2d704f5d-029e-43a4-a834-5ab0cb6eb909 Charlotte Rimmer ABOUT < VIEW ALL HOSTS Charlotte Rimmer Charlotte Rimmer and Aide de MD have become synonymous with integrity, honesty, and a pro-active attitude to the constant challenge of achieving work/business/living balance. With over 20 years prior experience in sales and operational management in both London and Sydney, she provides a hands-on, proactive approach to business management and leadership. Charlotte has been a member of a number of business advisory boards and mentors Chairs and Directors across a range of industries. Charlotte has worked with hundreds of executives and leadership teams. Her success is measured through her clients’ achievements. Her motivation continues to be the satisfaction gained from mentoring those clients to achieve their goals while managing extraordinary challenges along the way. She likes to help boards, executives and individuals realise and develop their leadership skills. She uses a combination of practical advice and her own uniquely developed accountability frameworks and content. < 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.

9794ffa5-4ab2-4e5e-97c1-6a3732bacf8e Ian Syson ABOUT < VIEW ALL AUTHORS Ian Syson Ian Syson is a retired academic with a PhD in Literature from the University of Queensland who taught English literature, communication and sportswriting at Victoria University for 25 years. His main research interest is in the history of Australia’s football codes, mainly soccer. He is interested in the often fraught relationships between the codes and the rhetoric of these tensions as manifested in the media. He has written about the origins of the codes and the relationship between them and the AIF during WW1 and is currently head of The Soccer Anzacs project. He was editor of Overland magazine for six years and, in 1999, set up Vulgar Press, a publishing house specialising in working-class literature and politics. His book, The Game That Never Happened, was published in 2018. PROGRAM SESSIONS < 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.

d9280409-da29-4cb2-90bc-415d72ed5d14 Angela Priestley ABOUT < VIEW ALL HOSTS Angela Priestley Angela Priestley is the co-founder of the independent daily news publication, Women's Agenda. She’s a board member of the Women's And Girls' Emergency Centre, supporting 200 women and children in emergency accommodation every night, and sits on the board of the Alliance for Journalists’ Freedom, promoting media freedom. Angela is also a mother of three boys. < 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.

d571f5be-bd07-423d-97e2-236a1858f115 Summer Land ABOUT < VIEW ALL HOSTS Summer Land Summer Land is an author, ghostwriter, copywriter, podcaster, keynote speaker and moderator. Summer has ghostwritten over ten books including The Last Victim (2024) with Tracy Hall which will be featured at the Manly Writers’ Festival. Originally from the United States, Summer lives mostly in Mudgee and occasionally on Sydney’s Northern Beaches. < 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.

759bdc3b-3a2a-4b2d-b470-a5d1752abdab Jeremy Fernandez ABOUT < VIEW ALL HOSTS Jeremy Fernandez Jeremy Fernandez is a journalist and presenter with ABC News. He joined the network’s Sydney bureau in 2009, after returning from London where he had worked as a writer and business producer for CNN International. Jeremy previously hosted the morning edition of ABC News on Australia Network, broadcast across the Asia-Pacific. As a journalist and producer in Perth, Melbourne, and London, he’s anchored rolling news, interviews, and in-depth reports on a host of major stories, including the 2008 US election, Benazir Bhutto’s assassination, the collapse of Lehman Brothers, the fall of Thaksin Shinawatra’s government in Thailand, the Indian Ocean tsunami, and the Bali bombings. Jeremy’s career sprang from humble beginnings as a voice-over artist with Channel 7 and producer for ABC Radio in the regional tourism and agricultural hub of Albany, Western Australia. He speaks conversational Malay and has earned degrees from Curtin University and the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts. < 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.

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.

