Bellingen Readers & Writers Festival

Fiction and Friction
Steve Toltz, Debra Adelaide, Namila Benson

Saturday 6 June 2026
11:00 am - 12:00 pm
Studio, Memorial Hall

Two absolute masters of Australian letters take the stage. Steve Toltz (discussing his savagely funny pandemic-afterlife romp, A Rising of the Lights) and literary powerhouse Debra Adelaide (recounting the humour and compassion of her latest release, When I Am Sixty-Four) explore the art of balancing profound tragedy with crackling wit. Expect laughs, gasps, and everything in between. Moderated by Namila Benson.



Inside the Room
Bob Carr, Ian Kemish, Amy Remeikis

Saturday 6 June 2026
5:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Main Hall, Memorial Hall

High-stakes negotiations, unfolding crises, and the heavy weight of statecraft. Bob Carr and Ian Kemish (The Consul) bring decades of frontline experience to the stage to decode the current state of foreign affairs. With Amy Remeikis steering the dialogue, expect a rigorous and lively dissection of global politics.


The Shape of Home
Tyree Barnette, Sara Haddad, Anton Enus

Saturday 6 June 2026
5:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Studio, Memorial Hall

How do we map the complex emotional geography of displacement and belonging? Tyree Barnette navigates the searing explorations of race and identity from his profound new book, Stolen Man on Stolen Land: Being African American in Australia. He shares the stage with the brilliant Sara Haddad, who will be diving into the rich, evocative themes of her powerful novel, The Sunbird. Expect a dynamic, deeply moving hour focused on the narratives that shape our lives. Moderated by Anton Enus.

Poetry and Resistance
Evelyn Araluen, Omar Musa, Courtney Collins

Saturday 6 June 2026
6:30 pm - 7:30 pm
Studio, Memorial Hall

Fierce, beautiful, and absolutely vital. Evelyn Araluen (the powerhouse behind the Stella Prize-winning Dropbear) and Malaysian-Australian author Omar Musa (discussing his breathtaking new Bornean epic, Fierceland) take the stage for a deep dive into the lyricism, anger, and beauty that dismantles colonial narratives one line at a time. Moderated by Courtney Collins.