Join Kate Evans from ABC Radio National's The Bookshelf, with award-winning authors Debra Oswald, Garry Disher and Steve MinOn, as they discuss the books that fire them up, the latest releases they’ve loved, and their own craft and creative careers.

Warm, witty and endlessly curious, don’t miss this exclusive opportunity to listen to Christos Tsiolkas discuss his extensive career, with ABC Radio National’s Kate Evans.

Join four of Australia’s greatest minds, capable of vast imagination and deep enquiry, as they consider their personal paths to wonder at our inaugural Opening Gala. With bestselling authors Hannah Kent, Daniel Browning, James Bradley and Maxine Beneba Clarke, and performances by genre-defying soprano Ali McGregor.

Offering writers the time and space to breathe, think and explore, the Blue Mountains has always been a place where creativity flourishes. Begin your Festival grounded in this spirit, with readings from five outstanding local authors working across poetry, crime fiction, literary fiction, fantasy and romance.

When award-winning playwright and actor Toby Schmitz set his mind to writing his first crime novel, he couldn’t bear to follow the predictable tropes of the genre. What better place to dig into this mind-bendingly clever whodunnit than an unconventional venue like the Scenic World Skyway? 

To stand on the shoulders of one’s ancestors is to carry both responsibility and legacy. Join poet Anne-Marie Te Whiu, playwright S. Shakthidharan, and author-mathematician JM Field as they discuss their incredible new books, and the living relationship they feel with their past.

How do you ignite adrenaline on the page? From gripping thrillers to madcap adventures, authors have long sought ways to get their readers’ eyes wide and heart pumping. Candice Fox and Walter Marsh all write about risky business, albeit in very different ways.

Celebrating words, stories, and human experiences, Better Off Said  is an evening of words it’s time to air, thoughts and reflections for the living and dead. Hosted by Emilie Zoey Baker and Marieke Hardy with Osher Günsberg, Vijay Khurana, Cadance Bell, Bebe Oliver, Sara M Saleh and Tasma Walton.

Join writers Inga Simpson, Jessica White and Jane Rawson in conversation with Brain on Nature’s Sarah Allely, as they discuss the many ways they connect with the environment. Set deep in the rainforest of the Jamieson Valley, accessed via the  Scenic World Cableway.