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Program Thomas Keneally Oration BUY TICKETS DATE: Thursday 19 March, 2026 TIME: 6.30pm-9.00pm COST: $75.00 Manly Wharf Events (formerly Sake) PATHWAY: Power, Truth and Accountability HOST : Sarah Dingle < VIEW ALL SESSIONS Thomas Keneally AO The Thomas Keneally Oration is the Manly Writers’ Festival’s annual keynote address, created to honour one of Australia’s most significant literary voices and his enduring contribution to public life. In 2026, the Oration will be delivered by Thomas Keneally himself. Across a career spanning more than six decades, Keneally has written with moral clarity about history, power, injustice, faith and national identity, helping to shape how Australians understand both their past and their place in the world. In this special address, Keneally reflects on writing as a civic act: the responsibility to bear witness, the role of memory in national storytelling, and the power of literature to question, challenge, and endure. Drawing on a lifetime of work across fiction, history and memoir, the Oration speaks to the moment we are in now, and to the long view writers must take. The Thomas Keneally Oration opens the Manly Writers’ Festival, setting the tone for the days that follow with stories across Manly.

2bcf10eb-77e1-4138-90e8-c3a80b881dbc James Dunbar ABOUT < VIEW ALL AUTHORS James Dunbar James Dunbar is a journalist, travel writer, and university lecturer. His latest psychological thriller, Twisted River, is a disturbing account of revenge, examining the ease at which someone can hack into a life and turn it upside down. Mole Creek, his first venture into the serious crime and espionage genre, was shortlisted in the 2024 Danger Awards. Also published as Jimmy Thomson, he is the author of two crime ‘caper’ novels and two true-crime memoirs, as well as several books about Australian army engineers (sappers) during the Vietnam War. Blood Moon, the hotly anticipated sequel to Mole Creek, will be out in November 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.

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.

82dd925e-0255-418b-8a26-0e4029d929d1 Nick Bogiatzis ABOUT < VIEW ALL HOSTS Nick Bogiatzis Nick Bogiatzis is a retired federal public servant, published author, and experienced public policy adviser with a Master of Public Administration from Harvard University, following graduation from the Universities of Queensland and Tasmania. His career and interests have focused on social policy, multiculturalism and the challenges of democratic dialogue in diverse societies. With experience in Australia and overseas, Nick combines global perspective with a deep understanding of Australia’s cultural and political landscape. He is particularly interested in how societies navigate difference, conflict and change — and in creating the conditions for honest, respectful conversation. < 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.

Program Just Saying: In Conversation with Hugh Mackay BUY TICKETS DATE: Sunday 22 March, 2026 TIME: 10.00-11.00am COST: $25.00 Manly Youth Centre PATHWAY: Living Today HOST : Helen Vatsikopoulos < VIEW ALL SESSIONS Hugh Mackay AO In Just Saying, one of Australia’s most trusted social commentators, Hugh Mackay, turns his sharp but compassionate gaze to the state of our national psyche. From loneliness and social division to kindness, trust and the small acts that shape community life, Mackay explores what truly matters in unsettled times. In this intimate one-on-one conversation, he reflects on how we live, how we treat one another, and how we rebuild a sense of shared purpose. A thoughtful, uplifting session with a writer who helps us understand ourselves.

ff55b8a2-210d-437b-ac6f-cef09db6c366 Thomas Keneally AO ABOUT < VIEW ALL AUTHORS Thomas Keneally AO Thomas Keneally is a literary icon. Since his first novel was published in 1964, he has written numerous novels and non-fiction works. His novels include The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith, Schindler’s Ark and The People’s Train. He has won the Miles Franklin Award, the Booker Prize, the Los Angeles Times Prize, the Mondello International Prize and has been made a Literary Lion of the New York Public Library, a Fellow of the American Academy, recipient of the University of California gold medal, and is now the subject of an Australian stamp. He has held various academic posts and lives in Manly. < 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.

be5595fe-30a7-4626-be07-94734c88c588 Michael Brissenden ABOUT < VIEW ALL AUTHORS Michael Brissenden Michael Brissenden was a journalist and foreign correspondent with the ABC for 35 years. He was posted to Moscow, Brussels, and Washington, and worked in Canberra for many years in various roles, including as the Political Editor for ABC TV’s 7.30 and as a reporter with the ABC’s investigative television documentary program Four Corners. Through his reporting, Michael has covered bushfires both in Australia and overseas, including in California. He has published three previous books. < 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.

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.

