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Explore the 2024 Program


HOME


WELCOME TO SYDNEY WRITERS' FESTIVAL 2024!

Escape into different worlds, live other lives and travel in time and space.

Explore the program


BLOG: UNMISSABLE INTERNATIONAL AUTHORS

The 2024 Festival's line-up is rich with stories from near and far but some of
the international highlights may have escaped your reading radar, until now. 

Read More


MICHAEL CONNELLY'S LIFE OF CRIME

The international king of crime fiction talks books and beyond

Learn More


OUR EDUCATION PROGRAM IS ON SALE NOW

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Year 12.

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EXPLORE THE 2024 PROGRAM

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HIGHLIGHTS


PreviousNext
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
of 9
Creativity, Joy, Grace
Bookmark

CREATIVITY, JOY, GRACE

Two celebrated authors talk flattening fear and nurturing inspiration

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday 25 May
7.30-8.30pm
City Recital Hall

Tickets from $50

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Find sanctuary in this uplifting and inspiring conversation as award-winning
journalist Julia Baird (Bright Shining) and bestselling author Holly Ringland
(The House That Joy Built) celebrate creativity, joy and grace. With Michaela
Kalowski.
Festival HighlightPanelNon-Fiction
Celeste Ng: Our Missing Hearts
Bookmark

CELESTE NG: OUR MISSING HEARTS

The gripping, heart-rending follow-up to Little Fires Everywhere

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday 25 May
10-11am
Carriageworks, Bay 17

Tickets from $40

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sit down with New York Times–bestselling author Celeste Ng, whose smash hit
Little Fires Everywhere was adapted into a miniseries starring Reese
Witherspoon. Listen in as she discusses her new dystopian novel with Claire
Nichols.
ConversationLivestreamFestival HighlightLive & LocalFiction
Abdulrazak Gurnah: Afterlives
Bookmark

ABDULRAZAK GURNAH: AFTERLIVES

Nobel Prize winner’s saga of colonialism in Africa

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Friday 24 May
2-3pm
Carriageworks, Bay 17

Tickets from $40

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Explore his writing and unpack the legacies of empire with acclaimed writer
Abdulrazak Gurnah, whose 10th novel explores displacement, loss and love during
and after German occupation of East Africa. With Sisonke Msimang.
ConversationLivestreamFestival HighlightLive & LocalFiction
Michael Connelly’s Life of Crime
Bookmark

MICHAEL CONNELLY’S LIFE OF CRIME

International king of crime fiction talks books and beyond

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday 25 May
7.30-8.30pm
Sydney Town Hall

Tickets from $40

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Crime-writing superstar Michael Connelly talks about his illustrious body of
work, adapting his novels for the screen and his latest book, Resurrection Walk,
with Michael Williams.

Festival HighlightConversationCrimeFictionFilm & Television
5km From the Frontline
Bookmark

5KM FROM THE FRONTLINE

Capturing everyday existence near war zones

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Friday 24 May
6-7pm
Carriageworks, Bay 17

Tickets from $40

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hear from journalist Alisa Sopova and photographer Anastasia Taylor-Lind, whose
extraordinary documentary photography series offers a unique, personal and
deeply affecting look at the Ukraine war. With ABC RN’s Hamish Macdonald.
LivestreamPanelLive & LocalNews & PoliticsNon-FictionArt & DesignThinking
Globally
Survival, Sustenance and Stories
Bookmark

SURVIVAL, SUSTENANCE AND STORIES

Lessons in resilience from First Nations writers and thinkers

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunday 26 May
1.30-2.30pm
Carriageworks, Track 8

Tickets from $40

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Legendary First Nations truth-tellers Larissa Behrendt, Tony Birch, Narelda
Jacobs and Amy Thunig share what sustains them in the plight for social change
and its many profound challenges.

PanelFirst Nations
Storytellers: Leigh Sales and Lisa Millar
Bookmark

STORYTELLERS: LEIGH SALES AND LISA MILLAR

Veteran journalists shine a spotlight on the craft of non-fiction

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday 25 May
2-3pm
Carriageworks, Bay 17

Tickets from $40

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ABC legends Leigh Sales (Storytellers) and Lisa Millar (Muster Dogs) unpack the
craft of turning real life events into narrative, drawing from their recent
books and a combined 65 years in journalism.
ConversationLivestreamLive & LocalNon-Fiction
Paul Lynch: Prophet Song
Bookmark

PAUL LYNCH: PROPHET SONG

The 2023 Booker Prize winner discusses his breathtaking parable 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Friday 24 May
8-9pm
City Recital Hall

Tickets from $50

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sit down with novelist Paul Lynch, who won the 2023 Booker Prize for his fifth
book, Prophet Song, a dystopian nightmare set in Ireland’s near future. In
conversation with Michael Williams.
Festival HighlightConversationFiction
Katy Hessel: The Story of Art Without Men
Limited tickets

Bookmark

KATY HESSEL: THE STORY OF ART WITHOUT MEN

Out with old masters, in with a new take on art history

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday 25 May
3-4pm
Carriageworks, Bay 20, The ARA Stage

Tickets from $40

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Overturn art history as you know it with art historian and curator Katy Hessel –
creator of popular podcast and Instagram account The Great Women Artists – in
conversation with curator Beatrice Gralton.

