Sydney Writers' Festival
One of Australia's most loved forums for literature, ideas and storytelling, Sydney Writers' Festival will live-stream its headline events from Sydney to branches of the Central Northern Regional Library on Thursday 22, Friday 23, Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 May - check your local branch below to see which sessions they will be streaming.
Prepare to be invigorated and engaged by conversations, debates and discussions featuring some of the world's finest writers and thinkers. Audiences can also participate in live Q&A sessions at each event, sending questions straight to the Sydney stage.
Join us for Live & Local 2025, streamed live by Sydney Writers' Festival and delivered locally to your CNRL branch!
Choose Your Branch:
Kootingal Library
Narrabri Library
Nundle Library
Quirindi Library
Tamworth City Library
Uralla Library
Walcha Library
Wee Waa Library
Werris Creek Library
Thursday 22 May
Marcus Zusak: Three Wild Dogs and the Truth
10am - 11am
Join Markus to reflect on two decades of The Book Thief and discuss his new book's emphasis on our human need for connection, with Richard Glover.
call 6767 5236call 6792 3336call 6767 5912call 6746 2350call 6767 5228
or book onlinecall 6778 6470call 6774 2550call 6795 3064call 6768 7340
Gina Chick: We Are The Stars
12pm - 1pm
Gina's memoir traces her connection to nature, from her unconventional childhood through to her time in the wilderness for Alone Australia, where she found solace and wisdom. With host Rosemarie Milsom
call 6767 5236call 6792 3336call 6767 5912call 6746 2350call 6767 5228
or book onlinecall 6778 6470call 6774 2550call 6795 3064call 6768 7340
David Nicholls: You Are Here
2pm - 3pm
David mixes first encounters and second chances for his midlife protagonists who find romantic redemption in the English countryside amid pithy observations and pop culture references. With host Jennifer Byrne.
call 6767 5236call 6792 3336call 6767 5912call 6746 2350call 6767 5228
or book onlinecall 6778 6470call 6774 2550call 6795 3064call 6768 7340
Past and Future of Indigenous Recognition
4pm - 5pm
The fight for First Nations rights in Australia is ongoing, most recently frustrated by the lost Voice to Parliament referendum. Thomas Mayo and Clare Wright explore historical struggles and what we can learn from them, with host Lorena Allam.
call 6767 5236call 6792 3336call 6767 5912call 6746 2350call 6767 5228
or book onlinecall 6778 6470call 6774 2550call 6795 3064call 6768 7340
Kaliane Bradley: The Ministry of Time
6pm - 7pm
Join Kaliane and host Spectrum editor Melanie Kembrey to unpack the triumph of Kaliane's genre-bending debut novel and what it means to change the world by defying history.
call 6767 5236call 6792 3336call 6767 5912call 6746 2350call 6767 5228
or book onlinecall 6778 6470call 6774 2550call 6795 3064call 6768 7340
State of the Art: The Novel
8pm - 9pm
The novel has continued to evolve since its inception as a major literary form centuries ago. Rumaan Alam, Robbie Arnott, Samantha Harvey and Torrey Peters join host Kate Evans to consider its place in contemporary times.
call 6767 5236call 6792 3336call 6767 5912call 6746 2350call 6767 5228
or book onlinecall 6778 6470call 6774 2550call 6795 3064call 6768 7340
Friday 23 May
The Moriarty Sisters
10am - 11am
The Moriarty sisters Jaclyn, Liane and Nicola discuss decades of writing, their career beginnings, their different publishing paths and their many successes over the years. Hosted by Sarah Macdonald.
call 6767 5236call 6792 3336call 6767 5912call 6746 2350call 6767 5228
or book onlinecall 6778 6470call 6774 2550call 6795 3064call 6768 7340
Helen Garner: The Season
12pm - 1pm
Iconic Australian writer Helen Garner turns her curiosity to 'the greatest game', Aussie rules football with careful attention and quiet observation. Listen in as Helen reflects on football and the cycles of life in conversation with David Leser.
call 6767 5236call 6792 3336call 6767 5912call 6746 2350call 6767 5228
or book onlinecall 6778 6470call 6774 2550call 6795 3064call 6768 7340
Alan Hollinghurst: Our Evenings
2pm - 3pm
Credited with bringing queer literature to the mainstream, Alan reflects on the complexity of self-exploration and the seventh novel of this beloved chronicler of English life. With host Georgina Godwin.
call 6767 5236call 6792 3336call 6767 5912call 6746 2350call 6767 5228
or book onlinecall 6778 6470call 6774 2550call 6795 3064call 6768 7340
Colm Tóibín: From Brooklyn to Long Island
4pm - 5pm
In conversation with Kate Evans, Colm discusses his latest portrait of the people of picturesque Enniscorthy as he returns to the world of 'Brooklyn' with the long-awaited sequel, 'Long Island', which is being heralded as his best work yet.
call 6767 5236call 6792 3336call 6767 5912call 6746 2350call 6767 5228
or book onlinecall 6778 6470call 6774 2550call 6795 3064call 6768 7340
Untrue Crime
6pm - 7pm
Shankari Chandran, Kate McClymont and Ian Rankin question the line between truth and fiction and interrogate the ethics of telling crime stories and exploring the search for justice. With host Matthew Condon.
