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Explore highlights from past Manly Writer's Festivals. Discover key moments, featured speakers, and memorable events from our previous festivals in Manly, Sydney. PREVIOUS FESTIVALS 2026 19-22 March 2026 Program 2024 14-16 March 2024 Program 2025 28-30 March 2025 Program 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 Manly Poetry Salon BUY TICKETS DATE: Saturday 21 March, 2026 TIME: 4.00-5.30pm COST: $30.00 Sky Theatre PATHWAY: Personal Reckonings HOST : Michele Seminara < VIEW ALL SESSIONS Cocoa the Conscious Michele Seminara Yvette Henry Holt Deborah Conway AM Ruth Larner Liz Deep-Jones Toby Davidson Seven voices, seven ways of seeing the world. This freestyle poetry showcase brings together an eclectic mix of poets whose work spans the page, the stage, and everything in between. Each poet will share recent work, whether read quietly or performed with all the energy and presence that poetry can demand when it leaves the printed word behind. This is poetry as a living, breathing art—diverse in form, and reflecting the moments we live through.

02d0664b-0500-4727-8c16-1df6f366771a Tim Ayliffe ABOUT < VIEW ALL HOSTS Tim Ayliffe Tim Ayliffe is an award-winning author whose thriller novels have been informed by his 25-year global career as a journalist. He writes about crime, espionage, extremism and the global power games at play in the 21st century. He has been the Managing Editor of Television and Video for ABC News and also the Executive Producer of News Breakfast. He is the author of the ‘John Bailey’ series including The Greater Good, State of Fear, The Enemy Within, Killer Traitor Spy – which won the People’s Choice Award at the 2024 Danger Awards – and The Wrong Man. Dark Desert Road is Tim’s first standalone crime thriller. Tim’s thrillers are also in development for TV. He lives in Sydney. < 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.

477a6c37-e4aa-4bb0-8e78-bc5a3eebfcec Debra Adelaide ABOUT < VIEW ALL AUTHORS Debra Adelaide Dr Debra Adelaide is the author or editor of eighteen books, including fiction, non-fiction, and reference works. Her 2008 novel, The Household Guide to Dying, was published to acclaim in Australia and around the world and was short- and long-listed for several literary awards, including the International Orange Prize (now the Women’s Prize) for Fiction. Her most recent books include Zebra, which won the short story category in the 2019 Queensland Literary Awards, and The Innocent Reader: Reflections on Reading and Writing. She taught creative writing for twenty years and is now an Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Technology Sydney. She lives and writes on Bidjigal Country in Sydney’s inner west. < 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.

b56f349f-290c-4e3d-a451-515f088066d5 Elana Benjamin ABOUT < VIEW ALL AUTHORS Elana Benjamin Elana Benjamin is a Jewish-Australian writer of Indian-Iraqi heritage. Her work has been published widely, including in Good Weekend, Sunday Life, The Sydney Morning Herald, SBS Voices and The Jewish Independent. Elana’s most recent book is Indian-Jewish Food: Recipes and Stories from the Backstreets of Bondi. Elana is also a contributor to two anthologies: Ruptured: Jewish Women in Australia Reflect on Life Post-October 7 and Growing Up Indian in Australia. Elana holds an Arts/Law degree with a history major from the University of New South Wales. She lives in Sydney with her husband and their two 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.

9d20a7da-357e-4ecc-815c-9aa7ceebd62f Helen Vatsikopoulos ABOUT < VIEW ALL HOSTS Helen Vatsikopoulos Helen Vatsikopoulos is a Professional Fellow at the University of Technology Sydney. She is a Walkley Award winning journalist who has worked with the Australian Broadcating Corporation, ABC the Special Broadcasting Service SBS and the Australia Network. She also taught journalism at UTS. Helen is the director of the UTS/ Greek Australian Writers Festival and editor of Hellenic Dreams. < 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.