ConversationFestival HighlightNon-FictionArt & DesignFeminism
Creativity, Joy, Grace
Bookmark

CREATIVITY, JOY, GRACE

Two celebrated authors talk flattening fear and nurturing inspiration

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday 25 May
7.30-8.30pm
City Recital Hall

Tickets from $50

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Find sanctuary in this uplifting and inspiring conversation as award-winning
journalist Julia Baird (Bright Shining) and bestselling author Holly Ringland
(The House That Joy Built) celebrate creativity, joy and grace. With Michaela
Kalowski.
Festival HighlightPanelNon-Fiction
Celeste Ng: Our Missing Hearts
Bookmark

CELESTE NG: OUR MISSING HEARTS

The gripping, heart-rending follow-up to Little Fires Everywhere

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday 25 May
10-11am
Carriageworks, Bay 17

Tickets from $40

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sit down with New York Times–bestselling author Celeste Ng, whose smash hit
Little Fires Everywhere was adapted into a miniseries starring Reese
Witherspoon. Listen in as she discusses her new dystopian novel with Claire
Nichols.
ConversationLivestreamFestival HighlightLive & LocalFiction
Abdulrazak Gurnah: Afterlives
Bookmark

ABDULRAZAK GURNAH: AFTERLIVES

Nobel Prize winner’s saga of colonialism in Africa

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Friday 24 May
2-3pm
Carriageworks, Bay 17

Tickets from $40

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Explore his writing and unpack the legacies of empire with acclaimed writer
Abdulrazak Gurnah, whose 10th novel explores displacement, loss and love during
and after German occupation of East Africa. With Sisonke Msimang.
ConversationLivestreamFestival HighlightLive & LocalFiction
Michael Connelly’s Life of Crime
Bookmark

MICHAEL CONNELLY’S LIFE OF CRIME

International king of crime fiction talks books and beyond

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday 25 May
7.30-8.30pm
Sydney Town Hall

Tickets from $40

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Crime-writing superstar Michael Connelly talks about his illustrious body of
work, adapting his novels for the screen and his latest book, Resurrection Walk,
with Michael Williams.

Festival HighlightConversationCrimeFictionFilm & Television
5km From the Frontline
Bookmark

5KM FROM THE FRONTLINE

Capturing everyday existence near war zones

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Friday 24 May
6-7pm
Carriageworks, Bay 17

Tickets from $40

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hear from journalist Alisa Sopova and photographer Anastasia Taylor-Lind, whose
extraordinary documentary photography series offers a unique, personal and
deeply affecting look at the Ukraine war. With ABC RN’s Hamish Macdonald.
LivestreamPanelLive & LocalNews & PoliticsNon-FictionArt & DesignThinking
Globally
Survival, Sustenance and Stories
Bookmark

SURVIVAL, SUSTENANCE AND STORIES

Lessons in resilience from First Nations writers and thinkers

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunday 26 May
1.30-2.30pm
Carriageworks, Track 8

Tickets from $40

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Legendary First Nations truth-tellers Larissa Behrendt, Tony Birch, Narelda
Jacobs and Amy Thunig share what sustains them in the plight for social change
and its many profound challenges.

PanelFirst Nations
Storytellers: Leigh Sales and Lisa Millar
Bookmark

STORYTELLERS: LEIGH SALES AND LISA MILLAR

Veteran journalists shine a spotlight on the craft of non-fiction

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday 25 May
2-3pm
Carriageworks, Bay 17

Tickets from $40

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ABC legends Leigh Sales (Storytellers) and Lisa Millar (Muster Dogs) unpack the
craft of turning real life events into narrative, drawing from their recent
books and a combined 65 years in journalism.
ConversationLivestreamLive & LocalNon-Fiction
Paul Lynch: Prophet Song
Bookmark

PAUL LYNCH: PROPHET SONG

The 2023 Booker Prize winner discusses his breathtaking parable 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Friday 24 May
8-9pm
City Recital Hall

Tickets from $50

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sit down with novelist Paul Lynch, who won the 2023 Booker Prize for his fifth
book, Prophet Song, a dystopian nightmare set in Ireland’s near future. In
conversation with Michael Williams.
Festival HighlightConversationFiction
Katy Hessel: The Story of Art Without Men
Limited tickets

Bookmark

KATY HESSEL: THE STORY OF ART WITHOUT MEN

Out with old masters, in with a new take on art history

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday 25 May
3-4pm
Carriageworks, Bay 20, The ARA Stage

Tickets from $40

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Overturn art history as you know it with art historian and curator Katy Hessel –
creator of popular podcast and Instagram account The Great Women Artists – in
conversation with curator Beatrice Gralton.