693b2e4f-3279-41f0-81ec-881399fd2797 Omar Sakr ABOUT < VIEW ALL AUTHORS Omar Sakr Omar Sakr is a poet and writer born in Western Sydney to Lebanese and Turkish Muslim migrants. He is the acclaimed author of the novel Son of Sin and three poetry collections, including The Lost Arabs, which won the 2020 Prime Minister’s Literary Award for Poetry. His most recent collection, Non-Essential Work, was shortlisted for the Kenneth Slessor Prize and the ALS Gold Medal. His non-fiction work has been published widely, including in The Guardian, The Sydney Morning Herald and SBS Life. < 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.

VIEW OUR PROGRAM BUY TICKETS DOWNLOAD PDF The program is organised into pathways 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. Find out more here . Filter by Pathway Select Pathway LEARN MORE Thursday 19 March, 2026 6.30pm-9.00pm EVENT Thomas Keneally Oration LOCATION Manly Wharf Events (formerly Sake) LEARN MORE Friday 20 March, 2026 11.00am-12.00pm EVENT Workshop: Edit Like an Expert LOCATION Manly Youth Centre (The Writers' Room) LEARN MORE Friday 20 March, 2026 12.30-2.00pm EVENT Roundtable: Who Pays the Price? Gender and Institutional Power LOCATION Manly Life Saving Club LEARN MORE Friday 20 March, 2026 2.30-3.30pm EVENT Country and the Stories We Tell LOCATION Manly Life Saving Club LEARN MORE Friday 20 March, 2026 2.30-3.30pm EVENT Truth, Voice and Who Is Believed LOCATION Sky Theatre LEARN MORE Friday 20 March, 2026 2.30-3.30pm EVENT Workshop: Beyond the Postcard: Writing Place with Authority LOCATION Manly Youth Centre (The Writers' Room) LEARN MORE Friday 20 March, 2026 3.45-5.00pm EVENT A Speed Date with Love LOCATION Manly Life Saving Club LEARN MORE Friday 20 March, 2026 4.00-5.00pm EVENT Workshop: Building a Professional Name. Reputation and Resilience at Work LOCATION Manly Youth Centre (The Writers' Room) LEARN MORE Friday 20 March, 2026 4.00-5.00pm EVENT After 'Liberation' and 'Discovery': Power, Aftermath and Human Agency LOCATION Sky Theatre LEARN MORE Friday 20 March, 2026 5.15-6.00pm EVENT Money, Confidence and Choice LOCATION Manly Life Saving Club LEARN MORE Friday 20 March, 2026 5.30-6.15pm EVENT Lloyd Rees and the City He Taught Us to See LOCATION Manly Art Gallery LEARN MORE Friday 20 March, 2026 5.30-6.15pm EVENT Speaking the Unspoken: Writing Identity and Modern Australia LOCATION Sky Theatre LEARN MORE Friday 20 March, 2026 6.30-7.30pm EVENT Boys, Masculinity and the Online World LOCATION Manly Life Saving Club LEARN MORE Friday 20 March, 2026 6.45-7.30pm EVENT The Australian Wars: Truth, Violence and the Making of a Nation LOCATION Manly Art Gallery LEARN MORE Friday 20 March, 2026 7.30-9.00pm EVENT Festival Conversation and Book Launch: 'Betrayal' LOCATION Sky Theatre LEARN MORE Friday 20 March, 2026 8.00-8.45pm EVENT Feature Conversation: Democracy Under Pressure with Amy Remeikis LOCATION Manly Life Saving Club LEARN MORE Saturday 21 March, 2026 10.00-11.00am EVENT Ask Us Anything: From Manuscript to Bookstore—What Really Gets You Published LOCATION The Manly Club LEARN MORE Saturday 21 March, 2026 11.30-12.30pm EVENT Open Book: Becoming Yourself Under Pressure LOCATION Henry G's LEARN MORE Saturday 21 March, 2026 11.30-12.30pm EVENT The Nightmare Sequence: Art, Witnessing and Fracture LOCATION Manly Youth Centre LEARN MORE Saturday 21 March, 2026 1.00-2.00pm EVENT Open Book: What the Writing Reveals LOCATION Henry G's LEARN MORE Saturday 21 March, 2026 1.00-2.00pm EVENT Frontlines: Conflict, Capture and the Human Cost of State Power LOCATION Manly Youth Centre LEARN MORE Saturday 21 March, 2026 1.00-2.00pm EVENT Land, Identity and Who Gets to Belong LOCATION Manly Youth Centre LEARN MORE Saturday 21 March, 2026 2.30-3.30pm EVENT