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.

Program Open Book: What the Writing Reveals BUY TICKETS DATE: Saturday 21 March, 2026 TIME: 1.00-2.00pm COST: $25.00 Henry G's PATHWAY: Stories and Storytellers HOST : Suellen Dainty < VIEW ALL SESSIONS Dave Warner Matthew Spencer Jack Heath James Dunbar Open Book sessions centre on the work itself. Writers read from their books and speak briefly about the choices and discoveries that shaped the writing. Twisted River by James Dunbar is a crime novel set in regional Australia, centred on how an obsessed enemy can destroy the best people's lives, and the consequences of secrets that refuse to stay buried. Kill Your Boss by Jack Heath is a sharp, fast-paced thriller that turns work place resentment into something far darker driven by the dangerous appeal of an unthinkable idea. Broke Road by Matthew Spencer follows a series of crimes linked by a single stretch of road, exposing corruption, desperation and lives pushed to breaking point. Sound Mind, Dead Body by Dave Warner blends a compelling investigation with social insight, probing motive, consequence and moral uncertainty. In this Open Book session hosted by Suellen Dainty, Dunbar, Heath, Spencer, and Warner read from their work and reflect on what emerges in the act of writing — how setting, character and plot begin to carry meanings the author may not have fully anticipated, and how crime fiction can reveal as much about the world it observes as the stories it tells.

e25543b1-0d6f-4539-a664-751ebc003dab Helen Hayes ABOUT < VIEW ALL AUTHORS Helen Hayes Helen Hayes is an award-winning Australian-based travel journalist, editor, and radio co-host with over three decades of experience exploring global destinations. She is known for her extensive work in travel writing, specialising in luxury, skiing, cruising, and Australian outback adventures. < 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.

37a12fb3-d21d-46e9-a93b-a0aaa3e1568e Savva Savas ABOUT < VIEW ALL HOSTS Savva Savas Savva Savas is a hospitality impresario and magnetic storyteller at the heart of Australia’s culinary scene. For 30 years, through his company PLATED, Savva has curated unforgettable dining experiences for some of the country’s most exclusive and intimate gatherings. Fuelled by a deep belief in food’s power to unite and inspire, Savva launched the Three Food Memories podcast – a platform for heartfelt conversations about how food shapes our identities, our connections, and the world we share. A single gay Papa to 11-year-old twins, Leo and Dane, his lived experience of love, responsibility, care, and connection continues to guide his work. < 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.

504ebf30-04e1-4561-9778-a29d880a19a5 Matthew Spencer ABOUT < VIEW ALL AUTHORS Matthew Spencer Matthew Spencer was a journalist at The Australian for twenty years, with long stints running the Foreign News desk and as Opinion Editor. He has written for newspapers and magazines in Uganda and Kenya and been published in The Australian Financial Review and The Sydney Morning Herald. He was born in Parramatta. The son of teachers, he lived with his sister Kate on the 320-acre campus of a boys’ boarding school. Long summers on the largely deserted property while exploring the remnant bush with its tributary of the Parramatta River inspired his first novel, Black River. Matthew lives in Sydney with his wife, Ritu Gupta, and their three 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.

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.

b0115087-5334-421f-a886-48663cf9311a Liz Deep-Jones ABOUT < VIEW ALL HOSTS Liz Deep-Jones Liz Deep-Jones is an author, journalist, producer, presenter, filmmaker, curator and the inaugural Freilich Arts/Media and Activism Fellow at the Australian National University with her We Bleed the Same exhibition and documentary. Her best-selling young adult novels, Lucy Zeezou’s Goal and Lucy Zeezou’s Glamour Game, were re-released in 2023 for the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. Liz is a champion for human rights, inspiring young people to act through her mentoring role at the ANU in media and arts activism. She is currently writing her third novel, a children’s picture book. Liz is one of the first female television journalists to break the mould in sports reporting having covered numerous national and international sporting events including the FIFA World Cup. < 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.

b9b7b5e2-df14-461c-bd52-b3dc2883301a Caroline Baum ABOUT < VIEW ALL HOSTS Caroline Baum Caroline Baum is a communicator, storyteller, advocate, moderator, journalist, curator, podcaster and author. She works in all digital and traditional media. Her writing covers culture, food, people, places, issues. Aside from journalism, she has written program notes for the opera and ballet, blogs for theatre and film productions, tourism advertorial, exhibition catalogues, speech notes, and eulogies. She grew up and was educated in the UK and began her working life there as a TV researcher for Michael Parkinson and Melvyn Bragg. < 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.

cccaea03-5575-454a-b7bc-1d42282331de John Ayliffe ABOUT < VIEW ALL AUTHORS John Ayliffe John Ayliffe is an Australian novelist and non-fiction writer whose work spans literary fiction, biography, and history. He began his career in advertising in Australia and the UK before establishing his own agency in Sydney, a professional life that later enabled him to pursue writing full-time. He has published works of fiction, biography, and a history of the Northern Beaches. His books include The Priest’s Woman and Other Stories, Blind Man’s Bluff, My Brother’s Eyes (with David Ayliffe), and Icons. Ayliffe’s writing is marked by close observation of character, place, and moral complexity. He lives on Sydney’s Northern Beaches with his wife Helen and continues to work on new fiction. They have four children and eight grandchildren. His latest book, written as J.S. Ayliffe, is Betrayal, to be launched at the Festival. < 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 Workshop: Building a Professional Name. Reputation and Resilience at Work BUY TICKETS DATE: Friday 20 March, 2026 TIME: 4.00-5.00pm COST: $30.00 Manly Youth Centre (The Writers' Room) PATHWAY: So, You Want to be a Writer? HOST : - < VIEW ALL SESSIONS Tony Frost What does it mean to conduct yourself as a professional in a rapidly changing world of work? Drawing on his book The Professional, Tony Frost explores how reputations are built and sustained, why curiosity and lifelong learning matter more than ever, and how individuals can remain purposeful and resilient over long careers. This practical session focuses on values, behaviour, and decision-making rather than technical skills, offering participants a framework for navigating work with confidence, integrity and adaptability.

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.