ConversationFestival HighlightNon-FictionArt & DesignFeminism
Creativity, Joy, Grace
Bookmark

CREATIVITY, JOY, GRACE

Two celebrated authors talk flattening fear and nurturing inspiration

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday 25 May
7.30-8.30pm
City Recital Hall

Tickets from $50

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Find sanctuary in this uplifting and inspiring conversation as award-winning
journalist Julia Baird (Bright Shining) and bestselling author Holly Ringland
(The House That Joy Built) celebrate creativity, joy and grace. With Michaela
Kalowski.
Festival HighlightPanelNon-Fiction
Celeste Ng: Our Missing Hearts
Bookmark

CELESTE NG: OUR MISSING HEARTS

The gripping, heart-rending follow-up to Little Fires Everywhere

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday 25 May
10-11am
Carriageworks, Bay 17

Tickets from $40

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sit down with New York Times–bestselling author Celeste Ng, whose smash hit
Little Fires Everywhere was adapted into a miniseries starring Reese
Witherspoon. Listen in as she discusses her new dystopian novel with Claire
Nichols.
ConversationLivestreamFestival HighlightLive & LocalFiction
Abdulrazak Gurnah: Afterlives
Bookmark

ABDULRAZAK GURNAH: AFTERLIVES

Nobel Prize winner’s saga of colonialism in Africa

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Friday 24 May
2-3pm
Carriageworks, Bay 17

Tickets from $40

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Explore his writing and unpack the legacies of empire with acclaimed writer
Abdulrazak Gurnah, whose 10th novel explores displacement, loss and love during
and after German occupation of East Africa. With Sisonke Msimang.
ConversationLivestreamFestival HighlightLive & LocalFiction
Michael Connelly’s Life of Crime
Bookmark

MICHAEL CONNELLY’S LIFE OF CRIME

International king of crime fiction talks books and beyond

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday 25 May
7.30-8.30pm
Sydney Town Hall

Tickets from $40

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Crime-writing superstar Michael Connelly talks about his illustrious body of
work, adapting his novels for the screen and his latest book, Resurrection Walk,
with Michael Williams.

Festival HighlightConversationCrimeFictionFilm & Television
5km From the Frontline
Bookmark

5KM FROM THE FRONTLINE

Capturing everyday existence near war zones

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Friday 24 May
6-7pm
Carriageworks, Bay 17

Tickets from $40

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hear from journalist Alisa Sopova and photographer Anastasia Taylor-Lind, whose
extraordinary documentary photography series offers a unique, personal and
deeply affecting look at the Ukraine war. With ABC RN’s Hamish Macdonald.
LivestreamPanelLive & LocalNews & PoliticsNon-FictionArt & DesignThinking
Globally
Survival, Sustenance and Stories
Bookmark

SURVIVAL, SUSTENANCE AND STORIES

Lessons in resilience from First Nations writers and thinkers

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunday 26 May
1.30-2.30pm
Carriageworks, Track 8

Tickets from $40

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Legendary First Nations truth-tellers Larissa Behrendt, Tony Birch, Narelda
Jacobs and Amy Thunig share what sustains them in the plight for social change
and its many profound challenges.

PanelFirst Nations
Storytellers: Leigh Sales and Lisa Millar
Bookmark

STORYTELLERS: LEIGH SALES AND LISA MILLAR

Veteran journalists shine a spotlight on the craft of non-fiction

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday 25 May
2-3pm
Carriageworks, Bay 17

Tickets from $40

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ABC legends Leigh Sales (Storytellers) and Lisa Millar (Muster Dogs) unpack the
craft of turning real life events into narrative, drawing from their recent
books and a combined 65 years in journalism.
ConversationLivestreamLive & LocalNon-Fiction
Paul Lynch: Prophet Song
Bookmark

PAUL LYNCH: PROPHET SONG

The 2023 Booker Prize winner discusses his breathtaking parable 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Friday 24 May
8-9pm
City Recital Hall

Tickets from $50

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sit down with novelist Paul Lynch, who won the 2023 Booker Prize for his fifth
book, Prophet Song, a dystopian nightmare set in Ireland’s near future. In
conversation with Michael Williams.
Festival HighlightConversationFiction
Katy Hessel: The Story of Art Without Men
Limited tickets

Bookmark

KATY HESSEL: THE STORY OF ART WITHOUT MEN

Out with old masters, in with a new take on art history

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday 25 May
3-4pm
Carriageworks, Bay 20, The ARA Stage

Tickets from $40

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Overturn art history as you know it with art historian and curator Katy Hessel –
creator of popular podcast and Instagram account The Great Women Artists – in
conversation with curator Beatrice Gralton.

