Newcastle Writers Festival

Studio Weekends with Jazz Money

When: Saturday March 28, 10:00 am - 12:00 pm

Where: Newcastle Art Gallery, 1 Laman Street, Newcastle, NSW 2300

Jazz Money is the special guest at this free inclusive and accessible art-making session for families. Jazz will read from her debut children’s book The Frog’s First Song.

No bookings needed, just drop in and get creative!

Discipline: Randa Abdel-Fattah in Conversation

When: Saturday March 28, 11:30 am - 12:30 pm

Where: Cummings Room Newcastle City Hall. 1st Floor, 290 King Street, Newcastle NSW 2300

Randa Abdel‑Fattah’s recent novel Discipline follows the intersecting lives of Hannah, a young Muslim newspaper journalist, and Ashraf, an academic. It is a timely exploration of truth and power. Speaking to Maeve Marsden, she reflects on the role of fiction in challenging injustice and offers insight into her writing process and the urgent themes shaping her work.

This event has sold out. An additional event has been added and tickets are available.

This Modern Life with Siang Lu

When: Saturday March 28, 11:30 am - 12:30 pm

Where: University of Newcastle NUspace X320, Level 3, Cnr Hunter & Auckland streets, Newcastle NSW 2300

Siang Lu (Ghost Cities), Katharine Pollock, and Clare Stephens use humour, insight, and sharp observation to reflect our modern world back at us. From AI translation to chaotic fandom to the cascade of an internet pile-on, their novels offer fresh takes on the contradictions and joys of contemporary life and work.

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The Rot: Evelyn Araluen in Conversation

When: Saturday March 28, 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm

Where: University of Newcastle NUspace X301, Level 3, Cnr Hunter & Auckland streets, Newcastle NSW 2300

Critic Alison Croggan has described award-winning poet Evelyn Araluen’s blazing new collectionThe Rot as ‘an experiential plunge into the nightmare of the present moment’. Exposing decayed hopes and injustices under late‑stage capitalism, The Rot is alive with rage – and hope. Evelyn speaks to Jazz Money.

This popular event has sold out.

Book launch: Iconic Love Unexpected

When: Saturday March 28, 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm

Where: Newcastle Art Gallery, 1 Laman Street, Newcastle NSW 2300

A project 45-plus years in the making, Newcastle Art Gallery’s limited-edition publication celebrates iconic works, audience favourites, and unexpected gems. Inviting perspectives from interdisciplinary writers, Iconic Loved Unexpected provides a refreshed exploration of one of the nation’s most significant collections. Hear from key contributors Santilla Chingaipe, Jazz Money and Ana Tiquia.

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Censorship and its Consequences Hosted by Peter Greste

Saturday March 28, 2:30 pm - 3:30 pm

Where: Concert Hall Newcastle City Hall, First Floor, 290 King St
Newcastle NSW 2300

‘In this age of censorship… I mourn the voices that will be silenced’ – Judy Blume. Against a backdrop of shifting laws, social media restrictions and legal and political pressure, Josh Bornstein, AC Grayling, and Antoinette Lattouf examine the impact of censorship – and what we stand to lose. They consider whose stories disappear first, and how silence reshapes culture. Hosted by Peter Greste (The Correspondent).

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Love, Loss and Writing: Debra Adelaide in Conversation

When: Saturday March 28, 2:30 pm - 3:30 pm

Where: University of Newcastle NUspace X207, Level 2, Cnr Hunter & Auckland St, Newcastle, NSW 2300

After meeting at school, writers Debra Adelaide (When I am Sixty-Four) and Gabrielle Carey became lifelong friends, sharing a passion for books and words, taking care of each other’s children, receiving acclaim as authors, and enduring failure and disappointment. Debra reflects on Carey’s final days and lays bare how friendships endure, and unravel, over decades. Hosted by Ashley Hay.

