Program

Becoming yourself is rarely a smooth or linear process. In this Open Book session, Robbie Coburn, Amy Coomer and Matilda Meikle discuss how they approached writing young protagonists at moments of emotional intensity, grappling with grief, uncertainty, scrutiny and the pull of belonging.
Through readings from their novels, the authors reflect on the choices that shaped their stories: how voice is found under pressure, how characters respond when expectations close in, and how writing for young readers demands honesty and restraint. Together, they consider what emerges in the act of
writing itself; when identity is still forming and the ground beneath the characters, and sometimes the author, is not yet settled. This is a FREE Festival event to support young writers.