ConversationFestival HighlightNon-FictionArt & DesignFeminism


GET TOPICAL


PreviousNext
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
of 10
Queer Love and Longing
Bookmark

QUEER LOVE AND LONGING

K Patrick and Christos Tsiolkas reveal their sentimental sides

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thursday 23 May
7.30-8.30pm
Carriageworks, Bay 17

Tickets from $40

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Swoon with K Patrick (Mrs S) and Christos Tsiolkas (The In-Between) in this
beautiful discussion of romance, desire and the pleasures of writing queer love
stories. With Madeleine Gray.
ConversationLivestreamFictionQueerRomance
The Secret Lives of Women
Bookmark

THE SECRET LIVES OF WOMEN

Unveiling invisible lives from Santo Domingo to Singapore

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Friday 24 May
1-2pm
Carriageworks, Bay 20, The ARA Stage

Tickets from $40

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Uncover hidden women as cross-cultural novelists Elizabeth Acevedo, Balli Kaur
Jaswal and Leïla Slimani discuss the rich inner worlds of their characters,
whose aspirations are often obscured by duty and expectation. With ABC RN’s Kate
Evans.
PanelFestival HighlightFictionFeminism
SWF Great Debate: Artificial Intelligence is Better Than the Real Thing
Bookmark

SWF GREAT DEBATE: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IS BETTER THAN THE REAL THING

Man vs machine – an intellectual battle royal

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thursday 23 May
8-9.15pm
Sydney Town Hall

Tickets from $35

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Decide humankind’s fate with team captains Annabel Crabb and David Marr, who
will duke it out alongside teammates Matilda Boseley, Rhys Nicholson, Tracey
Spicer and Toby Walsh. Adjudicated by Yumi Stynes.

Festival HighlightPanelComedyTechnology
Sad Girl? Bad Girl? Mad Girl?
Bookmark

SAD GIRL? BAD GIRL? MAD GIRL?

Pour one out for the girlies of contemporary fiction

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday 25 May
5.30-6.30pm
Carriageworks, Bay 17

Tickets from $30

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hear from debut Australian novelists Nadine J. Cohen (Everyone and Everything),
Madeleine Gray (Green Dot) and Jessie Stephens (Something Bad is Going to
Happen) about making and breaking the rules of ‘sad girl’ literature. In
conversation with The Guardian’s Steph Harmon.
PanelLivestreamLive & LocalFictionFeminism
History of Sex
Bookmark

HISTORY OF SEX

Leading sexperts look back at hot and heavy history

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Friday 24 May
6-7pm
Carriageworks, Track 8

Tickets from $25

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bone up on carnal knowledge across the centuries with sex historian and TikTok
sensation Esmé Louise James (Kinky History) and science writer David Baker (Sex:
Two Billion Years Of Procreation And Recreation). With evolutionary biologist
Robert Brooks.
PanelNon-FictionFeminismHistoryHealth
Fantastical Worlds
Bookmark

FANTASTICAL WORLDS

Forging new frontiers in fantasy

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thursday 23 May
6-7pm
Carriageworks, Bay 17

Tickets from $40

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Imagine another world with popular fantasy authors Garth Nix (The Old Kingdom
series), Shelley Parker-Chan (The Radiant Emperor duology) and Samantha Shannon
(The Roots of Chaos series). Hosted by Aimée Lindorff.
LivestreamPanelLive & LocalScience Fiction & FantasyQueerFiction
Africa Now
Bookmark

AFRICA NOW

Four storytellers reflect on the continent they once called home

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday 25 May
7.30-8.30pm
Carriageworks, Track 8

Tickets from $25

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hear stories from the African diaspora with Nobel Prize winner Abdulrazak
Gurnah, bestselling French-Moroccan author Leïla Slimani, comedian and memoirist
Oliver Twist and writer Sisonke Msimang.
PanelFestival HighlightFictionBiography & MemoirThinking Globally
Crime Lords
Bookmark

CRIME LORDS

An unholy trinity of crime-writing superstars

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Friday 24 May
8-9pm
Riverside Theatres, Parramatta

Tickets from $50

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Get your crime fix as aficionados Michael Connelly (Resurrection Walk), Chris
Hammer (The Seven) and Michael Robotham (Lying Beside You) dissect this
compelling genre. With Benjamin Stevenson.
PanelCrimeFiction
Feminist Firebrands
Bookmark

FEMINIST FIREBRANDS

Plot the pathways forward with these incendiary feminist voices

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Friday 24 May
4-5pm
Carriageworks, Bay 17

Tickets from $40

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Four waves in, the feminist fight for gender equality is far from over. Writers
and activists Hannah Ferguson, Sisonke Msimang and Jennifer Robinson discuss the
most pressing issues facing women today with host Jo Dyer.
ConversationLivestreamLive & LocalFeminism
Play Like a Girl
Bookmark

PLAY LIKE A GIRL

Keep Tillies fever burning in this celebration of women’s sports

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunday 26 May
11.30-12.30pm
Carriageworks, Bay 17

