The Manly Writers’ Festival is now a confirmed fixture on the yearly Northern Beaches calendar, with an impressive lineup of non-fiction and fiction authors confirmed to take a chair from Friday, 28 March, to Sunday, 30 March, 2025.
Blanche d’Alpuget, Heather Morris, Peter FitzSimons, Jane Caro, Debra Oswald and Lech Blaine will headline the scores of established and emerging author talks during the three day festival, which will be capped off by an evocative “Chairman’s Lounge” experience with journalist Joe Aston.
There will also be throught-provoking discussion on local and international politics, a talk on deep fakes from the e-safety commissioner (herself a local), and a school program addressing news literacy skills that will help teens to separate fact from fiction guided by Gavin Fang and Tracey Kirkland from the ABC, Kim Smee from the Manly Observer, and Jill Valentine, author and communications executive.
The festival is proudly supported by The TAG Family Foundation, Northern Beaches Council, Fair Play Publishing, Hennessy Coffee and Aide de MD, with Gleebooks as the official bookseller. Manly Observer is supporting the event, a registered charity, with in-kind media support.
The event aims to show the world that we are more than world-famous Manly Beach and eponymous ferry, that Manly and the Northern Beaches is an area rich in cultural and linguistic diversity and creativity. The festival for readers, writers, and thinkers will bring together ideas and writing, and explore issues at a time of significant change in the world, as well as to indulge in the enjoyment of good story telling.
Readers can purchase tickets for individual sessions for just $22, as well as full-festival, whole days or even different genres from 4 February, though there are some early sales (details at addendum).
The event had a quiet inauguration in 2024 but was a sell-out success despite largely relying on word of mouth among the local reader set, selling more than 2,000 seats where no more than about 300 were expected.
This year, they are prepared to meet demand, with three days of engaging discussions, clever storytelling, and creative inspiration as well as workshops.
Festival Founder and Director Bonita Mersiades, of Balgowlah Heights, said the festival would be a powerful opportunity to connect locals through intelligent discussion as well as attracting a new crowd to Manly.
“I feel very strongly, as a publisher, that people who go to the trouble of writing books in which there’s a lot of labour, a lot of emotion, a lot of energy, and in non-fiction books especially a lot of research, that there is an opportunity to talk about it,” Ms Mersiades said.
“The Manly Writers’ Festival could be as big as the Manly Jazz Festival, a permanent fixture we can all be proud of and benefit from.”
“In the longer term, I would like to see the Manly Writers’ Festival continue as a major fixture after I am long gone from this earth; there’s no reason why it can’t be still here in 25 or 30 years’ time. The Manly Writers’ Festival could be as big as the Manly Jazz Festival, a permanent fixture we can all be proud of and benefit from.”
The accomplished football author, publisher, and, of all things, FIFA whistleblower, has organised the talks to be held at the new facilities off the Corso in the Darley Smith Building at St Matt’s, but has also made use of local venues like Manly Spirits Distillery, Manly Surf Club and Manly Golf Club for special events linked to the festival (more on that in the itinerary).
“My only lament is a lack of larger and more grand venue such as Manly Town Hall, which would be the perfect setting for a festival like this,” she said.
Highlights of the Program Include:
- Opening Night Book Launch: Join award-winning writer Blanche d’Alpuget as she unveils her latest novel, The Bunny Club, in a special event at Manly Spirits Distillery, complete with themed cocktails and an antipasto platter.
- Author Talks: One-on-one author talks with authors Heather Morris, Peter FitzSimons, Jane Caro, Debra Oswald and Lech Blaine.
- Trailblazing Discussions: Notable names like Damian Collins OBE and Julie Inman-Grant will explore pressing issues like AI, social media, and online safety, providing invaluable insights for parents and educators.
- Fundraising Trivia Night: A charity literary trivia evening at Manly Surf Life Saving Club will support the Northern Beaches Community Cancer Charity (NBCCC).
- Conversation Circle: Geraldine Doogue will host a discussion on Navigating the Shifting Global Order with Geoff Raby, Dennis Glover, Don Watson and Collins.
- Sunday Sessions at Manly Golf Club: Dive into the rich cultural tapestry of Australian music and sport, capped off by an evocative Chairman’s Lounge experience with celebrated journalist Joe Aston.
Attendees will also be able to discover the latest in contemporary fiction, biography, and true crime and fictional crime from emerging, local, and celebrated authors.
Tickets and Details:
The full program is also available online at www.manlywritersfestival.org.au
Tickets are available online at www.manlywritersfestival.org.au from 4 February. Early access tickets for Friends of the Festival are available now, which includes pre-sales and discounts across the talks and book range for $65. Learn how to become one here.
