2024 program out now

The 2024 Newcastle Writers Festival program is the largest since the Covid disruption and features 150 writers across 95 free and ticketed events from April 5 to 7 in Newcastle’s Civic precinct, Cessnock and, for the first time, Port Stephens.

The bumper festival program has been overseen by founding director Rosemarie Milsom and Amy Lovat, author, and co-founder of bookstore Secret Book Stuff, who joined the organisation as program manager in August 2023. “It is an exciting, diverse program that includes Australia’s most respected writers as well as strong lineup of debut writers,” said Rosemarie. “Amy has done a brilliant job.”

The program features workshops, book launches, readings, panel discussions, one-on-one interviews, a dinner, literary trivia event, and a special program at the University of Newcastle’s Wollotuka Institute. For the first time since 2019, family events have been scheduled and include Hunter and Central Coast talent Dan Marshall, Sara Acton, Katrina McKelvey, and Liz Anelli. Several other Hunter writers are appearing across the festival, including 93-year-old debut writer Rosemary Lewis and romance writer Natalie Murray. 

Respected ABC journalist Leigh Sales is the special opening night guest and will speak to Indira Naidoo on 5 April at Newcastle City Hall about the art and craft of journalism, as well as its future in the face of an increasingly divided world. Other journalists in the program include Daniel Browning, Julia Baird, Antony Loewenstein, David Marr, Louise Milligan, and Hedley Thomas.

Popular identities who will also be speaking about their recent books include actors Bryan Brown and Pia Miranda, musicians Deborah Conway and Jim Moginie, Wendy Harmer (in Newcastle and Cessnock), Richard Glover, and Newcastle baker Reece Hignell.

The significant lineup of First Nations writers includes Graham Akhurst, Jane Harrison, Yvette Henry Holt, Melissa Lucashenko, Ellen van Neerven, Kirli Saunders, Melanie Saward, and Worimi elder Warren Taggart. Literary heavyweights include Tony Birch, Bernadette Brennan, Kate Grenville, Katharine Lumby, New Zealand writer Emily Perkins, Christos Tsiolkas, and Charlotte Wood. Debut writers include Madeleine Gray, Andre Dao, Jessica Kirkness, and Jazz Money.