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5f8cd615-01a8-4fbf-bdd3-6dfe5d19ce43 Michele Seminara ABOUT < VIEW ALL AUTHORS 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 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 The Australian Wars: Truth, Violence and the Making of a Nation BUY TICKETS DATE: Friday 20 March, 2026 TIME: 6.45-7.30pm COST: $25.00 Manly Art Gallery PATHWAY: Power, Truth and Accountability HOST : Martin Thomas < VIEW ALL SESSIONS Stephen Gapps For generations, Australia’s frontier wars were minimised, euphemised, or erased from the national story. In The Australian Wars, Stephen Gapps and his contributors draw on military records, colonial archives and Aboriginal histories. Gapps reframes the frontier as a series of wars fought across the continent. This conversation explores what it means to tell this history honestly: the language we use, the silences we inherit, and the responsibilities that come with confronting violence at the heart of nation-building. A vital session on truth-telling, historical method and why the past remains unfinished.

f725429c-c992-48ec-be5d-c68ba46e3634 Candida Baker ABOUT < VIEW ALL HOSTS Candida Baker Candida Baker is a writer, editor, photographer, journalist, and natural horsemanship practitioner. She is the author of the novels Women and Horses and The Hidden and an award-winning book of short stories, The Powerful Owl. Candida’s book, The Heart of a Horse, was published in 2021. Her latest book, Light and Shadow, was published by Fair Play Publishing in 2025. Candida held positions at many of Australia’s major publications. She was a feature writer with the Melbourne Age for seven years; Deputy Editor of the Good Weekend magazine; Arts Editor of The Sydney Morning Herald and Editor of The Weekend Australian Magazine. She regularly reviews books and writes features for a variety of magazines and newspapers. < 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.

8fad0ffa-8b9c-46b8-a62c-7c5dca6c00d7 Jack Toohey ABOUT < VIEW ALL HOSTS Jack Toohey Jack Toohey is an Australian creative director and activist known for his ability to distil complex issues into clear, compelling content. He rose to prominence in 2023 with a viral video examining the difference between housing affordability in 1983 compared with 2023, which amassed over 20 million views. A former music photographer and creative agency founder, Jack has redirected his communication skills towards storytelling that exposes harmful systems and advocates for social and climate justice. < 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.

3fd0956f-311d-41ff-add5-f9f3d3157506 Jack Beaumont ABOUT < VIEW ALL AUTHORS Jack Beaumont Jack Beaumont is the pseudonym of a former operative of the French foreign secret service, the DGSE. Jack led clandestine and offensive operations in various countries under false identities for seven years. After studying mathematics and physics engineering, Jack started his military career in the French Air Force as a fighter pilot on single seaters, specialising in air-to-air combat. After injuring his back in a flying accident, he was retrained to fly special operations and intelligence missions in various crisis and war zones. Jack was then recruited by ‘The Company’ after he participated in an operation in the Balkans. He was internally selected and trained to be in the field. < 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 Age of Extremes: Spies, Lies and Power Games in the 21st Century BUY TICKETS DATE: Sunday 22 March, 2026 TIME: 1.00-2.00pm COST: $25.00 Henry G's PATHWAY: Stories and Storytellers HOST : Troy Hunter < VIEW ALL SESSIONS Jack Beaumont Michael Brissenden Tim Ayliffe From covert operations to information warfare, today’s global tensions increasingly play out in the shadows. In Age of Extremes: Spies, Lies and Power Games in the 21st Century, three writers of contemporary political and espionage fiction examine a world shaped by surveillance, disinformation and instability. Drawing on backgrounds in journalism, diplomacy and intelligence, they discuss how power operates behind closed doors, how truth is manipulated, and why fiction can sometimes reveal more than official accounts. This session examines the relationship between reality and invention, the narrative patterns behind modern crises, and the enduring appeal of spy and political thrillers as a way to make sense of a volatile world. A sharp, timely conversation about secrecy, influence and storytelling.

32db7e1f-94bc-4081-a091-0c520f313d02 Tracy Crisp ABOUT < VIEW ALL AUTHORS Tracy Crisp Tracy Crisp is writer, performer and funeral celebrant from Adelaide/Tarntangya who has published novels, essays and short stories, and performed and produced six solo monologues. In 2025, she performed all six of her 'memoir monologues' in one big sell-out season at the Adelaide Fringe, winning several awards including a best theatre award, Spirit of the Fringe, and the prestigious Frank Ford Award. Her book, Pearls: Memoir Strands, is adapted from the scripts of her solo shows. < 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.

dd54e331-e02e-49b2-87c7-cbeb123c33e2 Stephen Gapps ABOUT < VIEW ALL AUTHORS Stephen Gapps Dr Stephen Gapps is a public historian working to bring Frontier War histories into broader recognition as Australia’s First Wars. In 2011, he was awarded the NSW Premier’s History Award for regional and community history. Stephen’s The Sydney Wars: Conflict in the early colony 1788–1817 was the inaugural winner of the Les Carlyon Award for the writing of military history (2020). He is also the author of Gudyarra: The First Wiradyuri War of Resistance – The Bathurst War, 1822–1824 (2021), and is an editor of The Australian Wars, the book of the award-winning documentary series, forthcoming. < 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.

a1255b8f-2122-4403-9e31-f6d928e9e4b7 Diana Thorp ABOUT < VIEW ALL AUTHORS Diana Thorp Diana Thorp has scaled a pyramid, excavated a Bronze Age palace, and been threatened by a deadly war spy. She also wrote a thesis on forgotten women that almost included a sealed section, all in pursuit of a good story. A journalist, historian, and teacher, Diana has worked for The Australian, including its weekend magazine, and The Times in London. She has studied Australian history, with a focus on gender, at Macquarie University, and ancient Egyptian literature at Monash University. After lecturing in journalism for many years, her passion for history inspired her to become a teacher, and she works at a Melbourne girls’ school. Her work appears widely in Australia and beyond, and her feature article on Australian World War II spy Nancy Wake, whose wartime story was then little known, inspired her interest in this covert field. < 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.

5c2c8790-9ecd-4acd-8583-44f60903ba9d Joshua Gilbert ABOUT < VIEW ALL AUTHORS Joshua Gilbert Josh is a Worimi man with extensive experience across Indigenous affairs, the environmental sector, and sustainable agriculture. In 2025, Josh launched his first book, Australia’s Agricultural Identity: An Aboriginal Yarn. Josh is undertaking a PhD at Charles Sturt University, focused on the concept of Indigenous modernity through agriculture. He was recognised internationally for his work and was announced in the inaugural 50 Next: People Shaping the Future of Gastronomy cohort. < 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.

3388ac85-b631-43f6-aebd-6f1ea2eb9cb9 Deborah Conway AM ABOUT < VIEW ALL AUTHORS Deborah Conway AM Deborah Conway has been a musician for over 40 years. Innovator, motivator, role model, facilitator, and entrepreneur, Conway is fearless in her risk-taking, has pushed and pulled existing boundaries, and has always argued her cause with integrity and intelligence to pursue the highest standards of whatever is in her sights. For the last three decades, Willy Zygier, musician, songwriter, and composer, has been her primary collaborator. Aside from releasing a dozen studio albums and playing countless live shows, Conway has been a producer, festival director, actor and author. In 2020, Conway was created a Member (AM) of the Order of Australia and received the Australia Council’s Don Banks Award for outstanding contribution to music. In 2022, Conway was inducted into Music Victoria’s Hall of Fame. < 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.