South Coast Readers & Writers Festival

Join us in Thirroul over three days, 24–26 July, for a celebration of all things reading, writing and creativity on the South Coast of NSW.

INTERGENERATIONAL JUSTICE
25 JULY, 11:30AM–12:25PM

Judi Morison’sSecrets is a gripping saga following the traumas, loves and strengths of two families, one Aboriginal, across generations, while Sara Haddad’sThe Sunbird follows Nabila, a Palestinian woman expelled from her home as a child, and the effects that one devastating event had over the course of her life. Zohra Aly chairs a nuanced conversation between these authors about intergenerational trauma and justice.

FRIENDSHIPS & ENDINGS
25 JULY, 2:25–3:20PM

Kathryn Heyman’sCircle of Wonders is a luminously beautiful and personal story of two deaths and the legacy of life that flows from them. Debra Adelaide’s novella When I Am Sixty-Four is a profound masterpiece about her lifelong friendship with Gabrielle Carey, reflecting on the final days of her friend's life. They talk their books, love, friendships and endings with Caroline Baum.

EVELYN ARALUEN IN CONVERSATION
25 JULY, 3:35–4:35PM

Following the multi-award-winning success of her debut collection Dropbear, Evelyn Araluen’sThe Rot is a recalcitrant study of the decaying romances, expired hopes and abject injustices in the dying days of late-stage capitalism. Winner of the ABIA Small Publishers’ Adult Book of the Year and the Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards Prizes for Literature and Indigenous Writing, The Rot explores what happens when poetry swallows more rage than it can console, quiet or ironise. In a festival highlight, Evelyn discusses her blistering new collection and what comes next, with David Stavanger.