Home page of the annual Manly Writers' Festival. The next festival will be held from 18-21 March, 2027. Thank you for being part of the Manly Writers' Festival in 2026 Manly Writers' Festival returns 18-21 March 2027 Sign up for early access to tickets and announcements Join our mailing list What just happened? Highlights 40+ sessions across Manly 90+ writers and thinkers Conversations on power, truth, identity and creativity Thousands of attendees across four days. Thomas Keneally Oration - A powerful opening on writing, history and civic responsibility. The Night Shift - An ambitious late-night exploration of creativity, AI and the human voice. The World on Edge - A packed room for a sharp, urgent conversation on Australia and global instability. Frontlines - First-hand accounts of conflict, risk and the human cost of state power. Our Partners

Find answers to your questions about the Manly Writer's Festival 2027. Get information on tickets, event schedules, venue details, and more. Plan your visit today! OUR FAQ Do I need to buy an entry ticket before the event? There are many moving parts that go into hosting the Manly Writers' Festival that require advance preparation, so purchasing your ticket beforehand helps us optimise the festival experience. You can buy them online until the session is on or purchase a ticket at the festival. Can I get a refund if I change my mind? Full refunds, less transaction costs charged by the payment provider, will be given until midnight AEDT on 28th February 2027. After that day, we are unable to provide a refund except in extenuating personal circumstances. If such circumstances arise, you can seek a refund by emailing us at hello@manlywritersfestival.org.au(mailto:hello@manlywritersfestival.org.au) If, for any reason, we cancel a session, you will receive a refund in full. Is there an opportunity to ask questions of speakers? Yes. Questions are encouraged, and it is a unique feature of Manly Writers' Festival. Is there a dress code? Be comfortable, and be aware of the weather. What is included in the price? For general sessions, it includes admission to the session. For special events, inclusions are detailed as part of the information about the special event. Where is the festival being held? For detailed information and maps, check out our page on Venues.(https://www.manlywritersfestival.com.au/venues) Are there author signings? Yes, there will be author signings after each session within the Festival bookstore. Where can I get coffee? Coffee is, of course, synonymous with books and reading! What is the Manly Writer's Festival? The Manly Writer's Festival is an annual event celebrating storytelling, creativity, and community based in and around Manly, Sydney. It features author panels, workshops, and various community events. How can I become a sponsor or partner of the festival? We offer various sponsorship and partnership opportunities. Please contact us at hello@manlywritersfestival.org.au (mailto:hello@manlywritersfestival.org.au) for more information on how you can support the festival. When and where is the 2025 Manly Writer's Festival taking place? The 2025 Manly Writer's Festival will be held in and around Manly on 28, 29, 30 March. Check the PROGRAM link for details of the program, as well as individual sessions. Are there volunteer opportunities available? Yes, we welcome volunteers to help us bring the festival to life. You can apply to volunteer through our website and enjoy an unforgettable experience while contributing to a cultural celebration. How can I purchase tickets for the Manly Writer's Festival? Tickets for the Manly Writer's Festival can be purchased through the TICKETS links on this website, or directly via Humanitix (search for the Manly Writers' Festival). FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY The Manly Writers' Festival acknowledges and thanks the original storytellers on the lands on which our events take place, the Gameraygal people of the Eora Nation. We acknowledge and respect their continuing connection and culture, and we pay our respects to ancestors and Elders, past and present, as well as emerging leaders.

Learn about the Manly Writer's Festival, a celebration of storytelling, creativity, and community in Manly, Sydney. Discover our mission, history, and the impact of our events. ABOUT US DISCOVER THE MANLY WRITERS' FESTIVAL STORIES TO INSPIRE The Manly Writers' Festival brings readers, writers and thinkers together for a literary event that shows a side of Manly beyond the beach and the ferry. Whether you're into history, politics, crime, sport, fiction, or anything that is a good read, we host storytellers for 3-4 days over the third weekend of March in a challenging, relaxed, and fun environment. We want to feed your heart and mind by presenting an eclectic range of authors, poets, journalists, and thinkers, and by introducing local and emerging writers to discuss stories and issues that will energise, inform, and inspire you. To keep up to date about our authors and events, please sign up for our e-newsletter. Manly Writers’ Festival was established as a not-for-profit charitable organisation and recognised as a cultural institution by the Australian Taxation Office in 2024. We are overseen by a Board comprising local community members. (Meet our Board here ). ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY The Manly Writers' Festival acknowledges and thanks the original storytellers on the lands on which our events take place, the Gameraygal people of the Eora Nation. We acknowledge and respect their continuing connection and culture, and we pay our respects to ancestors and Elders, past and present, as well as emerging leaders.

