The definitive guide to the gurus who can help you get published at this year’s Canberra Writers Fest
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The Canberra Writers Festival is an obvious prompt to pick up a book and read. But how about using it as a prompt to write?
This year’s Canberra Writers Festival features a seriously stellar line-up of authors prepared to unpack the mysteries of the published word and perhaps inspire you to polish up that half-finished manuscript or put that first sentence of the next great Australian novel on to paper.
With workshops for adults and kids keen to explore writing and illustration, there are plenty of opportunities to choose your own literary adventure.
Australian Gothic and Suspense with Jessica Mansour-Nahra
The author of gothic thriller The Farm will host a session that breaks down the key components of writing a psychological suspense novel which immerses readers in unrelenting tension. Jessica will explain how the Australian Gothic genre can be a powerful vehicle to drive narrative suspense while exploring modern themes, including fertility, relationships, control and psychological despair.
As part of this session, Jessica encourages all writers to think about the relationship they and their characters have with the land; and reflect on Australia’s history of colonisation and First Nations’ connection to Country.
Book here.
Saturday 25 October, 10 am – 12 pm | Marie Reay Teaching Centre | Australian National University
Writing about family with Spiri Tsintziras
Spiri Tsintziras
How can you write truthful, authentic narratives about your life that include family members? Are you worried about alienating people still in your life? And what about those who are estranged, or are no longer alive to tell their side of the story? Three-time memoirist Spiri Tsintziras helps navigate the sometimes choppy waters of including family in life writing. Spiri Tsintziras has been writing about food, family and connection for over 30 years. She is the author of the memoirs My Ikaria: How the People From a Small Mediterranean Island Inspired Me to Live a Happier, Healthier and Longer Life and Afternoons in Ithaka.
If you’ve considered writing your life but felt too scared, you’re about to embark on writing difficult material, or paralysed by fear that you’ll be a pariah at the next family event, this masterclass is for you. The session will help you gain an understanding of the different stages of life writing including memoir, biography or creative non-fiction as well as insights into the ethical considerations of including family members in your story.
Book here.
Saturday 25 October, 10 am – 12 pm | Marie Reay Teaching Centre | Australian National University
A Writing Q&A with Heather Rose
Spend 90 minutes with Heather Rose asking the questions you most want answered about your own writing: Are you writing historical fiction? How do you balance the story with the historical facts? How do you create a world from centuries ago? Are you writing memoir? How much is good to share? How do you balance the truth with trauma? Do you have a novel where the characters are problematic – or the plot? Are you at a point where you’ve simply lost direction in your manuscript? Or momentum? How do you maintain discipline while juggling work & family? How do you seek constructive feedback? What happens once a manuscript has been rejected? What happens when it’s been accepted? Bring your journal or notepad, pens, sticky notes and courage.
Heather Rose is the Australian author of nine novels. Her recent novel, Bruny, won the 2020 ABIA General Fiction Book of the Year Award, Her seventh novel, The Museum of Modern Love, won the 2017 Stella Prize. It also won the 2017 Christina Stead Prize. It has been published internationally and translated into numerous languages. She has recently released A Great Act of Love.
Book here.
Saturday 25 October, 11 am – 12.30 pm | Marie Reay Teaching Centre | Australian National University
Self on the page: My writing life
Join three writers in this practical small group session as they share the joys and perils of their writing lives. How do they put themselves on the page? What do their characters end up meaning to them? Can they earn a crust? Why do they keep going? Irma Gold (Shift), David Stavanger (The Drop Off) and Natasha Rai (An Onslaught of Light) will confess what this writing caper means to them, inspirations for their latest works, when they have felt exposed, and the love that keeps them going. They will also read passages that mean the most to them from their latest works.
Moderated by journalist and author of Troll Hunting, Ginger Gorman.
Book here.
Saturday 25 October 12.30 pm – 1.30 pm | Marie Reay Teaching Centre | Australian National University
Writing our climate change age with Jane Rawson and Natalie Kyraciou
In this practical small group session Jane Rawson and Natalie Kyriacou will share how they approach the task of writing about our world in this climate change age. How do they try to reach people with their words? How do they look after themselves while doing it?
Jane has a wealth of experience writing on this topic across many formats. In 2015 she released The Handbook: Surviving & Living with Climate Change and, after having tackled many other books and writing projects, has recently released Human/Nature.
Natalie, author of Nature’s Last Dance, is an environmentalist, social justice advocate and social entrepreneur who aims to inspire action with her words. This is a session for those keen to write about our natural world, environmental issues and climate change, and have impact.
Facilitated by writer, tsunami scientist, and lover of all things ocean, Kaya Wilson.
Book here.
