Manly Writers' Festival 19-22 March, 2026 Stories Across Manly PROGRAM TICKETS Why Manly Writers' Festival? Manly Writers’ Festival is an independent, volunteer-run festival for readers who care about words, storytelling, ideas, the power and joy of reading and writing, community life and the public good. We bring together writers, journalists, historians, and storytellers to explore fiction and non-fiction in all their forms — from novels, memoir, history, reportage, personal reflection, and the important issues of today. Our program balances imagination with lived experience. It brings established voices, local and emerging writers into conversations about people, place, culture, power, memory, sport, and everyday life. Not everyone will agree with every conversation or every voice, but that's exactly what writers' festivals do best: challenge, inspire, inform, and entertain. PROGRAM Thomas Keneally Oration Opens Festival 19 March 2026 We are honoured to welcome Thomas Keneally AO as the Orator for the inaugural Thomas Keneally Oration at the 2026 Manly Writers’ Festival. Read the full announcement → TICKETS Speaking the Unspoken Michael Mohammed Ahmad with Summer Land Bring Back Yesterday Bob Carr with Sarah Dingle Ruptured Lives, Resilient Voices Elana Benjamin, Joanne Fedler, Lee Kofman, Kylie Moore-Gilbert with Suellen Dainty Festival Conversation & Book Launch: Betrayal J S Ayliffe with Tim Ayliffe If you're interested in personal stories that matter OUR AUTHORS Ainslie Harvey Alexandra Smith Ali Lowe Amy Coomer Amy Hutton Amy Remeikis Anna Dombkins Anne Buist AO Anthony Segaert Antoun Issa Ashley Kalagian Blunt Ben Aitchison Bob Bowker Bob Carr Candida Baker Clinton Fernandes Cocoa Deep-Amek Con Campbell Cory Alpert Courtney Peppernell Daniel Nour Dave Warner Deborah Conway AM Debra Adelaide Diana Thorp MEET OUR AUTHORS

68df339f-5e68-4c90-b9bc-dbf9299cbc6a Alexandra Smith ABOUT < VIEW ALL AUTHORS Alexandra Smith Alexandra Smith is the State Political Editor of The Sydney Morning Herald. She is taking part in the Schools Program. < 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.

ce929820-6ce6-4b74-80b0-5b4ddf3db3c0 Anthony Segaert ABOUT < VIEW ALL AUTHORS Anthony Segaert Anthony Segaert is the Parramatta Bureau Chief of The Sydney Morning Herald. She is taking part in the Schools Program. < 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.

MEET OUR AUTHORS Ainslie Harvey VIEW PROFILE Alexandra Smith VIEW PROFILE Ali Lowe VIEW PROFILE Amy Coomer VIEW PROFILE Amy Hutton VIEW PROFILE Amy Remeikis VIEW PROFILE Anna Dombkins VIEW PROFILE Anne Buist AO VIEW PROFILE Anthony Segaert VIEW PROFILE Antoun Issa VIEW PROFILE Ashley Kalagian Blunt VIEW PROFILE Ben Aitchison VIEW PROFILE Bob Bowker VIEW PROFILE Bob Carr VIEW PROFILE Candida Baker VIEW PROFILE Clinton Fernandes VIEW PROFILE Cocoa Deep-Amek VIEW PROFILE Con Campbell VIEW PROFILE Cory Alpert VIEW PROFILE Courtney Peppernell VIEW PROFILE Daniel Nour VIEW PROFILE Dave Warner VIEW PROFILE Deborah Conway AM VIEW PROFILE Debra Adelaide VIEW PROFILE Diana Thorp VIEW PROFILE Ee Ling Quah VIEW PROFILE Elana Benjamin VIEW PROFILE Eleanor Kirk VIEW PROFILE Garry Jack VIEW PROFILE Graeme Simsion VIEW PROFILE Heather Morris VIEW PROFILE Helen Hayes VIEW PROFILE Holly Cardamone VIEW PROFILE Hugh Mackay AO VIEW PROFILE Ian Kemish AM VIEW PROFILE Jack Beaumont VIEW PROFILE Jack Heath VIEW PROFILE Jack Toohey VIEW PROFILE James Dunbar VIEW PROFILE Jeanne Ryckmans VIEW PROFILE Joanna Nell VIEW PROFILE Joanne Fedler VIEW PROFILE John Ayliffe VIEW PROFILE John Coomer VIEW PROFILE John Morrissey VIEW PROFILE Joshua Gilbert VIEW PROFILE Karen Farrell VIEW PROFILE Kate Horan VIEW PROFILE Kathleen Walker VIEW PROFILE Kumi Taguchi VIEW PROFILE LOAD MORE 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.

db69db0b-0f49-401f-a4dd-ad98d183007d Sam Selinger Morris ABOUT < VIEW ALL AUTHORS Sam Selinger Morris Sam Selinger Morris is the host of Morning Edition, the daily podcast of The Sydney Morning Herald. She is taking part in the Schools Program. < 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.