Join the Manly Writer's Festival as a volunteer and help us bring storytelling, creativity, and community together in Manly, Sydney. Enjoy an unforgettable experience and contribute to a cultural celebration. VOLUNTEER SIGN UP FOR 2027 Thank you for your interest in volunteering with us. We really appreciate it. We have reached our volunteer complement for 2026. If you wish to be included for 2027, you are welcome to complete this form. We will be in touch with you towards the end of this year. First name* Last name* Email* Phone* Were you a volunteer with MWF in 2026? Yes No Sign up for news and updates Submit ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY The Manly Writers' Festival acknowledges and thanks the original storytellers on the lands on which our events take place, the Gamaraygal and Garigal people of the Eora Nation. We acknowledge and respect their continuing connection and culture, and we pay our respects to ancestors and Elders, past and present, as well as emerging leaders.

0c044fe6-4d54-4c49-8a1a-7178067441e2 Michael Pembroke ABOUT < VIEW ALL AUTHORS Michael Pembroke Michael Pembroke grew up in England, Australia, and Singapore and was educated at the Universities of Sydney and Cambridge. His books include Arthur Phillip: Sailor, Mercenary, Governor, Spy (2013), a historical biography that was short-listed for the Prime Minister’s Literary Awards; Korea: Where the American Century Began (2018), a military and political critique that was short-listed for the Queensland Literary Awards and the NSW Premier’s History Awards; Play By the Rules (2020), a polemic about American leadership that was published in the United States as America in Retreat (2021) and Trees of History & Romance (2009), a paean to trees and poetry. Pembroke studied French and Indian history at university, intending to become a diplomat but afterwards succumbed to the law. He has written for Time Magazine, Al Jazeera, the South China Morning Post and Australian news publications. < PREVIOUS AUTHOR NEXT AUTHOR > ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY The Manly Writers' Festival acknowledges and thanks the original storytellers on the lands on which our events take place, the Gameraygal people of the Eora Nation. We acknowledge and respect their continuing connection and culture, and we pay our respects to ancestors and Elders, past and present, as well as emerging leaders.

190168e0-228c-4401-b546-2e00e068010b Ben Aitchison ABOUT < VIEW ALL AUTHORS Ben Aitchison Ben is the proprietor of Paradigm Print Media, a Brisbane-based design and print management business that specialises in books. Established in 2003, Paradigm has assisted Brisbane, Australian and International clients produce high quality publications. He has worked with both large and small publishers as well as self-publishers, witnessing the strategies that led them to successful outcomes. < PREVIOUS AUTHOR NEXT AUTHOR > ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY The Manly Writers' Festival acknowledges and thanks the original storytellers on the lands on which our events take place, the Gameraygal people of the Eora Nation. We acknowledge and respect their continuing connection and culture, and we pay our respects to ancestors and Elders, past and present, as well as emerging leaders.

Program Festival Conversation and Book Launch: Home, Forever BUY TICKETS DATE: Sunday 22 March, 2026 TIME: 4.00-5.00pm COST: $0.00 Manly Youth Centre PATHWAY: Personal Reckonings HOST : Caroline Baum < VIEW ALL SESSIONS Anna Dombkins Home, Forever is the story of a family shaped by love, commitment, and an extraordinary sense of responsibility that extends beyond borders. In this Festival Conversation and Book Launch, Anna Dombkins speaks with Caroline Baum about her family’s adoption journey and the life-changing work they undertook in Tanzania. What began as a deeply personal, values-based decision grew into long-term engagement with communities facing profound disadvantage, leading to the creation of a charity focused on care, education and dignity. This conversation explores what it means to build family in unexpected ways, to confront ethical complexity with humility, and to translate compassion into sustained action. It is a story of belongingand of choosing to stay engaged long after the hardest decisions have been made. A thoughtful and generous Festival Conversation marking the launch of Home, Forever, and the closing session of the Festival. This is a FREE Festival event. Donations to Forever Projects are welcome.

