Byron Writers Festival

The science has long been there, but it will take imagination to win the world over to climate action. Two authors who have reimagined songs and witchy tales discuss how fiction can spark the energy we need. Eliza Henry-Jones, Mark Smith with Nell Schofield.

Silent quitting, climate quitting, goblin mode, human sustainability, leaning out. What are all these terms and what age are we living in? How is language evolving to describe how we live now and what do all those catch-phrases mean? Ellen van Neerven, Alison Pennington, Kristine Ziwica and Paul Barclay.

Stories are passed down through the generations. Expectations are too. Three novelists whose writings reflect their diverse family backgrounds share how the stories they inherited inform their writing. Shankari Chandran, Shirley Le, Peter Polites with Jemma Birrell.

Speculating about the future, interrogating the past and understanding through storytelling unite three writers. A historian and two novelists describe how their approaches to writing allow them to imagine – and reimagine – past, present and future. Michelle Arrow, Grace Chan, Shankari Chandran with Phillipa McGuinness.

We are surrounded by death in news, true-crime podcasts and even nursery rhymes. Yet from an early age, we are told that death is to be feared. How can we know what we're so afraid of, if we don’t examine it? Hayley Campbell in conversation with Kerry Sunderland.

Investigative journalist, Anke Richter, discusses how she immersed herself in the wild world of cults around the globe, exposing the ways they attract, entrap and destroy otherwise ordinary people. Anke Richter in conversation with Zacharey Jane.

Nothing Bad Ever Happens Here is a luminous, compelling and utterly surprising memoir by Heather Rose, the bestselling author of Stella Prize-winner The Museum of Modern Love and Bruny. Heartbreaking and beautiful, this is a love story brimming with courage and joy against all odds, one that will bring wonder, light and comfort to all who read it. Heather Rose in conversation with Jill Eddington.

One of Australia’s best-loved broadcasters, Richard Fidler takes us into the world of medieval wanderers who wrote of their travels to the edges of the known world during Islam's fabled Golden Age. In conversation with Kári Gíslason.

What does it mean to be free? Lea Ypi grew up in Stalinist Albania, one of the most isolated countries on earth and a place where Communist ideals had officially replaced religion.

Our housing is in crisis. Ownership is out of reach for many, rents are through the roof and homelessness is on the rise. This panel explores the causes of the problem and possible pathways to a better future.

Trustworthy news is essential to a healthy democracy but in 2023 misinformation is rife. Three panellists discuss with The Conversation Editor Misha Ketchell how and why misinformation and disinformation derail public debate and what we can do about it.

Media is undergoing rapid change. Four journalists explore how that change can threaten democracy itself and how the Fourth Estate can retain its key tenets, safeguarding its role as the public’s watchdog.

With our social media feeds constantly inundating us with images of trauma, Black Joy is an expression of resistance and healing. Storytellers Maxine Beneba Clarke, Bebe Backhouse and Nakkiah Lui discuss with poet Cheryl Leavy what Black Joy means to them.

Older women know that our society, smitten with youthfulness, devalues them in ways that can diminish their self-worth. In this episode Susan Johnson, Jacinta Parsons and Tracey Spicer discuss ways to reclaim pride in one’s ageing self – including by living disgracefully.

From the dangers of inherited magical powers, to haunted North Sea islands where witches were once hunted to a Danish fairytale about a woman swallowed by the sea, novelists Sarah Armstrong, Eliza Henry-Jones and Holly Ringland tell Kári Gíslason how old tales become new in their fiction.

The Art of Noticing: Susan Johnson, Maggie MacKeller, Peter Polites with Jill Eddington At the heart of good fiction is a piercing appreciation for human motivation. Three novelists reveal how they mine everyday life for personal stories. These include discovering the perils of taking an elderly mother to live overseas, reflecting on being a mother living in nature on a farm and saluting a Greek mother who made her life in Australia.

Growing into Autism: Sandra Thom-Jones in conversation with Mandy Nolan Professor Sandra Thom-Jones thought she just had to try harder when daily life overwhelmed her, despite success in her career and home life. As she explains in her memoir, she grew to realise that she was autistic, her world very different to that experienced by neurotypical people.

Happy or Wise: James Kirby, Hilton Koppe, Robert Waldinger with David Roland Humans everywhere pursue happiness, but is compassion the most healthy mind state? Panellists discuss the merits of achieving tranquillity through compassion.

Living Recklessly: Marele Day in conversation with Susan Johnson In her youth, amidst the throes of a reckless grief, aspiring Australian writer Marele Day was caught up in a shipwreck adventure and forged an unlikely bond with an international fugitive travelling under a pseudonym. For the next 30 years they corresponded before reuniting, both older and wiser, in France.

Iconic Australian actor Bryan Brown became an international success in the early 80’s with critical acclaim, appearing in more than 80 films. In this conversation Bryan Brown chats with Chris Hanley about his debut novel, Sweet Jimmy. Together they discuss the essence of a good story, the sense of adventure that was instilled in Bryan Brown growing up in Sydney’s western suburbs, and how that experience shaped his career in the arts. An enjoyable discussion with one of Australia’s best loved actors.