Supported by sound effects, music pads and projections, Jane will perform about 35 of the original 365 poems in a dramatised monologue. An intimate hour of fun and reflection that will leave the audience feeling uplifted and more connected to themselves – and the people around them.

Settle in with a glass of champagne and listen as Richard Cornish and Max Allen delve into the rich and surprising connection and history of champagne and oysters on the Victorian Goldfields.

All that water — and land! and resources! — so close to home. How can we navigate local and global journeys, across time, space and country, in an age of climate change and imminent environmental collapse?

Co-authors of, Come Over to My House, Sally Rippin (Australian Children's Laureate) and Eliza Hull join the book's illustrator Daniel Gray-Barnett to talk to the ABC's Fiona Parker about the importance of children seeing themselves and their families represented in the books they read.

For many of us the memory of food is powerful, whether it’s nan's fruit cake or your mum's lasagna, there is a direct connection between the brain and taste. Science tells us that food memories can trigger a release of dopamine. This panel will discuss how what we cook and eat and who we choose to share food with can impact our mental health.

Ruined gold-rush towns, remote caravan communities, idyllic mountain hide-aways, small fishing villages, a produce market...there's danger at every turn in small town Australia if the authors of crime fiction novels Hayley Scrivenor, Margaret Hickey and Vikki Wakefield are to be believed.

Join Amelia Mellor, author of The Grandest Bookshop in the World series as she shares the real EW Cole's books and discusses how they inspired her own books. This workshop will involve solving similar riddles to those used in both Amelia's books, and Mr Cole's books - there may even be a competition or quiz! Middle grade fiction novels.

In 2024 Gideon Haigh (My Brother Jaz), Mary Garden (My Father's Suitcase) and Nova Weetman (Love, Death & Other Scenes) all release memoirs which focus on family relationships, love and loss.

Queer storytelling is experiencing a golden age, with some of Australia’s most talented young writers taking to fiction and non-fiction to document recent LGBTQIA+ history and its intersections with law and medicine.

This conversation will explore how the artists move between writing for the page and creating visual art across multiple modes, the complex significances of English language, and the appearance of joy, humour, and politics in their work.

Take a seat around the fire pit and settle in for a chat around First Nations Food and the art of foraging.

George Ivanoff takes the audience on a journey through his fiction — what he writes, why he writes and how he writes. Find out how he plans the multiple story paths of a You Choose book.

Julie Goodwin was one of us, an amateur cook who was catapulted to fame in the first season of hugely successful MasterChef. This warm and frank conversation will journey through the headiest of highs and the lowest of lows and discuss what life looks like for Julie today.

Join Trace Balla, story catcher and hatcher, as she discusses her books, Rivertime, Rock-hopping, Landing with Wings and Leaf-Light then create a collaborative comic story of place with Trace. Children will also make a start on their own cartoon strips with Trace’s guidance. A super fun workshop for all ages.

Lorin Clarke (Would That Be Funny?) and Rob McHaffie join Bendigo Art Gallery Curator Emma Busowsky for a conversation about art, satire, and that great wellspring of creative inspiration – family.

This discussion, hosted by Annabel Crabb, will focus on the challenges faced by marginal communities, the need for support and what a prosperous life can look like for those on the margins.

Join Claire G Coleman, Izzy Roberts Orr, Jazz Money and Sara M Saleh to celebrate Poetry month, a Red Room Poetry initiative, celebrated each August to raise the profile of Australian poets and poetry.

Bendigo Writers Festival’s new pop-up venue! The Big Top in the Dudley House garden, right in the heart of the festival precinct.

Just when DO neighbours become good friends – or enemies? Join three security analysts to discuss the finer points of diplomacy and the strategic challenges facing Australia today.

Join the author and illustrator for this show and tell of how they create the words and images of Jetty Jumping, Sunday Skating and In the Rockpool. Then create your very own skater or jetty jumper to take home too.

View a selection of artworks created by children under the age of 12 and inspired by the books they love.

Dumawul Art Market, showcasing Djaara (Dja Dja Wurrung First Nations Australians) Creative Art & Craft.

Animals can be companions and resources, cyphers and symbols. But who gets to speak for them, and how?

Sarah Mayor Cox will talk to Lorena, Sophie and Kate about the magic of myths and fairytales for readers of all ages and how authors and illustrators work together to bring old stories to life for new audiences.

Join award-winning creators Bernadette Green and Daniel Gray-Barnett for a reading of their first book together, Saturday is Pancake Day - a chaotic celebration of fun, food and family.