25 July 2019
Tara June Winch tells a tale of people, culture and the reclaiming of Indigenous language and identity.
News & Editorial
25 July 2019
Bestselling author, Markus Zusak, returns with his recent release, Bridge of Clay. This heartfelt and inventive novel is a MUST read.
25 July 2019
David Leser's investigation into the #MeToo movement has us asking questions that demand an answer.
25 July 2019
Jess Hill and Natasha Stott Despoja dive deep into the horrors of power, control and domestic violence.
18 July 2019
Delight in the discovery of hidden gems at Byron Writers Festival 2019. From jellyfish to space archeology, it’s often the topics we know little about that leave the most lasting impressions.
15 July 2019
Jack Charles has worn many hats throughout his life: actor, cat burglar, musician, heroin addict, and activist. But the title he’s most proud to claim is that of Aboriginal Elder. We are thrilled to welcome Uncle Jack to the 2019 Festival line-up. Read on for more about his story.
11 July 2019
The results are in for the Byron Writers Festival annual Flash Your Fiction competition. With over 170 entries, the field was extremely competitive this year. Congratulations to the winner, Sharon Fraser, for her story titled 'Underwater Lily'. The first runner-up was Carmen Vallis for 'How Hard Could it Be?' and the second runner-up was Caroline Henning with 'The Note'. Congratulations also to the ten shortlisted authors, listed below. Each of the shortlisted stories will be printed and displayed at the Byron Writers Festival site on 2-4 August.
10 July 2019
If you’re looking for new insights into some of the big issues pervading modern consciousness, look no further than Byron Writers Festival 2019. Read on for an overview of just some of the hot-topic sessions you won’t want to miss each day...
27 June 2019
This week we meet the journalists, politicians and philosophers who will come together at Byron Writers Festival 2019 to unpack the challenging terrain of modern politics, free speech and the crisis of democracy that comes with it. Read on for our daily digest of must-see sessions.
20 June 2019
There is plenty at this year’s Byron Writers Festival for readers to relish. Get your bedside book stack sorted with our day-by-day digest of literary delight.
7 December 2018
Bruce Pascoe's book 'Dark Emu' argues for a reconsideration of the ‘hunter-gatherer’ tag for pre-colonial Aboriginal Australians. He discusses his research and writing with Katinka Smit.
15 November 2018
Born into care after his mother was forced to give him up, rejected by his adoptive foster family and finally released to his own care at eighteen, Lemn Sissay is a living example of the healing power of poetry. Interview by Katinka Smit.
15 October 2018
Selina Tusitala Marsh is a Pasifika poet-scholar and the current New Zealand Poet Laureate (2017-2019). As the 2016 Commonwealth Poet she wrote and performed a poem for Queen Elizabeth II at Westminster Abbey, while she recently hosted a poetry event with Barack Obama. She spoke with Katinka Smit at Byron Writers Festival 2018.
15 September 2018
As editor of the new anthology, 'Growing Up Aboriginal in Australia', Anita Heiss has successfully brought together diverse voices, experiences and stories from across Australia. Katinka Smit met her at Byron Writers Festival 2018 for a conversation about this groundbreaking publishing project.
22 August 2018
Our official wrap-up gallery tells the story of the 2018 Byron Writers Festival in pictures
21 August 2018
Byron Writers Festival (3-5 Aug), wrapped up a hugely successful 22nd year with more than 140 writers and thinkers from across Australia and around the world converging on Byron Bay to share remarkable stories in the glorious sunshine. Read our full wrap-up report of session highlights here.
5 August 2018
Described as having ‘steeliness by the bucket load', the passionate Gillian Triggs has used the annual Thea Astley address to call for a regeneration of Australian society by applying ‘a human rights lens to everything’.
5 August 2018
This session, chaired by Melissa Lucashenko, centered on the themes raised by the book Growing up Aboriginal in Australia, compiled and edited by Anita Heiss.
5 August 2018
'I am not defined by my scars, but my incredible ability to heal': British Ethiopian poet Lemn Sissay in conversation with Adam Shoemaker.
5 August 2018
The kids came out in force today for the Byron Writers Festival's Kids Big Day Out.