e6c5e1f8-76bb-496d-b5a0-930cc3f51f54 Cory Alpert ABOUT < VIEW ALL AUTHORS Cory Alpert Cory Alpert is a PhD candidate in the School of Social and Political Sciences at the University of Melbourne, where he researches the impact of artificial intelligence on democratic legitimacy. He is a former White House staffer who served three years during the Biden-Harris Administration as an Advance Associate. His political resumé includes roles such as Senior Policy Advisor to the President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, Regional Chief of Staff for Pete Buttigieg’s 2020 presidential campaign, and advisory and staff positions across numerous campaigns and levels of government. He works at the intersection of technology, activism, and journalism, regularly contributing to outlets such as The Age, Sydney Morning Herald, Haaretz, and Pursuit. He has been nominated for a Quill Award for Commentary by the Melbourne Press Club. < 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.

< Back 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 in this Pathway Open Book: Writing Lived Experience Tracy Crisp, Natalie Scott View Session Truth, Voice and Who Is Believed Debra Adelaide, Sue Woolfe View Session A Speed Date with Love Holly Cardamone, Karen Farrell, Amy Hutton, Eleanor Kirk, Joanna Nell, Courtney Peppernell View Session Open Book: Becoming Yourself Under Pressure Amy Coomer, Matilda Meikle View Session Open Book: What the Writing Reveals James Dunbar, Jack Heath, Matthew Spencer, Dave Warner View Session The Murder Next Door Kate Horan, Troy Hunter, Ali Lowe, Nikki Lee-Taylor View Session History’s Long Shadow: Writing the Past Candida Baker, Susan Francis View Session Age of Extremes: Spies, Lies and Power Games in the 21st Century Tim Ayliffe, Jack Beaumont, Michael Brissenden View Session Love, Medicine and the Human Condition Anne Buist AO, Graeme Simsion View Session Previous Next

bbf57bce-fb10-4ae3-af3c-0426322df30d Jill Valentine ABOUT < VIEW ALL HOSTS Jill Valentine Jill Valentine has spent over two decades in the investment banking industry, crafting narratives as a communications and PR executive. During her career, Jill has worked closely with a flock of CEOs, giving her a backstage pass to leadership styles and corporate culture. She firmly believes that compassion and kindness rule. Before diving into corporate life, Jill dabbled in a myriad of jobs. She was a singing, roller-skating waitress at Disneyland Paris and a nanny to the little ones of an Oscar-winning movie editor and an Oscar-nominated actress. Born in Scotland, Jill has lived and worked in London, Paris, New York, and Los Angeles. In 2000, she arrived in Sydney with just a backpack and never left. She now calls the Northern Beaches home. Her debut novel, High Heels and Low Blows, was published in 2024. < 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.

< Back 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 in this Pathway Ask Us Anything: From Manuscript to Bookstore—What Really Gets You Published Ben Aitchison, John Coomer, Bonita Mersiades, Jeanne Ryckmans View Session Workshop: Edit Like an Expert Zena Shapter View Session Workshop: From Page to Stage: Writing for the Theatre Kathleen Walker View Session Workshop: Building a Professional Name. Reputation and Resilience at Work Tony Frost View Session Workshop: Beyond the Postcard: Writing Place with Authority Helen Hayes View Session Previous Next

df719109-e568-436c-b840-c2710540951a Kylie Moore-Gilbert ABOUT < VIEW ALL AUTHORS Kylie Moore-Gilbert Dr Kylie Moore-Gilbert is an academic, writer and human rights advocate based in Melbourne. She is the author of the bestselling 2022 memoir The Uncaged Sky: My 804 days in an Iranian Prison and is the Founding Director of the Australian Wrongful and Arbitrary Detention Alliance. < 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.

f23fe0cf-2744-4bb2-9716-e095149c0bd2 Paul Nicholls ABOUT < VIEW ALL AUTHORS Paul Nicholls Paul Nicholls is a writer from Sydney with a passion for the history and culture of sport. His articles on Australian football history appear in Play On magazine, Shoot Farken, Neos Osmos, and The Roar. He has made several appearances on If You Know Your History on Football Nation Radio. Paul also writes fiction and his work has been published as part of the collections The Moving Pen 2021 and The Moving Pen 2022. < 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.