Tickets from $40

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cheer on the athletes kicking goals for women’s sport. Olympic rugby gold
medallist Chloe Dalton (Girls Don’t Play Sport), Australia’s most decorated
cycling Olympian Anna Meares and world champion pro-athlete Jana Pittman
(Enough) chat with host Tracey Holmes.
ConversationLivestreamLive & LocalSportNon-Fiction
Queer Love and Longing
Bookmark

QUEER LOVE AND LONGING

K Patrick and Christos Tsiolkas reveal their sentimental sides

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thursday 23 May
7.30-8.30pm
Carriageworks, Bay 17

Tickets from $40

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Swoon with K Patrick (Mrs S) and Christos Tsiolkas (The In-Between) in this
beautiful discussion of romance, desire and the pleasures of writing queer love
stories. With Madeleine Gray.
ConversationLivestreamFictionQueerRomance
The Secret Lives of Women
Bookmark

THE SECRET LIVES OF WOMEN

Unveiling invisible lives from Santo Domingo to Singapore

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Friday 24 May
1-2pm
Carriageworks, Bay 20, The ARA Stage

Tickets from $40

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Uncover hidden women as cross-cultural novelists Elizabeth Acevedo, Balli Kaur
Jaswal and Leïla Slimani discuss the rich inner worlds of their characters,
whose aspirations are often obscured by duty and expectation. With ABC RN’s Kate
Evans.
PanelFestival HighlightFictionFeminism
SWF Great Debate: Artificial Intelligence is Better Than the Real Thing
Bookmark

SWF GREAT DEBATE: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IS BETTER THAN THE REAL THING

Man vs machine – an intellectual battle royal

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thursday 23 May
8-9.15pm
Sydney Town Hall

Tickets from $35

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Decide humankind’s fate with team captains Annabel Crabb and David Marr, who
will duke it out alongside teammates Matilda Boseley, Rhys Nicholson, Tracey
Spicer and Toby Walsh. Adjudicated by Yumi Stynes.

Festival HighlightPanelComedyTechnology
Sad Girl? Bad Girl? Mad Girl?
Bookmark

SAD GIRL? BAD GIRL? MAD GIRL?

Pour one out for the girlies of contemporary fiction

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday 25 May
5.30-6.30pm
Carriageworks, Bay 17

Tickets from $30

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hear from debut Australian novelists Nadine J. Cohen (Everyone and Everything),
Madeleine Gray (Green Dot) and Jessie Stephens (Something Bad is Going to
Happen) about making and breaking the rules of ‘sad girl’ literature. In
conversation with The Guardian’s Steph Harmon.
PanelLivestreamLive & LocalFictionFeminism
History of Sex
Bookmark

HISTORY OF SEX

Leading sexperts look back at hot and heavy history

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Friday 24 May
6-7pm
Carriageworks, Track 8

Tickets from $25

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bone up on carnal knowledge across the centuries with sex historian and TikTok
sensation Esmé Louise James (Kinky History) and science writer David Baker (Sex:
Two Billion Years Of Procreation And Recreation). With evolutionary biologist
Robert Brooks.
PanelNon-FictionFeminismHistoryHealth
Fantastical Worlds
Bookmark

FANTASTICAL WORLDS

Forging new frontiers in fantasy

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thursday 23 May
6-7pm
Carriageworks, Bay 17

Tickets from $40

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Imagine another world with popular fantasy authors Garth Nix (The Old Kingdom
series), Shelley Parker-Chan (The Radiant Emperor duology) and Samantha Shannon
(The Roots of Chaos series). Hosted by Aimée Lindorff.
LivestreamPanelLive & LocalScience Fiction & FantasyQueerFiction
Africa Now
Bookmark

AFRICA NOW

Four storytellers reflect on the continent they once called home

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday 25 May
7.30-8.30pm
Carriageworks, Track 8

Tickets from $25

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hear stories from the African diaspora with Nobel Prize winner Abdulrazak
Gurnah, bestselling French-Moroccan author Leïla Slimani, comedian and memoirist
Oliver Twist and writer Sisonke Msimang.
PanelFestival HighlightFictionBiography & MemoirThinking Globally
Crime Lords
Bookmark

CRIME LORDS

An unholy trinity of crime-writing superstars

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Friday 24 May
8-9pm
Riverside Theatres, Parramatta

Tickets from $50

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Get your crime fix as aficionados Michael Connelly (Resurrection Walk), Chris
Hammer (The Seven) and Michael Robotham (Lying Beside You) dissect this
compelling genre. With Benjamin Stevenson.
PanelCrimeFiction
Feminist Firebrands
Bookmark

FEMINIST FIREBRANDS

Plot the pathways forward with these incendiary feminist voices

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Friday 24 May
4-5pm
Carriageworks, Bay 17