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An Unfree World with Randa Abdel-Fattah and Evelyn Araluen

When: Saturday March 28, 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Where: Cummings Room Newcastle City Hall, 1st Floor, 290 King Street
Newcastle NSW 2300

From the rise of autocracy and resurgent racism to widening inequality and the tightening grip of censorship, there are pressures shaping an increasingly unfree world. Randa Abdel-Fattah (Discipline), Cheng Lei and Evelyn Araluen (The Rot) explore how these forces play out in daily life – and how we can reimagine the future. Hosted by Josh Bornstein.

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Ghost Cities: Siang Lu in Conversation

When: Sunday March 29, 10:00 am - 11:00 am

Where: Hunter Room Newcastle City Hall, 2nd Floor, 290 King Street
Newcastle NSW 2300

Siang Lu’s Miles Franklin Award-winning novel Ghost Cities is a genre-bending masterpiece of literary hilarity that offers a bold reimagining of Sino-Australian storytelling. In his much-anticipated first appearance at Newcastle Writers Festival, he speaks with Courtney Collins about progress, isolation and illusion in the digital age.

Get your tickets here

Studio Weekends with Jazz Money

When: Saturday March 29, 10:00 am - 12:00 pm

Where: Newcastle Art Gallery, 1 Laman Street, Newcastle, NSW 2300

Jazz Money is the special guest at this free inclusive and accessible art-making session for families. Jazz will read from her debut children’s book The Frog’s First Song.

No bookings needed, just drop in and get creative!

Poetry and Publics with Evelyn Araluen and David Stavanger

When: Sunday March 29, 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm

Where: University of Newcastle NUspace X207, Level 2, Cnr Hunter & Auckland St, Newcastle, NSW 2300

How does poetry speak to, for and with its publics? The role of the poet has always been entangled with community, politics and platforms and this conversation will trace the many ways poetry circulates, connects, and unsettles. With Evelyn Araluen (The Rot), Maxine Beneba Clarke, and David Stavanger. Hosted by Keri Glastonbury.

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From the Margins to the Mainstream with Natalia Figueroa Barroso

When: Sunday March 29, 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm

Where: University of Newcastle NUspace X320, Level 3, Cnr Hunter & Auckland St, Newcastle, NSW 2300

After a long and difficult path, diverse voices and characters are finding their place in Australian literature. Natalia Figueroa Barroso (Hailstones Fell without Rain), Zeynab Gamieldien, and Alejandra Martinez speak with Zohra Aly about the complexities and limitations of authenticity and representation in their recent novels.

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Ways of Knowing: JM Field and Jazz Money

When: Sunday March 29, 2:30 pm - 3:30 pm

Where: University of Newcastle NUspace X301, Level 3, Cnr Hunter & Auckland St, Newcastle, NSW 2300

Through their writing, which includes many forms, JM Field (The Eagle and The Crow) and Jazz Money (mark the dawn, The Frog's First Song) illuminate First Nations ways of knowing. Their work honours the deep relationship between community and Country, drawing us into stories where identity, memory, and knowledge are intricately entwined. Hosted by Monica McKenzie.

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Poetry Salon @ The Press with David Stavanger

When: Sunday March 29, 3:00 pm - 4:15 pm

Where: The Press Book House, 462 Hunter St, Newcastle NSW 2300

Join us for an afternoon of poetry performance, featuring festival guests Eunice Andrada, Maxine Beneba Clarke, Jennifer Compton, Keri Glastonbury, Omar Musa, Lamisa Siddique, the 2026 Newcastle Poetry Prize winner, and David Stavanger (who will also host).

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Extra event – Discipline: Randa Abdel-Fattah in Conversation

When: Sunday March 29, 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm

Where: Concert Hall Newcastle City Hall, First Floor, 290 King St, Newcastle NSW 2300

Randa Abdel‑Fattah’s recent novel Discipline follows the intersecting lives of Hannah, a young Muslim newspaper journalist, and Ashraf, an academic. It is a timely exploration of truth and power. Dr Abdel-Fattah reflects on the role of fiction in challenging injustice and offers insight into her writing process and the urgent themes shaping her work. Hosted by Danielle Binks.

Get your tickets here