MEET OUR HOSTS Adam Hawse VIEW PROFILE Alice Fraser VIEW PROFILE Amy Hutton VIEW PROFILE Angela Priestley VIEW PROFILE Candida Baker VIEW PROFILE Caroline Baum VIEW PROFILE Con Campbell VIEW PROFILE Geraldine Doogue VIEW PROFILE Helen Vatsikopoulos VIEW PROFILE Jack Toohey VIEW PROFILE Jill Valentine VIEW PROFILE Lee Kofman VIEW PROFILE Liz Deep-Jones VIEW PROFILE Mark Corcoran VIEW PROFILE Martin Thomas VIEW PROFILE Michael Brissenden VIEW PROFILE Michele Seminara VIEW PROFILE Nick Bogiatzis VIEW PROFILE Nick Place VIEW PROFILE Sarah Dingle VIEW PROFILE Savva Savas VIEW PROFILE Suellen Dainty VIEW PROFILE Summer Land VIEW PROFILE Tim Ayliffe VIEW PROFILE Vasiliki Nihas OAM VIEW PROFILE 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.

VIEW OUR VENUES Festival Hub & Bookshop: Manly Library Community Room Manly Library Community Room (Ground Floor), 1 Market Lane, Manly Festival Cafe: Belgrave Cartel 6 Belgrave Street, Manly Henry G's Wine Parlour 11 The Corso, Manly Hotel Steyne 75 The Corso, Manly Manly Art Gallery West Esplanade, Manly Manly Surf Life Saving Club South Steyne, Manly Manly Wharf Events L1, Manly Wharf, East Esplanade, Manly Manly Youth Centre Kangaroo Street, Manly Qi Yoga & Pilates Studio Level 1, 9 The Corso, Manly Sky Theatre 54 Raglan Street, Manly (St Andrew's Church Hall) The Manly Club on Gilbert 3 West Promenade, Manly Mackellar Girls' High School 11 Campbell Parade, Manly Vale 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.

< Back 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 in this Pathway Manly Poetry Salon Robbie Coburn, Deborah Conway, Toby Davidson, Cocoa Deep-Amek, Ruth Larner, Michele Seminara View Session Bring Back Yesterday: In Conversation with Bob Carr Bob Carr View Session Ruptured Lives, Resilient Voices Elana Benjamin, Joanne Fedler, Lee Kofman, Kylie Moore-Gilbert View Session Lives That Don’t Follow the Script Lucy Nelson, Kumi Taguchi View Session Festival Conversation and Book Launch: Home, Forever Anna Dombkins, Saul Eslake View Session Previous Next

7eab5f46-ad09-4b5e-96de-e2129a1dfb54 Ali Lowe ABOUT < VIEW ALL AUTHORS Ali Lowe Ali Lowe is the author of three bestselling novels: The Trivia Night, The Running Club, and The School Run, which was a WHSmith Book of the Month. Her fourth book, The Private Island, came out in 2025. Ali is a journalist by profession. She was Features Editor at OK! in London and has written for bridal magazines, parenting titles, websites and newspapers. She has dual Australian and British citizenship and lives on Sydney’s Northern Beaches with her husband and three children. < 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.

08ac18e5-d1ba-4c02-b399-fad0d27adc9c Antoun Issa ABOUT < VIEW ALL AUTHORS Antoun Issa Antoun Issa is a Lebanese-Australian journalist and co-founder of Deepcut News. After completing his Master of International Relations at the Australian National University, he moved to Lebanon in 2011 where he worked as News Editor for Al-Monitor during the heights of the Arab Spring. In 2015, Issa relocated to Washington DC, where he spent two years at the Middle East Institute, a US thinktank, before joining The Atlantic as an editorial strategist. He returned to Australia in 2020, joining The Guardian Australia until his departure in 2024. < 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.

ba977c12-db20-48a7-868a-ba54ea79ed89 Natalie Scott ABOUT < VIEW ALL AUTHORS Natalie Scott Born and educated in Sydney, Natalie Scott was a freelance writer before her acclaimed novels, short stories, non-fiction, books for children, and audiobooks were published internationally. A columnist for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Australian, she also wrote for television and radio and has contributed to many literary magazines, including the Griffith Review, Southerly, Westerly and Meanjin and ran courses in creative writing at both NSW and Macquarie Universities. Her most recent book A Secret Grief was published in 2025. Her latest novel, The Rim of the Sky, will be released in May 2026. < 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.

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 WRITER'S 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 three days around the end of March/early April each year 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 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.