Our must-see sessions at this year’s Sydney and Melbourne Writers’ Festivals
- Anabel
- 14 hours ago
- 3 min read
The events not to miss at Sydney and Melbourne Writers Festivals.
If you live in Sydney or Melbourne, the writers’ festival season is almost up you. If you haven’t booked your sessions yet, these are our top picks on what to see!
MELBOURNE
Breaking Taboos: Rewriting Sex, Love and the Body
Emma Hardy, author of Periodic Bitch, joins Madison Griffiths and Dee Salmin for a candid conversation about the taboos shaping women’s lives. From the quiet power dynamics embedded in heteronormative relationships, to the tension between instinct and expectation, they'll chart the charged terrain women navigate and the barriers around expressing female desire, pain and rage.
Saturday 9 May – 6.30-7.30pm @ State Library Victoria, Theatrette
Secret Histories: Tales of Dark Academia
Dark academia comes alive in this conversation with Tigest Girma, R.F. Kuang and Lili Wilkinson, as they explore stories of elite students, buried secrets and the pull of the occult. From murder and magic to questions of class, race and gender, they unpack why the genre continues to resonate. Hosted by bestselling author Amie Kaufman.
Saturday 9 May – 2.30-3.30pm @ Athenaeum Theatre
Genki Kawamura: One Hundred Flowers
Kawamura’s debut novel, If Cats Disappeared from the World, has sold over three million copies worldwide and been translated into 25 languages. He discusses his latest novel One Hundred Years and his extraordinary career with Omar Musa.
Saturday 9 May – 4.30-5.30pm @ The Capitol
This event will be translated live from Japanese to English.
SYDNEY
You never forget your first love
Lily King: Heart the Lover
Yes, we’re still talking about Lily King because this is one of our FAVOURITE books! This event is selling fast so grab your tickets now if you want to hear Lily talk about her epic book that celebrates literature and young love.
Saturday 23 May - 8-9pm @ Carriageworks
The Kids Are Alright – FREE EVENT
Unpack the big issues with two influencers-turned-authors
This event features Matilda Boseley and Jack Toohey, two influential voices known for turning complex social issues into engaging digital content. From ADHD awareness to housing affordability and political change, they explore how to communicate big ideas in ways that resonate and inspire action.
Saturday 23 May - 2-3pm @ Marrickville Town Hall
Readers: Books and Conversations with Lally Katz
A heartfelt and humorous conversation about love, life and fortune
What happens when a soothsayer tells Lally Katz her vagina is cursed? Are they right?In her hilarious and heartfelt memoir My Cursed Vagina, award-winning playwright and screenwriter Lally Katz shares the many forms this hex takes as she searches for love, while compulsively recording her life in real time as she goes.
Thursday 21 May - 8-9.15pm @ Petersham Bowling Club
Fireside: Spooky Stories - FREE EVENT
Ghosts, ghouls and other things that go bump in the night
Mariana Enriquez, renowned for her haunting fiction and now turning to non-fiction with Somebody Is Walking on Your Grave, is joined by Korean author Bora Chung and Shaun Micallef for an evening of horror, wit and the wonderfully eerie.
Saturday 23 May - 7-7.45pm @ Carriageworks
There’s a Prawn in Parliament House – FREE EVENT
The kids’ guide to Australia’s democracy
In this event, top-notch kid journalists will grill Annabel Crabbe (author of There’s a Prawn in Parliament House) with their burning questions about democracy, voting and our government. Is there really a prawn in Parliament House? How does a bill become a law? How is our Prime Minister chosen and why can’t it be a kid for once?
Sunday 24 May - 3-3.30pm
Recommended for ages 8+Sydney Writers' Festival - There’s a Prawn in Parliament House
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