MEET OUR HOSTS 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 Ian Cockerill 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 VENUES MAP PDF Festival Cafe: Belgrave Cartel 6 Belgrave Street, Manly Street level access Henry G's Wine Parlour 11 The Corso, Manly Street level access Hotel Steyne 75 The Corso, Manly Street level access, Lift Manly Art Gallery West Esplanade, Manly Street level access Manly Surf Life Saving Club South Steyne, Manly Stairs, no lift Manly Wharf Events L1, Manly Wharf, East Esplanade, Manly Stairs, Lift Manly Youth Centre (Festival Hub & Main Bookstore) Kangaroo Street, Manly Street level access, Lift Sky Theatre 54 Raglan Street, Manly (St Andrew's Church Hall) Street-level access via Augusta Lane The Manly Club on Gilbert 3 West Promenade, Manly Street level access Mackellar Girls' High School 11 Campbell Parade, Manly Vale School students only 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.

b6b22978-ccd2-4174-aaf0-41051e46d15b Toby Davidson ABOUT < VIEW ALL AUTHORS Toby Davidson Toby Davidson is a widely published poet and Australian poetry scholar living on Darkinjung Country on the NSW Central Coast and teaching at Macquarie University on Dharug Country. His poetry collections are The Grand Reopening, Four Oceans, Beast Language, and as editor, Francis Webb’s Collected Poems. His latest non-fiction book is Good for the Soul: John Curtin’s Life with Poetry. < 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.

de7c7e7e-989b-41ce-87b2-a093830958e0 Joanne Fedler ABOUT < VIEW ALL AUTHORS Joanne Fedler Joanne Fedler is the internationally bestselling author of fifteen books, a writing mentor, publisher, and open water swimmer. She is a Fulbright Scholar, has a Master’s Degree in Law from Yale, and was a women’s rights advocate before she became a full-time author. < 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.

aedf91af-fad4-4f93-888e-9c7c356db2da Lee Kofman ABOUT < VIEW ALL AUTHORS Lee Kofman Dr Lee Kofman is the author of six books, including The Writer Laid Bare, Imperfect – which was shortlisted for the Nib Literary Award 2019 – and The Dangerous Bride. She is the editor of Split, which was longlisted for the ABIA Awards 2020, and co-editor of Rebellious Daughters and Ruptured. Her short works have been published worldwide. Lee regularly speaks at literary events, judges literary awards, and is an experienced writing mentor and teacher of writing. < 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.

f9035083-a3aa-403e-a8ca-df203ad8d90b Tracey Holmes ABOUT < VIEW ALL AUTHORS Tracey Holmes Tracey Holmes is one of Australia’s most recognised sports journalists, having spent almost four decades reporting on the world’s biggest sports stories. Her work is focused on the intersection of sport with politics, business, culture, and news. Her weekly podcast, The Sports Ambassador, explores in detail the stories behind the headlines. Published in August 2025, The Eye of the Dragonfly is her latest book, offering a 360-degree view of the world through the prism of sport. As Deputy Chair of the Oceania Australia Foundation, a Council Member of Indigenous Football Australia, a member of the IOC Press Committee, and a Mentor for the IOC Young Reporters program, Tracey is actively involved in promoting sport as a tool for social change and empowerment. Tracey has a Master’s Degree in Communications, is currently studying a Master’s in Sports Diplomacy at the Hungary University of Sports Science, and (when time permits) will finish her Master’s in Sports Law at Melbourne University. < 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.

fba2035d-d371-41ea-9465-ef3a08ae7b10 Festival Cafe: Belgrave Cartel VENUE DETAILS 6 Belgrave Street, Manly Rooms Used: xxx < VIEW ALL VENUES NEXT VENUE > 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.

ab88a838-e289-4109-99f9-7a650018cab0 Eleanor Kirk ABOUT < VIEW ALL AUTHORS Eleanor Kirk Eleanor Kirk is an author and screenwriter living and working on Gadigal/Wangal land. Her fiction has appeared in publications such as New Australian Fiction, the international literary journal adda, and the Hope Prize anthology Tomorrow There Will Be Sun. Her non-fiction has appeared in a range of newspapers, including The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. As a screenwriter, she has been involved in the development of several Australian television shows. Very Impressive For Your Age is her first novel. < 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.

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.