writer. 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, please consider a tax-deductible donation. 

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 Prizeand is informed by his upbringing in regional NSW. Matthew Spencer’s Black Riversees a serial killer preying on victims along the banks of the Parramatta River. The Stories to You podcast series is supported by Create NSW. If you would like to contribute to the valuable work of the festival in fostering a culture of reading and writing, please consider a donation.  

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 power and politics continue to shape him. 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 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 their compelling novels. The Stories to You podcast series is supported by Create NSW. If you would like to contribute to the important work of Newcastle Writers Festival, which connect writers and readers from across the Hunter region and beyond, please consider making a tax-deductible donation. 

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 support the vital work of Newcastle Writers Festival please consider a tax-deductible donation. 

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 you would like to contribute to the festival's important work of fostering a culture of reading and writing, please consider a tax-deductible donation.

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 Loewenstein.  The Stories to You podcast series is supported by Create NSW. 

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 there to help 13 11 14. The Stories to You podcast series is supported by Create NSW.   

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 silence women, and explores the changes we need to make to ensure that women’s freedoms are no longer threatened by the legal system that is supposed to protect them. Thank you to event sponsor University of Newcastle's School of Humanities, Creative Industries and Social Sciences and to publisher Allen & Unwin. 

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.  

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.