Tickets from $40

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Four waves in, the feminist fight for gender equality is far from over. Writers
and activists Hannah Ferguson, Sisonke Msimang and Jennifer Robinson discuss the
most pressing issues facing women today with host Jo Dyer.
ConversationLivestreamLive & LocalFeminism
Play Like a Girl
Bookmark

PLAY LIKE A GIRL

Keep Tillies fever burning in this celebration of women’s sports

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunday 26 May
11.30-12.30pm
Carriageworks, Bay 17

Tickets from $40

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cheer on the athletes kicking goals for women’s sport. Olympic rugby gold
medallist Chloe Dalton (Girls Don’t Play Sport), Australia’s most decorated
cycling Olympian Anna Meares and world champion pro-athlete Jana Pittman
(Enough) chat with host Tracey Holmes.
ConversationLivestreamLive & LocalSportNon-Fiction
Queer Love and Longing
Bookmark

QUEER LOVE AND LONGING

K Patrick and Christos Tsiolkas reveal their sentimental sides

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thursday 23 May
7.30-8.30pm
Carriageworks, Bay 17

Tickets from $40

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Swoon with K Patrick (Mrs S) and Christos Tsiolkas (The In-Between) in this
beautiful discussion of romance, desire and the pleasures of writing queer love
stories. With Madeleine Gray.
ConversationLivestreamFictionQueerRomance
The Secret Lives of Women
Bookmark

THE SECRET LIVES OF WOMEN

Unveiling invisible lives from Santo Domingo to Singapore

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Friday 24 May
1-2pm
Carriageworks, Bay 20, The ARA Stage

Tickets from $40

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Uncover hidden women as cross-cultural novelists Elizabeth Acevedo, Balli Kaur
Jaswal and Leïla Slimani discuss the rich inner worlds of their characters,
whose aspirations are often obscured by duty and expectation. With ABC RN’s Kate
Evans.
PanelFestival HighlightFictionFeminism
SWF Great Debate: Artificial Intelligence is Better Than the Real Thing
Bookmark

SWF GREAT DEBATE: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IS BETTER THAN THE REAL THING

Man vs machine – an intellectual battle royal

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thursday 23 May
8-9.15pm
Sydney Town Hall

Tickets from $35

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Decide humankind’s fate with team captains Annabel Crabb and David Marr, who
will duke it out alongside teammates Matilda Boseley, Rhys Nicholson, Tracey
Spicer and Toby Walsh. Adjudicated by Yumi Stynes.

Festival HighlightPanelComedyTechnology
Sad Girl? Bad Girl? Mad Girl?
Bookmark

SAD GIRL? BAD GIRL? MAD GIRL?

Pour one out for the girlies of contemporary fiction

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday 25 May
5.30-6.30pm
Carriageworks, Bay 17

Tickets from $30

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hear from debut Australian novelists Nadine J. Cohen (Everyone and Everything),
Madeleine Gray (Green Dot) and Jessie Stephens (Something Bad is Going to
Happen) about making and breaking the rules of ‘sad girl’ literature. In
conversation with The Guardian’s Steph Harmon.
PanelLivestreamLive & LocalFictionFeminism
History of Sex
Bookmark

HISTORY OF SEX

Leading sexperts look back at hot and heavy history

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Friday 24 May
6-7pm
Carriageworks, Track 8

Tickets from $25

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bone up on carnal knowledge across the centuries with sex historian and TikTok
sensation Esmé Louise James (Kinky History) and science writer David Baker (Sex:
Two Billion Years Of Procreation And Recreation). With evolutionary biologist
Robert Brooks.
PanelNon-FictionFeminismHistoryHealth
Fantastical Worlds
Bookmark

FANTASTICAL WORLDS

Forging new frontiers in fantasy

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thursday 23 May
6-7pm
Carriageworks, Bay 17

Tickets from $40

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Imagine another world with popular fantasy authors Garth Nix (The Old Kingdom
series), Shelley Parker-Chan (The Radiant Emperor duology) and Samantha Shannon
(The Roots of Chaos series). Hosted by Aimée Lindorff.
LivestreamPanelLive & LocalScience Fiction & FantasyQueerFiction
Africa Now
Bookmark

AFRICA NOW

Four storytellers reflect on the continent they once called home

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday 25 May
7.30-8.30pm
Carriageworks, Track 8

Tickets from $25

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hear stories from the African diaspora with Nobel Prize winner Abdulrazak
Gurnah, bestselling French-Moroccan author Leïla Slimani, comedian and memoirist
Oliver Twist and writer Sisonke Msimang.
PanelFestival HighlightFictionBiography & MemoirThinking Globally
Crime Lords
Bookmark

CRIME LORDS

An unholy trinity of crime-writing superstars

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Friday 24 May
8-9pm
Riverside Theatres, Parramatta

