To celebrate the tenth anniversary of the iconic City Series and the publication of updated versions on our eight capital cities, this special double event chaired by the infinitely expert George Megalogenis examines what makes each of our cities special through the eyes of authors who love and know them. As we emerge from the Great Lockdowns of 2020, when we were forced to stay home, and individual State borders slammed shut one after the other, it seems particularly appropriate to look at the personality of each capital – their skylines, cultures, architecture, and natural surrounds – and explore how they have changed over the last decade, and how they shape, excite, attract or infuriate their residents.

First we hear from Kerryn Goldsworthy (Adelaide), Sophie Cunningham (Melbourne), David Whish-Wilson (Perth) and Peter Timms (Hobart), and then Delia Falconer (Sydney), Matthew Condon (Brisbane), Paul Daley (Canberra) and Tess Lea (Darwin), before all authors return to the stage for questions from the audience and each other. Don’t miss this literary and cultural audit of the state of our cities, and their relationship to each other and the country.

Chaired by George Megalogenis