Our 2025 Festival podcast series continues with the session Cherrywood.

Join multi-award-winning author Jock Serong for a discussion of his new novel Cherrywood, an imaginative, darkly playful and deeply meaningful delight, a novel about legacy, community, wonder, love and reinvention. With Angela Catterns.

Supported by The Book Room

Our 2025 Festival podcast series returns with a special preview of NORPA's Dinner Party at the End of the World.

Join NORPA’s Artistic Director Julian Louis and Artistic Associate Heather Fairbairn for a special preview of Dinner Party at the End of the World—a powerful new work in development.

This intimate, sound-infused sharing features readings by local NORPA artists, underscored live by acclaimed film and television composer Matt Blackman (Colin from Accounts).

The reading combines verbatim accounts from community members affected by the catastrophic 2022 Northern Rivers flood with scenes written by renowned playwright Suzie Miller (Prima Facie).

Set at an imagined gathering of strangers who share food, memory, and survival, Dinner Party at the End of the World is both tragic and tender—an exploration of community, loss, and the radical power of kindness in crisis.

This session offers a rare behind-the-scenes glimpse into the creative process of crafting theatre from lived experience. A panel discussion with the creative team will follow the reading.

Creative Directors: Julian Louis and Heather Fairbairn | Concept by Julian Louis | Contributing Writer: Suzie Miller | Composer and Sound Designer: Matt Blackman | Image credit: Vanessa Kellas

A Byron Writers Festival and NORPA collaboration, assisted by the Australian Government through Creative Australia, its arts funding and advisory body.

Our 2025 Festival podcast series continues with the session Water: Our Life.

From oceans to rivers, in flood and drought, for drinking, agriculture and industry, water is essential to life. Join Debra Dank (Terraglossia), Joëlle Gergis (Highway to Hell), Chris Hammer (The River) and James Sippo for an essential discussion on water and climate. With Erik Jensen.

This session was supported by Southern Cross University

Our Festival 2025 podcast series continues with another feature event: Guardian Australia's Are You Game Show.

Play along with Guardian Australia’s signature game show as two teams of writers – led by Guardian Australia’s TikTok queen Matilda Boseley and features editor Lucy Clark, and hosted by culture editor Steph Harmon – battle it out for the ultimate prize: bragging rights.

An extremely enjoyable and deeply chaotic battle of the brains. With special guest contestants Robbie Arnott, Tigest Girma, Thomas Mayo and Michael Robotham.

Presented by The Guardian

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Our 2025 Festival podcasts series returns with the session Political Fictions.

Join multi-award-winning authors Shankari Chandran (Unfinished Business) and Malcolm Knox (The First Friend) for an exploration of their thrilling new novels, set against high-stakes backdrops of politics, intrigue and danger. With Sunil Badami.

This session was supported by The Holman Family

Our Festival 2025 series returns with the session We Are The Stars with Gina Chick and Mel Bampton.

Get to know the real Gina Chick, inaugural winner of Alone Australia, and the story of her extraordinary, indomitable life in one of the most powerful, moving memoirs you will ever read, We Are the Stars. With Mel Bampton.

This session was supported by Organic India.

Our Festival 2025 podcast series returns with one of our Feature Events: Beyond the Lines.

Featuring powerhouse performer Ziggy Ramo, writer and singer Nardi Simpson, poetic provocateur David Stavanger, acclaimed Indian poet Akhil Katyal as well as Laurie May, Bebe Oliver, Kirli Saunders and Sarah Temporal. Plus winners from the Poets Out Loud Slam and Australian Poetry Slam heat.

Presented with Red Room Poetry as part of Poetry Month 2025

‍This session was supported by Kassa-Miller Giving.

Helen Garner in Conversation by Byron Writers Festival

#BWF2024Podcast

Our ABC? Head back to the 2024 Byron Writers Festival with Kim Williams in conversation with Kerry O’Brien.

In January 2024, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced media executive Kim Williams as the next chair of the ABC. Join Kim in conversation with Kerry O’Brien to reflect on his new role at the beloved national broadcaster and to share his vision for its future, as well as his thoughts on the current state of Australian media and the arts.

#BWF2024Podcast

Prima Facie. Head back to the 2024 Byron Writers Festival with Suzie Miller in conversation with Steph Harmon.

Drawn from the internationally acclaimed play, Prima Facie is a propulsive, raw look at the price victims pay for speaking out and the system that sets them up to fail. Join author and playwright Suzie Miller in conversation with Guardian culture editor Steph Harmon.