Saturday 25 October 2 pm – 3.30 pm | Marie Reay Teaching Centre | Australian National University
Finding the Heart of the Story: Editing for Pulse and Structure with Katia Ariel
Katia Ariel
This two-hour workshop will teach you to become your own best structural editor.
Regardless of genre, all strong writing has one underlying feature: it grabs the reader’s attention and keeps it. How do we craft our narrative with maximum colour, emotional compression and narrative momentum? How do we deploy voice and setting to create a rich and compelling world? What does it mean to be brutally honest with oneself when deciding what to keep and what to cut? This hands-on workshop will include structural editing techniques, practical exercises and many examples of how a ten per cent refinement can make a one hundred per cent difference.
Katia Ariel is an award-winning author, book editor and educator from Melbourne/Naarm. She was born in Odessa, Ukraine. Her memoir, The Swift Dark Tide, was shortlisted for the Stella Prize in 2024 and won the 2024 Society of Women Writers NSW Non-fiction Prize. She has recently released The Ferryman: The Life and Deathwork of Ephraim Finch.
Book here.
Saturday 25 October 2.30 – 4.30 pm | Marie Reay Teaching Centre | Australian National University
Design a Garden Workshop: For Kids
Children around Australia have started a revolution! From the coast of Western Australia to Canberra, they’ve been discovering nature in their schools and neighbourhoods, planting to attract bees, birds and butterflies, and building insect hotels.
In a workshop designed for 10-plus environmentalists, join Dr Judy Friedlander (The Bee Squad) to learn how to design a garden that will attract birds, butterflies and other pollinators to your backyard or balcony.
This will be a fun, interactive and colourful activity to help you make a difference in your neighbourhood with plantings, habitats and more. Get started on creating an exciting home for the tiny animals around you! Cost is $15.
Book here.
Sunday 26 October 9.15 – 10.15 am | Tim and Gina Fairfax Discovery Centre | National Museum of Australia
Art of the Short Story
In this practical small group session Lucy Nelson (Wait Here) and Vijay Khurana (The Passenger Seat) will share the art of the short story. Why do they love the form? What can it do that novels can’t? In a world of ever-shorter attention spans, is the short story in ascendency? Together, they will reveal the top lessons they have learnt about what can make or break a short story. Moderated by author and Secrets from the Green Room podcaster, Irma Gold.
Book here.
Sunday 26 October 10.30 am – 11.30 am | Marie Reay Teaching Centre | Australian National University
Ask Hannah Kent
Hannah Kent
Hannah Kent’s original feature film, Run Rabbit Run, premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. Her first novel, the award-winning bestseller Burial Rites, has been translated into over 30 languages and is being adapted for film. Her novels The Good People and Devotion, have also been widely translated, shortlisted for numerous awards and are being adapted for film.
Join Hannah for an informal masterclass to ask questions about her craft. How does she approach writing? What does her research process look like? This Q&A format will allow you to find out more about her writing life and receive unvarnished sage advice relevant for your own work. Come along with the questions you want to ask to make the most of the session. This session will be moderated by writer, literary critic and former CWF Artistic Director, Beejay Silcox.
Book here.
Sunday 26 October 10 am – 12 pm | Marie Reay Teaching Centre | Australian National University
Working with First Nations’ Stories and Story Owners
Do you want to deepen your understanding of how to best work with First Nations’ stories and story owners? Come along and learn from co-authors of Warra Warra Wai, Craig Cormick and Darren Rix. Craig is an award-winning author, science communicator and long-time supporter of the Canberra and broader writing community across Australia. Darren is an author, musician and cultural leader and guide, a Gunditjmara-GunaiKurnai man with Ngarigo bloodlines.
Together they will introduce you to some of the great cultural guides that exist for writers and researchers, and highlight principles using different types of consultations and engagements they undertook for Warra Warra Wai as case study examples. Craig and Darren will also work with people on their own particular issues, questions or concerns, brainstorming what might be the best way forward.
Book here.
Sunday 26 October 10 am – 12 pm | Marie Reay Teaching Centre | Australian National University
Writing for Screen – Q&A with Michael Lucas
Michael Lucas
Want to write a TV series or adapt a work for screen? This is an unmissable chance to learn from multi-award winning screenwriter Michael Lucas. He made his debut with the indie feature comedy, Not Suitable For Children, nominated for five Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts AACTA Awards and winning the Australian Writers’ Guild Award for Best Original Feature Film Screenplay.
Moving into television, Michael has built a stellar career as a writer and producer on much-loved series including Offspring, Party Tricks, Wentworth, Rosehaven, The Newsreader and Five Bedrooms. The Newsreader, has won more awards than you can poke a stick at and this is a rare opportunity to pick the mind of one of the country’s biggest television writing brains.
Book here.