Tickets from $50

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Get your crime fix as aficionados Michael Connelly (Resurrection Walk), Chris
Hammer (The Seven) and Michael Robotham (Lying Beside You) dissect this
compelling genre. With Benjamin Stevenson.
PanelCrimeFiction
Feminist Firebrands
Bookmark

FEMINIST FIREBRANDS

Plot the pathways forward with these incendiary feminist voices

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Friday 24 May
4-5pm
Carriageworks, Bay 17

Tickets from $40

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Four waves in, the feminist fight for gender equality is far from over. Writers
and activists Hannah Ferguson, Sisonke Msimang and Jennifer Robinson discuss the
most pressing issues facing women today with host Jo Dyer.
ConversationLivestreamLive & LocalFeminism
Play Like a Girl
Bookmark

PLAY LIKE A GIRL

Keep Tillies fever burning in this celebration of women’s sports

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Sunday 26 May
11.30-12.30pm
Carriageworks, Bay 17

Tickets from $40

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Cheer on the athletes kicking goals for women’s sport. Olympic rugby gold
medallist Chloe Dalton (Girls Don’t Play Sport), Australia’s most decorated
cycling Olympian Anna Meares and world champion pro-athlete Jana Pittman
(Enough) chat with host Tracey Holmes.
ConversationLivestreamLive & LocalSportNon-Fiction
BUY MULTIPLE EVENTS AND SAVE

Too many events on your wish list? You're in luck! 

Purchase tickets to three or more events and receive a discount via our
multipacks.

Buy 3 events and get 10% off
Buy 5 events and get 15% off
Buy 7 or more events and get 20% off

These discounts will automatically apply to any tickets in your cart.

Explore the program


LATEST NEWS

Explore all news articles
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FIVE INTERNATIONAL AUTHORS YOU DON'T WANT TO MISS

25 March, 2024

The 2024 Festival's line-up is rich with stories from near and far but some of
the international highlights may have escaped your reading radar, until now.
Here are five of the international writers in our Program that you don't want to
miss in May.

Read article
Read article

SYDNEY WRITERS' FESTIVAL STAFF TBR PILES

12 March, 2024

It wouldn't come as a surprise to learn that the staff of Sydney Writers'
Festival are big readers. So big, in fact, that our to-be-read piles are often
sky-high.

Read article
Read article

A MESSAGE FROM ARTISTIC DIRECTOR ANN MOSSOP

07 March, 2024

Our Artistic Director introduces the 2024 Festival to you.

Read article
Read article

MEET OUR 2024 GUEST CURATORS

07 March, 2024

The 2024 Festival showcases the work of Guest Curators Jazz Money and Amy
Thunig.

Read article
Read article

HOW TO BOOKMARK EVENTS

07 March, 2024

This handy guide will help you learn how to bookmark events on our new website.

Read article
Read article

HOW TO ADD AN EVENT TO YOUR CART

07 March, 2024

This handy guide will teach you how to add an event to your cart on our new
website.

Read article
Read article

HOW TO USE THE CALENDAR

07 March, 2024

This handy guide will introduce you to our new Calendar View, which should help
you schedule your Festival events with ease!

Read article
Read article

MARDI GRAS READING RECOMMENDATIONS

01 March, 2024

We’ve rounded up a list of books from across the LGBTQIA+ community that you can
pick up to get you into the spirit of the celebration.

Read article
Read article

BUCKET LIST BOOKS (NOT BOOKS FOR YOUR BUCKET LIST)

13 February, 2024

These aren’t books you have to read before you die (though we still recommend
them), but rather are books full of bucket list inspiration and affirmation.

Read article
Read article

BOOKS YOU MAY HAVE MISSED IN 2023

29 January, 2024

Even as we sink into the new year and turn our attention to upcoming new
releases, there remain some titles from 2023 that we didn’t quite get to or that
slipped by us.

Read article
Read article

OUR 2024 READING GOALS

22 January, 2024

The new year means new reading goals that push our TBR piles higher and stretch
our shelves wider.

Read article
Read article

FIVE INTERNATIONAL AUTHORS YOU DON'T WANT TO MISS

25 March, 2024

The 2024 Festival's line-up is rich with stories from near and far but some of
the international highlights may have escaped your reading radar, until now.
Here are five of the international writers in our Program that you don't want to
miss in May.

Read article
Read article

SYDNEY WRITERS' FESTIVAL STAFF TBR PILES

12 March, 2024

It wouldn't come as a surprise to learn that the staff of Sydney Writers'
Festival are big readers. So big, in fact, that our to-be-read piles are often
sky-high.

Read article
Read article

A MESSAGE FROM ARTISTIC DIRECTOR ANN MOSSOP

07 March, 2024

Our Artistic Director introduces the 2024 Festival to you.

Read article
Read article

MEET OUR 2024 GUEST CURATORS

07 March, 2024

The 2024 Festival showcases the work of Guest Curators Jazz Money and Amy
Thunig.