Workshop: From Page to Stage: Writing for the Theatre LOCATION Sky Theatre (The Studio) LEARN MORE Saturday 21 March, 2026 2.30-3.30pm EVENT The Murder Next Door LOCATION Sky Theatre LEARN MORE Saturday 21 March, 2026 2.30-3.30pm EVENT The Diplomat: Inside Australia’s Foreign Service LOCATION Manly Youth Centre LEARN MORE Saturday 21 March, 2026 2.30-3.30pm EVENT Inheritance, Survival and Belonging LOCATION Manly Youth Centre LEARN MORE Saturday 21 March, 2026 4.00-5.00pm EVENT The World on Edge: Australia and the New Global Disorder LOCATION Manly Youth Centre LEARN MORE Saturday 21 March, 2026 4.00-5.30pm EVENT Manly Poetry Salon LOCATION Sky Theatre LEARN MORE Saturday 21 March, 2026 4.00-5.00pm EVENT Open Book: Writing Lived Experience LOCATION Sky Theatre LEARN MORE Saturday 21 March, 2026 4.00-4.45pm EVENT Power, Paranoia and Pleasure LOCATION Henry G's LEARN MORE Saturday 21 March, 2026 5.30-6.15pm EVENT Bring Back Yesterday: In Conversation with Bob Carr LOCATION Manly Youth Centre LEARN MORE Saturday 21 March, 2026 8.00-10.00pm EVENT The Night Shift LOCATION Manly Youth Centre LEARN MORE Sunday 22 March, 2026 8.30am-9.45am EVENT Beyond the Hot Flush: Rewriting Midlife with Michelle Bridges LOCATION Hotel Steyne LEARN MORE Sunday 22 March, 2026 10.00-11.00am EVENT Just Saying: In Conversation with Hugh Mackay LOCATION Manly Youth Centre LEARN MORE Sunday 22 March, 2026 11.30-12.30pm EVENT Love, Medicine and the Human Condition LOCATION Manly Youth Centre LEARN MORE Sunday 22 March, 2026 11.30am-12.30pm EVENT The Stories that Sport Forgot LOCATION Henry G's LEARN MORE Sunday 22 March, 2026 11.30-12.30pm EVENT Ruptured Lives, Resilient Voices LOCATION Manly Youth Centre LEARN MORE Sunday 22 March, 2026 1.00-2.00pm EVENT Lives That Don’t Follow the Script LOCATION Manly Youth Centre LEARN MORE Sunday 22 March, 2026 1.00-2.00pm EVENT Age of Extremes: Spies, Lies and Power Games in the 21st Century LOCATION Henry G's LEARN MORE Sunday 22 March, 2026 2.30-3.15pm EVENT The Great Australian Dream: Housing, Wealth and Australia’s Future LOCATION Manly Youth Centre LEARN MORE Sunday 22 March, 2026 2.30-3.30pm EVENT History’s Long Shadow: Writing the Past LOCATION Manly Youth Centre LEARN MORE Sunday 22 March, 2026 4.00-5.00pm EVENT Festival Conversation and Book Launch: Home, Forever LOCATION Manly Youth Centre 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.

acbf75e8-8f3c-46fd-8d0f-a9836bef7eac Kathleen Walker ABOUT < VIEW ALL AUTHORS Kathleen Walker Kathleen is the Artistic Director of the Manly Theatre Group. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Drama, a Master of Arts in Directing, and further qualifications in creative writing and project management. She has worked with the Festival of Sydney, Carnivale, Opera Australia, Sydney Living Museum, and the University of Sydney. She has taught drama locally for several years and contributed to large-scale events, projects, exhibitions, publications, filmmaking and theatrical productions across Australia, as well as locally in Manly. < 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.

36692df7-ce3b-444e-ac3c-80ebaa4785f6 Joanna Nell ABOUT < VIEW ALL AUTHORS Joanna Nell Dr Joanna Nell is a British-Australian writer, GP and advocate for positive ageing. Her essays and short fiction have won multiple awards and been widely published in magazines, journals, and literary anthologies. Her first five novels, The Single Ladies of Jacaranda Retirement Village, The Last Voyage of Mrs Henry Parker, The Great Escape from Woodlands Nursing Home, The Tea Ladies of St Jude’s Hospital, and Mrs Winterbottom Takes a Gap Year, were national bestsellers. Joanna lives on Sydney’s Northern Beaches. < 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.