Sunday 26 October 10.30 am – 12.30 pm | Marie Reay Teaching Centre | Australian National University
Wrestling with Epic Fantasy with Lev Grossman
Join this two-hour workshop with Lev Grossman to understand how to give full flight to (and then pehaps tame, your epic fantasy beast). Whether you are writing with history as inspiration or drawing from an imagined future, fantasy (and the adjacent genres of sci-fi, cli-fi and historical fiction) brings up some huge and exciting challenges. This is a whirlwind top tips masterclass on world building, settling the logic and schema of the universe your characters inhabit and then plotting their hero (or anti-hero) journeys.
Lev is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of eight novels, including The Bright Sword, which was a Times Notable Book of 2024, and the Magicians trilogy, which has been published in thirty countries and adapted for television. He’s also a bestselling children’s author (The Silver Arrow), a screenwriter (The Map of Tiny Perfect Things), and an award-winning journalist. His work has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Time, Vanity Fair, The Atlantic, Slate, The Week, The Believer, Wired, and many other places.
Book here.
Sunday 26 October 11 am – 1 pm | Marie Reay Teaching Centre | Australian National University
Talented Tales: Trim the Cat – For Kids
Sail the seas with Trim the cat and create your own book! Author Ursula Dubosarsky takes you on a journey with Trim, the star of a new picture book published by the National Museum of Australia. After hearing of Trim’s adventures, join Ursula for a workshop and create your own book featuring Trim. Bring your imagination! Cost $15.
Book here.
Sunday 26 October 11 am – 12 pm | Tim and Gina Fairfax Discovery Centre | National Museum of Australia
Inner Landscaping — discovering nature’s code for cultivating creativity
This workshop is an invitation to reawaken your creativity by reimagining yourself as a thriving, adaptive ecosystem. Inspired by Julia Cameron’s, The Artist’s Way and rooted in permaculture, Inner Landscaping is a powerful process to inspire you to live more fully, consciously, and creatively — in harmony with nature. The workshop explores creativity as a purposeful bridge between your inner and outer landscapes. Kinchem Hegedus is a creativity coach, writer, facilitator and ecosystems thinker whose work bridges regenerative design, nature-based creativity and storytelling. Kinchem is the founder of Life at Springfield, a creative retreat space where she has hosted residencies for some of Australia’s most acclaimed authors in partnership with the esteemed The Stella Prize. Bring your lunch to munch while you play.
Book here.
Sunday 26 October 12 pm – 2 pm | Marie Reay Teaching Centre | Australian National University
Dare to Draw and Cartoon Around: For Kids
This is a workshop for kids, 10-plus and teens that love drawing in all its forms. Get tips from cartoonists and illustrators Eleri Harris (A Loo of One’s Own) and David Conley (That Book About Life Before Dinosaurs) on how they approach their pencils, pens and the page. How do they free themselves up to experiment and dare to get it wrong, before they get something down they like? Cost is $15.
Book here.
Sunday 26 October 1 pm – 2 pm | Tim and Gina Fairfax Discovery Centre | National Museum of Australia
Foundations of Character with Natasha Rai
Natasha Rai
Strong stories start with strong characters. This workshop is focused and hands-on, designed to help you craft believable, emotionally resonant characters who drive narrative and stay with readers long after the story ends. In this two-hour session, you’ll explore the core building blocks of great character writing: personality, backstory, motivation, flaws, and emotional stakes. Through practical exercises and guided discussion, you’ll develop a character, map their emotional arc, and write a short scene that reveals who they are under pressure. Perfect for fiction writers, screenwriters, and storytellers at any stage.
Natasha Rai is a writer and somatic counsellor. She is also the co-host of The Book Deal podcast, exploring writers’ publication journeys. She is an experienced group and workshop facilitator. Her debut novel, An Onslaught of Light, published by Pantera Press, was longlisted for the 2017 Richell Prize, 2018 KYD Unpublished Manuscript award, and highly commended for the 2022 Ultimo Press/Westwords Prize.
Book here.
Sunday 26 October 2 pm – 4 pm | Marie Reay Teaching Centre | Australian National University
Express yourself! Poems, songs and sounds: For Kids
This is a workshop for budding young poets aged 9-12 and those who want to use their voices in different forms to say something about what they see around them. Maxine Beneba Clarke has written limericks, haiku, verse, tongue-twisters, sonnets and more in Stuff I’m (Not) Sorry For. Ever experienced the unbearable itch of chicken pox? Annoyed at having to use your parent’s Spotify account? Smashed a window with a cricket ball? Enjoyed the glorious sweetness of fairy floss? Worn your afro high and proud? Felt anxiety at reading a text message? Or do you want to say something else entirely? Get tips for sharing your experience of the world in your own special way.
Book here.
Sunday 26 October 3 pm – 4 pm | Tim and Gina Fairfax Discovery Centre | National Museum of Australia
