HerCanberra voices take centre stage at Canberra Writers Festival
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Amanda Whitley and Erin Cross are swapping keyboards for conversation as they host two lively author talks at the 2026 Canberra Writers Festival.
There are few things HerCanberra loves more than a great story – even better when that story is told to a packed theatre, by a brilliant author with an erudite Canberra audience ready to ask the big questions. This October, two familiar HerCanberra names will be doing exactly that, with Amanda Whitley and Erin Cross joining the Canberra Writers Festival program as hosts for two very different, very entertaining sessions.
Amanda, HerCanberra founder, will sit down with internationally acclaimed chef, restaurateur and author Josh Niland for Curiosity and Philosophy of Chef Josh Niland, a conversation that promises to travel from childhood curiosity to culinary superstardom. Best known for changing the way people think about cooking, storing, ageing and celebrating fish, Josh brings a philosophy that is equal parts precision, imagination and deep respect for ingredients.
For Amanda, herself a seafood-obsessed foodie, the session is set to be a delicious deep dive into what happens when instinct meets discipline.
“Josh’s story is such a wonderful reminder that curiosity can be a career compass. I’m looking forward to asking how a childhood love of cooking shows and cookbooks became a life spent completely reimagining what is possible on a plate.”
Meanwhile, Erin, HerCanberra’s online editor, will take the reins for Millennial Despair: When You Just Can’t Even…, a sharp, funny and slightly intergalactic session with novelist and screenwriter Jordan Prosser. With fashion design, yoga, endangered species and a possible trip to Mars all on the table, the event promises a gleefully offbeat exploration of millennial ennui, existential dread and the strange comfort of laughing when everything feels a bit much.
Erin’s session will no doubt elicit a conversation about humour, uncertainty and finding meaning when adulthood refuses to follow the script.
“I love stories that make you laugh and then, in the next sentence, make you feel something. Jordan’s work captures that very millennial mix of panic, tenderness and ‘should we maybe leave the planet?’ energy, and I can’t wait to unpack it with him.”
Amanda’s session, Curiosity and Philosophy of Chef Josh Niland, is taking place on Sunday 18 October from 11.45 am at the National Portrait Gallery, tickets here.
Erin’s session, Millennial Despair: When You Just Can’t Even… is taking place Saturday 17 October from 3.30 pm at Louie Louie, Verity Lane, tickets here.
Meanwhile you can peruse the entire Canberra Writers Festival list of events here.