2394ac94-36c3-4f02-826f-01f4dfcacb52 Deep Gujral ABOUT < VIEW ALL AUTHORS Deep Gujral Deep Gujral is an entrepreneur and hospitality expert who has spent over 20 years transforming Sydney's dining and event scene. Born in Sri Ganganagar, India, and raised in Australia, Deep grew up immersed in the restaurant industry, working alongside his parents to establish one of Australia’s longest-running Indian hospitality brands. With a passion for fostering connections through food and culture, Deep now owns and operates several premium venues, including Angelo’s Cabarita, Manjit’s Wharf, and the Concord Function Centre. Deep’s story is one of blending cultural heritage with modern aspirations, offering a unique perspective on growing up Indian in Australia. PROGRAM SESSIONS WHAT: Made In India DATE: Saturday 29th March TIME: 1.30pm-2.30pm WITH: Summer Land TICKETS < 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.

82c2356c-c5c6-4275-9ba9-371d6f89f7e4 Gillian Wills ABOUT < VIEW ALL AUTHORS Gillian Wills Gillian Wills is a graduate and an Honorary Associate of the Royal Academy of Music for distinguished services to the music profession. She is an author, arts writer, and music reviewer who has published with The Australian, Limelight, Griffith Review, Australian Book Review and In Review. Her memoir Elvis and Me: how a world-weary musician and a broken racehorse rescued each other, was released in 2016 in Australia, America, Canada, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand. Gillian has held senior academic positions in the UK and Australia. PROGRAM SESSIONS WHAT: Creative Lives In Fiction: Stories Of Love, Ambition And Self-Discovery DATE: Sunday 30th March TIME: 10.00am-11.00am WITH: Summer Land TICKETS WHAT: 'Teach the Children Well' (Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young) DATE: Sunday 30th March TIME: 2.00pm-3.00pm WITH: Suzanne Leal TICKETS < 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.

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

39924215-ad78-47be-b7d8-8fb26abfdef0 Murray Shaw ABOUT < VIEW ALL HOSTS Murray Shaw Murray Shaw is an experienced Executive Producer with extensive experience in the broadcast media industry. He is currently with the NINE Network, and has previously worked with the Australian Institute of Sport, Fox Sports, Sky News and Radio 2UE. He is the Executive Producer of the Olympics for NINE, as well as Head of Rugby and Football. < 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.

c9dfd947-6d40-42b6-813c-bd6d3e0b41f8 Michael Brissenden ABOUT < VIEW ALL AUTHORS Michael Brissenden Michael Brissenden is an author and journalist. He worked for the ABC for 35 years in various roles. He was posted to Moscow, Brussels and Washington and worked in Canberra for many years in various roles – including as the political editor for the 7.30 Report, as the ABC’s defence and security correspondent and as presenter of the AM program. From 2017 – 2021 he was a reporter with the ABC’s investigative television program – Four Corners. He has published both fiction and non-fiction books. He is now writing fiction full time. His first two novels were The List published in 2017 and Dead Letters published in 2021. His latest book Smoke was published in June 2024. PROGRAM SESSIONS WHAT: Politics, Power and the Thrill of the Chase DATE: Saturday 29th March TIME: 10.50am-11.50am WITH: Helen Vatsikopoulos TICKETS WHAT: Frontline Perspectives: Reporting the World Beyonder Borders DATE: Saturday 29th March TIME: 2.50pm-3.50pm WITH: Bonita Mersiades TICKETS < 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.

Kerrie Davies, Sarah Gilbert, Josie McSkimming Trailblazing Women BUY TICKETS 2025 PROGRAM < VIEW ALL PROGRAMS Trailblazing Women DATE: Friday 28th March LOCATION: Darley Smith Building COST: $22 Regardless of the times, some women dared to be different. We speak with three authors of biographies about women who have blazed their own trail. In Miles Franklin Undercover, Kerrie Davies examines the little-known second decade of acclaimed author Miles Franklin, who was impoverished and in service in Australia and the US, and her advocacy for working women. In Unconventional Women, Sarah Gilbert speaks to women who were part of a closed convent in the 1960s during significant social upheaval. In Gutsy Girls, Josie McSkimming writes of the unpredictable family life on the Northern Beaches, generational trauma, and deep sisterly bonds between her and her two sisters, particularly her eldest sister, poet Dorothy Porter. Host: Victoria Haskins BUY TICKETS < PREVIOUS NEXT > 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.