< Back Country and Who We Are Sessions that explore how place, history, culture and inheritance shape identity, belonging and the stories Australians tell about themselves. Sessions in this Pathway Country and the Stories We Tell William J. Byrne, John Morrissey View Session Lloyd Rees and the City He Taught Us to See Ross Wilson View Session Land, Identity and Who Gets to Belong Tyree Barnette, Joshua Gilbert View Session Inheritance, Survival and Belonging Antoun Issa, Daniel Nour View Session Previous Next

75caddbd-15d1-495f-b261-d07ac45dcac6 Safdar Ahmed ABOUT < VIEW ALL AUTHORS Safdar Ahmed Safdar Ahmed is an award-winning artist, writer, musician, and cultural worker. His graphic novel, Still Alive, won the Multicultural NSW Award and was named Book of the Year in the 2022 NSW Premier’s Literary Awards. Still Alive also won the 2022 Eve Pownall Award and a Gold Ledger in the 2022 Comic Arts Awards of Australia. Safdar is a Founding Member of the Refugee Art Project and a member of eleven, a collective of contemporary Muslim Australian artists, curators, and writers. < PREVIOUS AUTHOR NEXT AUTHOR > ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY The Manly Writers' Festival acknowledges and thanks the original storytellers on the lands on which our events take place, the Gameraygal people of the Eora Nation. We acknowledge and respect their continuing connection and culture, and we pay our respects to ancestors and Elders, past and present, as well as emerging leaders.

74afe567-287c-4fdc-8a40-68633ad6e4cc Michele Seminara ABOUT < VIEW ALL HOSTS Michele Seminara Michele Seminara is a Northern Beaches-based poet, writer, essayist, editor, speaker and moderator. Renowned Australian poet Robert Adamson called Seminara “the finest poet of her generation”. Her writing has twice been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and has appeared in publications such as Australian Poetry Journal, Mascara Literary Review, Jacket2 Magazine, Cordite, The Market Herald and The Australian. She has published two full-length collections, Suburban Fantasy (2021) and Engraft (2016), as well as two chapbooks, Scar to Scar (written with Robbie Coburn, 2016) and HUSH (2017). She is editor of the online creative arts journal, Verity La. < PREVIOUS HOST NEXT HOST > ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY The Manly Writers' Festival acknowledges and thanks the original storytellers on the lands on which our events take place, the Gameraygal people of the Eora Nation. We acknowledge and respect their continuing connection and culture, and we pay our respects to ancestors and Elders, past and present, as well as emerging leaders.

Have questions about the Manly Writer's Festival? Contact our team for information on tickets, volunteering, sponsorship, and more. We're here to help you! CONTACT US GET IN TOUCH First name Last name Email Phone Subject Message Submit

Our program is organised into pathways to help you navigate the areas of most interest to you. PATHWAYS As we bring you stories across Manly, the program is organised into pathways or themes to help you navigate the Festival. Each pathway brings together sessions with shared themes or interests, but they’re not meant to be followed from start to finish. They’re simply a way to explore what’s on offer, mix and match sessions, and create your own Festival experience. The program also encourages you to choose your pathway across subject areas, genres, sessions, venues, formats, private stories, and public life. Australia In the World Conversations about global conflict, diplomacy and disorder, exploring Australia’s place inan unsettled international landscape through policy, lived experience and creative response. Sessions Country and Who We Are Sessions that explore how place, history, culture and inheritance shape identity, belonging and the stories Australians tell about themselves. Sessions Living Today Sessions that grapple with the pressures, choices and contradictions of contemporary life, from money, housing and masculinity to faith, family and sport as lived culture. Sessions Personal Reckonings Intimate conversations about lives shaped by loss, break-up, belief and moral choice, where private experience meets wider questions of meaning, responsibility and resilience. Sessions Power, Truth and Accountability Sessions that examine how power operates, how truth is contested or concealed, and what accountability looks like when institutions, systems and leaders are tested. Sessions So, You Want to be a Writer? Practical sessions and workshops for aspiring and emerging writers, focused on craft, process, publishing and the realities of turning writing into a finished work. Sessions Stories and Storytellers Conversations about how stories are told, shaped and received across contemporary, literary, historical, romance, spy thrillers and crime fiction, exploring voice, genre, memory and imagination. Sessions