Words Out West: Western Downs Readers & Writers Festival

Words Out West: Western Downs Readers & Writers Festival takes a novel approach to storytelling, with a host of events for all ages and interests.

Matthew Condon
Saturday 13 June 2026: Festival Day One
2.30-3.30pm

All Stars Panel

A fast-paced panel bringing together festival favourites for sharp insights, big laughs, and a trivia finale

Saturday 13 June 2026: Books & Bubbles A Night of Crime
6pm, Chinchilla Cultural Precinct

A sparkling, suspense-filled evening with Hedley Thomas, creator of the globally acclaimed podcast The Teachers Pet, and Matthew Condon, award-winning author of the Three Crooked Kings series.

Enjoy bubbles, bites, and an atmosphere charged with true-crime intrigue as they share the stories behind some of Australia’s most compelling investigations.

Sunday 14 June 2026: Festival Day Two
10.30am-11.30am

The Making of a Crime Storyteller

How a police-round reporting job and years of interviews with former commissioner Terry Lewis led Condon into a labyrinth of true crime and shaped his signature investigative style.

Peter Greste
Saturday 13 June 2026: Festival Day One
11am-12pm

Truth Telling in a Dangerous World

Inside the 400-day imprisonment that sparked a global fight for press freedom, and an award-winning movie.

Siang Lu
Sunday 14 June 2026: Festival Day Two

10.30am-11.30am

Embracing Failure

How the 2025 Miles Franklin Award winner found creative power in rejection, persistence, and starting again.

Kat Apel
Dalby School Day and Chinchilla School Day

2 June 2026: Dalby Events Centre

3 June 2026: Chinchilla Cultural Precinct

Jasmin McGaughey
Dalby School Day and Chinchilla School Day

2 June 2026: Dalby Events Centre

3 June 2026: Chinchilla Cultural Precinct