
From practical non-fiction on how to ditch fossil fuels in the home, to the best new crime, sci-fi, and spellbinding fiction from international guests, there is something for everyone at this year’s Byron Writers Festival.
British guest Esther Freud comes to the festival with her brand new release My Sister and Other Lovers (Bloomsbury). Renowned as the author of her phenomenal autobiographical debut Hideous Kinky, My Sister and Other Lovers is a captivating novel about sisterhood, secrets, betrayal and love. See Freud in conversation with ABC’s Natasha Mitchell on festival Friday.
ABC’s Elder in Residence Jackie Huggins also has a 1 July release, with Deep History: Country and Sovereignty (NewSouth), co-edited with Ann McGrath AM. In this collection, Huggins and McGrath have gathered leading historians and thinkers to explore Indigenous histories of caring for places and people over millennia. They will sit down with Indigenous journalist Rhianna Patrick on festival Saturday.
From much-loved Australian crime author Mark Brandi comes a gripping new story that answers old questions. In Eden (Hachette), Brandi has crafted a compelling literary thriller that shows we all have secrets, but some are deadlier than others. See him on the panels Literary Thrillers and Migration Stories on festival Saturday.
Miles Franklin-shortlisted speculative fiction author Jennifer Mills comes to Byron with her latest post-apocalyptic, dystopian novel Salvage (Pan Macmillan) that explores what it means to care for each other after the end of the world. Mills will speak on the panels People Power on Friday, AI at Work on Saturday, and New Worlds: Genre on festival Sunday.
Engineer and inventor Saul Griffith brings his expertise with a practical new book, Plug In!: The Electrification Handbook (Black Inc.). Bestselling author of The Big Switch, Griffith shows how we can ditch coal and gas in our own lives and homes and switch to renewable energy. Griffith appears on panels AI at Work on Saturday, and Green Solutions on Sunday.
- You can explore the full program and purchase tickets at www byronwritersfestival.com.


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