The excitement is palpable! 9-11 August, the Byron Writers Festival is set to welcome over 160 international and Australian writers who will gather to share their stories, inspirations and insights for a weekend literary extravaganza.
Haven’t yet secured your festival pass yet? 1-Day and 3-Day passes give access to all sessions on your chosen day or days. Passes are selling fast, so book today!
Looking for a deeper dive? Alongside the main festivities, the festival hosts a special series of in-depth feature events and workshops. Ticketed separately, these are a great opportunity to connect with festival guests
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EXPLORE FESTIVAL PROGRAM
Festival Gala: From the Ground Up
Friday 09 August, 8pm
Byron Theatre, Byron Bay
See some of the brightest thinkers of the festival in one night.
Hosted by ABC First Tuesday Book Club’s Jennifer Byrne, high-profile guests of the festival will deliver powerful and entertaining talks inspired by the 2024 festival theme ‘From the Ground Up’.
Featuring twice-Booker Prize shortlisted Nigerian author Chigozie Obioma (pictured), new Late Night Live host David Marr, Four Corners’ Louise Milligan, Parramatta’s literature laureate Yumna Kassab, and Indigenous journalist Amy McQuire.
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Electric Poetics
Friday 09 August, 6.30pm
A&I Hall (bar open from 4pm)
See an all-star lineup of poets from around the world.
This electrifying evening of poetry and music features the best of the best, including Jazz Money, Nam Le, Tayi Tibble (NZ), Meena Kandasamy (India), winners fresh from the Poets Out Loud and Australian Poetry Slam heats, with performances by hip hop artist Mitch King and Nicole Smede.
Hosted by Mandy Nolan.
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Bob Brown in Conversation
Saturday 10 August, 6pm – 7pm
A&I Hall (bar open)
Join Bob Brown, former senator and parliamentary leader of the Australian Greens, for an intimate evening of discussion. What prompted Bob to write a young adult ‘novelette’, and what can it teach us about engaging young people in the fight for Earth’s future?
Thera is his first work of fiction. Bob will be joined in conversation by television presenter and journalist Jan Fran.
Poetry – The Archive of Remembering and Forgetting
Thursday 08 August
10.00am – 1.00pm
Byron Community Centre
Join award-winning poet, Sara M Saleh, for this interactive workshop. Learn from one of Australia’s most accomplished poets for an exploration of the personal and political in one’s verse.
Exploring Narrative Voice with Laura Jean McKay
Thursday 08 August
12.30pm – 3.30pm
Byron Community Centre
Find your literary voice with award-winning novelist Laura Jean McKay. This is a practical fiction writing workshop from the author of Gunflower (2024), and The Animals in That Country (2020) — winner of the Victorian Prize for Literature, ABIA Book of the Year, and Aurealis Award for Best Science Fiction Novel.
Byron Writers Festival is Australia’s favourite regional meeting place of storytelling and ideas. As one of the country’s great creative hubs, we curate and develop programs that create shared moments of human connection for thousands of people annually.
Held on the land of the Arakwal Bumberbin People of the Byron Shire we pay respect to the traditional owners of this land and acknowledge them as the original storytellers of this region.
For a full listing of year-round events, workshops and opportunities head to www.byronwritersfestival.com
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