Upcoming Events
Into the Darkness
Join Deborah Callaghan, Melanie Cheng, and Zahid Gamieldien for a thought-provoking conversation about exploring complexity, darkness, and moral ambiguity in their most recent novels.
Anna Downes speaks with the authors about the psychological depths of their characters and the real-world issues that inform their storytelling.
Free, but bookings are essential.
About a Boy: Helen Garner in Conversation
Helen Garner returns with her signature candour and wit in an exuberant new book The Season, an account from the sidelines of her youngest grandson’s under– 16s footy team’s passage from boyhood to manhood.
Helen speaks to festival director Rosemarie Milsom about the vulnerability of boys and the experience of loving them and letting them go.
Bookings are essential.
Celebrated children’s author Karys McEwen takes the stage at Warrnambool Library to share the inspirations behind The Paperbark Tree Committee—a touching story of family, friendship and the tricky business of growing up.
Art is 12 years old, and his younger brother Hilary has always been his best friend. But after moving from a small regional town to the big city, Art struggles—bullied at school, missing his old life, and unsure if he still belongs in the secret meetings that he and Hilary hold in the branches of a paperbark tree.
At Warrnambool Library, McEwen delves into the inspirations behind her novel, exploring themes of change, resilience and what it means to find your place. Join her for this special event about the challenges of growing up, the power of sibling bonds and learning when to hold on – and when to let go.
Free, but bookings are essential.
Karys will be signing books after the event.
Karys McEwen, author of acclaimed children’s novels All the Little Tricky Things and The Paperbark Tree Committee, shares her writing insights with budding young storytellers in this special workshop.
Designed for young storytellers of all experience levels, this hands-on workshop with children’s author Karys McEwen will offer practical exercises and creative inspiration to spark the imagination and develop essential writing skills.
With her engaging and encouraging approach, McEwen will guide participants through the fundamentals of storytelling – and how to turn ideas into stories that leap off the page! Along the way, she’ll share tips on overcoming creative roadblocks, finding your unique voice and embracing the joy of writing.
The workshop will be interactive and collaborative, giving kids the chance to experiment with their ideas, share their work and connect with fellow young writers.
Join author and GP Melanie Cheng as she discusses her latest book, The Burrow, with acclaimed author and beloved Fitzroy regular, Tony Birch.
A tender portrait of a family grappling with the deepest grief, The Burrow manages the complexity, isolation and claustrophobia of family dynamics with rare deftness and incredible economy.
Come and see why this remarkable book has been shortlisted for the 2025 Victorian Premier’s Literary Award and longlisted for the 2025 Stella Prize.
Free, but bookings are essential.
Join our Text authors at Sorrento Writers Festival from the 23-27 April 2025.
Featuring Helen Garner, Robert Dessaix, Michelle de Kretser, Judith Brett, Melanie Cheng, Jessica Stanley, Raeden Richardson, Nina Kenwood, Finegan Kruckemeyer, and more.
Book your tickets here: https://sorrentowritersfestival.com.au/
Coralie is an Australian in London. Over a decade, she falls in love and builds a life, but as her 30's come to a close, Coralie finds she may have lost some part of herself in the process.
Jessica Stanley joins us from London to discuss her latest novel, Consider Yourself Kissed, as astute and entertaining as her wonderful Fitzroy-centric debut, A Great Hope.
The Morning Feed
Judith Brett is a political historian and biographer and emeritus professor of politics at La Trobe University. Among her books are Robert Menzies’ Forgotten People: Australian Liberals and the Moral Middle Class, The Enigmatic Mr Deakin, which won the 2018 National Biography Award, and From Secret Ballot to Democracy Sausage, which was shortlisted for the Prime Minister’s Literary Award.
Fearless Beatrice Faust celebrates, explains and questions her struggle to change both herself and her world. Drawing on public records and private writings, award-winning biographer Judith Brett creates a compelling and psychologically nuanced portrait of a gifted, argumentative woman who refused to be a victim.
Free, but bookings are essential.
This event is NOW SOLD OUT.
My First Book
Three new writers discuss their work practice, their stories, and their lucky break.
In propulsive prose, The Degenerates summons the power of storytelling, disrupts conventional narratives and pays tribute to those lives often lost in the margins.
Raeden Richardson grew up in Melbourne and graduated from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. His work has been supported by the Australia Council for the Arts, La Napoule Foundation and Yaddo. His writing has appeared in The Sydney Morning Herald, Griffith Review, Kill Your Darlings and New Australian Fiction.
Does History Repeat? (And if so, should we be nervous?)
With Judith Brett, Dennis Glover and Don Watson with Tom Wright.
Judith Brett is a political historian and biographer and emeritus professor of politics at La Trobe University. Among her books are Robert Menzies’ Forgotten People: Australian Liberals and the Moral Middle Class, The Enigmatic Mr Deakin, which won the 2018 National Biography Award, and From Secret Ballot to Democracy Sausage, which was shortlisted for the Prime Minister’s Literary Award.
Fearless Beatrice Faust celebrates, explains and questions her struggle to change both herself and her world. Drawing on public records and private writings, award-winning biographer Judith Brett creates a compelling and psychologically nuanced portrait of a gifted, argumentative woman who refused to be a victim.
This event is now SOLD OUT.