call 6767 5236call 6792 3336call 6767 5912call 6746 2350call 6767 5228
or book onlinecall 6778 6470call 6774 2550call 6795 3064call 6768 7340
Queerstories
8pm - 9.30pm
Festival favourite Queerstories celebrates the culture and creativity of the LGBTQIA+ community one true story at a time, featuring Rumaan Alam, Hasib Hourani, Daniel Nour, Torrey Peters and more.
call 6767 5236call 6792 3336call 6767 5912call 6746 2350call 6767 5228
or book onlinecall 6778 6470call 6774 2550call 6795 3064call 6768 7340
Saturday 24 May
Bakers' Delight
10am - 11am
Pull out your recipe cards, line your baking trays and get special insight into the poetry of pastry as Jennifer Wong hosts Nadine Ingram, Natalie Paull and Kate Reid.
call 6767 5236call 6792 3336call 6767 5912call 6746 2350call 6767 5228
or book onlinecall 6778 6470call 6774 2550call 6795 3064call 6768 7340
A.C. Grayling on Cancel Culture
12pm - 1pm
Learn how 'cancel culture' evolved and what effect it's having on intellectual discourse. A.C. Grayling searches for a middle ground in an environment where everything is up for debate.
call 6767 5236call 6792 3336call 6767 5912call 6746 2350call 6767 5228
or book onlinecall 6778 6470call 6774 2550call 6795 3064call 6768 7340
Ben MacIntyre: The Siege
2pm - 3pm
On 30 April 1980, armed gunmen stormed the Iranian embassy in London and took 26 hostages in what would become a sixday siege. Millions around the world were glued to their TVs as the previously secret SAS planned and executed a rescue mission. Ben Macintyre discusses his definitive account of this astonishing event with Richard Fidler.
call 6767 5236call 6792 3336call 6767 5912call 6746 2350call 6767 5228
or book onlinecall 6778 6470call 6774 2550call 6795 3064call 6768 7340
Ian Rankin: Master of Crime
4pm - 5pm
Detective Inspector John Rebus first hit bookshelves in 1987 as a witty Scottish crime fighter but now the legendary detective is behind bars himself, living a literal locked-room mystery. Ian Rankin explores this latest instalment and his career with Michael Williams.
call 6767 5236call 6792 3336call 6767 5912call 6746 2350call 6767 5228
or book onlinecall 6778 6470call 6774 2550call 6795 3064call 6768 7340
Wandering Wild with Lynette Noni
5.30pm - 6.30pm
Lynette is well known for her fantasy novels and now turns her hand to contemporary romance with simmering results. In conversation with Alex Adsett, Lynette discusses this latest genre-shift and why YA romance is currently delivering all the right feels.
call 6767 5236call 6792 3336call 6767 5912call 6746 2350call 6767 5228
or book onlinecall 6778 6470call 6774 2550call 6795 3064call 6768 7340
Asako Yuzuki: Butter
7.30pm - 8.30pm
Asako discusses the runaway success of her novel about a gourmet cook turned serial killer and the transgressive pleasures of food, in a live-translated event with Carody Culver.
call 6767 5236call 6792 3336call 6767 5912call 6746 2350call 6767 5228
or book onlinecall 6778 6470call 6774 2550call 6795 3064call 6768 7340
Sunday 25 May
Trumpocalypse Now
10am - 11am
What does the return of the 45th President of the United States mean for the international superpower, and how will it affect the rest of us? Peter Beinart, Nick Bryant, Emma Shortis and Barrie Cassidy unpack the election, Donald Trump and what to expect over the next four years.
call 6767 5236call 6792 3336call 6767 5912call 6746 2350call 6767 5228
or book onlinecall 6778 6470call 6774 2550call 6795 3064call 6768 7340
The Hot Mess with Jeff Kinney
12pm - 1pm
Join Diary of a Wimpy Kid author Jeff Kinney live onstage for The Hot Mess Show. Jeff serves up laughs and celebrates the latest Wimpy Kid book in the series, Hot Mess, while satisfying your craving for family fun!
call 6767 5236call 6792 3336call 6767 5912call 6746 2350call 6767 5228
or book onlinecall 6778 6470call 6774 2550call 6795 3064call 6768 7340
Making a Writer
2pm - 3pm
What enables writers to grow and flourish? Colm Tóibín and Charlotte Wood discuss how they became writers and the state of their nations' literature. What can be done to wake Australia up to the need to support its writers? With host Michael Williams.
call 6767 5236call 6792 3336call 6767 5912call 6746 2350call 6767 5228
or book onlinecall 6778 6470call 6774 2550call 6795 3064call 6768 7340
Spies, Lies and Secrets
3.30pm - 4.30pm
Undercover agents aren't just the stuff of stories for connoisseurs of the clandestine Jack Beaumont (former French intelligence officer turned author) and Ben Macintyre (espionage expert). Hear these two share the truth behind the spy stories that thrill us. With Matthew Condon.
call 6767 5236call 6792 3336call 6767 5912call 6746 2350call 6767 5228
or book onlinecall 6778 6470call 6774 2550call 6795 3064call 6768 7340
Closing Address: Anna Funder: Bears Out There
5.30pm - 6.30pm
Close out the 2025 Festival with award-winning Australian writer Anna Funder, a writer who places being human at the centre of her work and has explored the best and worst that humans are capable of. Hear how Anna sees the future of tech's role in our lives in what is sure to be a formidable Closing Address.
call 6767 5236call 6792 3336call 6767 5912call 6746 2350call 6767 5228
or book onlinecall 6778 6470call 6774 2550call 6795 3064call 6768 7340
You can also find all our regular library events on our Events Page.