Read article
Read article

HOW TO BOOKMARK EVENTS

07 March, 2024

This handy guide will help you learn how to bookmark events on our new website.

Read article
Read article

HOW TO ADD AN EVENT TO YOUR CART

07 March, 2024

This handy guide will teach you how to add an event to your cart on our new
website.

Read article
Read article

HOW TO USE THE CALENDAR

07 March, 2024

This handy guide will introduce you to our new Calendar View, which should help
you schedule your Festival events with ease!

Read article
Read article

MARDI GRAS READING RECOMMENDATIONS

01 March, 2024

We’ve rounded up a list of books from across the LGBTQIA+ community that you can
pick up to get you into the spirit of the celebration.

Read article
Read article

BUCKET LIST BOOKS (NOT BOOKS FOR YOUR BUCKET LIST)

13 February, 2024

These aren’t books you have to read before you die (though we still recommend
them), but rather are books full of bucket list inspiration and affirmation.

Read article
Read article

BOOKS YOU MAY HAVE MISSED IN 2023

29 January, 2024

Even as we sink into the new year and turn our attention to upcoming new
releases, there remain some titles from 2023 that we didn’t quite get to or that
slipped by us.

Read article
Read article

OUR 2024 READING GOALS

22 January, 2024

The new year means new reading goals that push our TBR piles higher and stretch
our shelves wider.

Read article
Read article

FIVE INTERNATIONAL AUTHORS YOU DON'T WANT TO MISS

25 March, 2024

The 2024 Festival's line-up is rich with stories from near and far but some of
the international highlights may have escaped your reading radar, until now.
Here are five of the international writers in our Program that you don't want to
miss in May.

Read article
Read article

SYDNEY WRITERS' FESTIVAL STAFF TBR PILES

12 March, 2024

It wouldn't come as a surprise to learn that the staff of Sydney Writers'
Festival are big readers. So big, in fact, that our to-be-read piles are often
sky-high.

Read article
Read article

A MESSAGE FROM ARTISTIC DIRECTOR ANN MOSSOP

07 March, 2024

Our Artistic Director introduces the 2024 Festival to you.

Read article
Read article

MEET OUR 2024 GUEST CURATORS

07 March, 2024

The 2024 Festival showcases the work of Guest Curators Jazz Money and Amy
Thunig.

Read article
Read article

HOW TO BOOKMARK EVENTS

07 March, 2024

This handy guide will help you learn how to bookmark events on our new website.

Read article
Read article

HOW TO ADD AN EVENT TO YOUR CART

07 March, 2024

This handy guide will teach you how to add an event to your cart on our new
website.

Read article
Read article

HOW TO USE THE CALENDAR

07 March, 2024

This handy guide will introduce you to our new Calendar View, which should help
you schedule your Festival events with ease!

Read article
Read article

MARDI GRAS READING RECOMMENDATIONS

01 March, 2024

We’ve rounded up a list of books from across the LGBTQIA+ community that you can
pick up to get you into the spirit of the celebration.

Read article
Read article

BUCKET LIST BOOKS (NOT BOOKS FOR YOUR BUCKET LIST)

13 February, 2024

These aren’t books you have to read before you die (though we still recommend
them), but rather are books full of bucket list inspiration and affirmation.

Read article
Read article

BOOKS YOU MAY HAVE MISSED IN 2023

29 January, 2024

Even as we sink into the new year and turn our attention to upcoming new
releases, there remain some titles from 2023 that we didn’t quite get to or that
slipped by us.

Read article
Read article

OUR 2024 READING GOALS

22 January, 2024

The new year means new reading goals that push our TBR piles higher and stretch
our shelves wider.

Read article
Read article
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STUDENT SESSIONS

22 May 2024

Student Sessions is a full-day program of engaging and lively discussions linked
directly to the Stage 6 NSW English syllabus. This is a unique opportunity to
hear directly from the authors of prescribed texts and to learn writing skills
from some of the world’s most esteemed writers.

Learn more
Learn more


PRIMARY SCHOOL DAYS

22–29 May 2024

Join us for an engaging and educational journey into the world of
literature. Sydney Writers’ Festival Primary School Days program is designed to
inspire the next generation of readers and storytellers.

Learn more
Learn more


SECONDARY SCHOOL DAYS

20–23 May 2024

Learn from some of the world's most exciting literary talents. Authors will
share insights into the writing process, invite students to consider new
perspectives, and encourage them in their own creative pursuits. 

Learn more
Learn more


SUPPORT US

Help us champion writers

Each year, Sydney Writers’ Festival brings the joy of books, writing and ideas
to large and diverse audiences in Sydney and around the country, none of which
we could not do without the tremendous support of our community.

Learn more
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Sydney Writers' Festival acknowledges the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
peoples of this nation. They are the first storytellers of our land and we
honour their tradition of passing down stories. We acknowledge the Traditional
Custodians of the lands on which our events take place. We pay our respects to
Elders past and present.

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