For our monthly Writing On Our Calendar feature, we bring you a round-up of literary events happening in Sydney and around NSW. Check out some of the writing events and programs in 2024 this May!
2 May: Book Launch & In Conversation with Susannah Begbie (Canberra)
Richell Prize winner Susannah Begbie will be in conversation with best selling author Karen Viggers on her unforgettable debut novel The Deed, exploring the messy, sometimes volatile, complications that only the best and worst of family can bring.
2 May: Bondi Beach Babes Book Club – Lola in the Mirror (Bondi Beach)
From international bestselling author Trent Dalton, Lola in the Mirror is a big, moving, blackly funny, violent, heartbreaking and beautiful novel of love, fate, life and death and all the things we see when we look in the mirror: all our past, all our present, and all our possible futures.
2 May: Bread & Butter Poetry Slam (Inner West Sydney)
Join the Inner West’s newest poetry slam for poems, feelings and laughs in a safe and inclusive space. The May slam features April Barton.
3 May: A Symposium on Caribbean Culture in Australia (Western Sydney)
How have Caribbean artists in Australia navigated the experience of being, in many cases, part of minoritized racial groups? What have been the connections and relations between Caribbean and First Nations people? How do the experiences of Caribbean artists compare with those who have emigrated to other parts of the world? This unique one-day symposium at Western Sydney University will go a long way in providing some the answers, with speakers including Maxine Beneba Clarke.
3 May: Book Launch: One Of Us Is Missing by B.M. Carroll (Northern Beaches)
Join the Harry Hartog in Warringah Mall as they celebrate the launch of One of Us Is Missing by the brilliant B.M. Carroll. Ber will be in conversation with Ali Lowe, author of The Trivia Night, discussing the new novel and the inspiration behind it, and will be signing books afterwards.
5 May: Literary Lunch with Author Candice Fox (North Sydney)
Enjoy a delicious two-course lunch with a glass of sparkling wine on arrival, as crime author Candice Fox talks crime fiction, her creative process and a sneak peek about what she’s working on next. With her novel, Devil’s Kitchen, this is sure to be an engaging event you won’t want to miss.
7 May: Author Talk: Kate Evans – Feijoa (Inner West Sydney)
Inspired by a personal obsession with this singular exotic fruit, Feijoa is a sweeping, global tale about the dance between people and plants – how we need each other, how we change each other, and the surprising ways certain species make their way into our imaginations, our stomachs, and our hearts.
7 May: UTS: Become a Writer, Editor, and Publisher Info Evening (Sydney)
Explore your career options in Writing, Editing and Publishing Passionate about writing, editing, or creating? Interested in turning your passion into a profession? Or seeking leadership opportunities within this rapidly transforming industry? Join UTS for an engaging info evening to discover more about your career options within these industries and unlock your passion.
7-21 May: Better Read Than Dead Book Clubs (Sydney)
Better Read bookshop in Newtown has a host of book clubs – join the Other Worlds Book Club on 7 May to discuss speculative fiction, the Jane Austen Book Club on 14 May to chat about classic novels, the Bad Women Book Club on 15 May for books about ‘difficult women’, and the Better Reader Book Club on 21 May for a little bit of everything.
8 May: Omar Musa – The Fullness Album Launch (Western Sydney)
Omar Musa is an author, poet, rapper and visual artist. The Fullness is Omar Musa’s third full length album of music and poetry, an expansive opus of sounds and styles. With long-term collaborator Papertoy at the helm, Omar explores themes such as environmental destruction, addiction, grief, searching for a homeland – and ultimately – rejuvenation. Omar will be launching the album at an event hosted by Bankstown Poetry Slam.
8-26 May: Sydney Writers’ Festival (Sydney)
Join the annual Sydney Writers’ Festival and meet writers of the everyday and the fantastical, writers of dazzling fictions, magical words, captivating life stories and sweeping accounts of history and ideas.
16-19 May: Write Here Festival (Hunter Region)
Lake Macquarie’s annual Write Here program invites writers and readers to hear tips, tricks and tales from local and visiting writers across a range of genres and media. Write Here celebrates and supports local authors and provide networking opportunities for emerging writers and avid readers.
17+18 May: Kyogle Readers and Writers Festival (Northern Rivers)
This year’s line-up of the KRWF includes conversations with Costa Georgiadis, Melissa Lucashenko, Daniel Browning, Corey Tutt, Gary Lonesborough and Ellen van Neerven. There will be panel discussions on contemporary Indigenous writing, the influence of gardening literature on Australian garden design, and writing the diaspora, as well as performance poetry and workshops on self-publishing and zine making.
18 May: FUTURE ZINES: Queer Collage and World Building (Sydney)
This workshop at Sydney Opera House from TRANSMEDIUM by imbi will facilitate a zine making workshop around queer visioning and world building. The focus will be encouraging the brilliance of young queer imaginations to help collage our present world into the future of our queer dreams. Using existing imagery and text from popular magazines, they will create new meaning in their zines and inspire each other to dream big about their personal futures and the collective future of the world.
19 May: South Coast Writers in Conversation (South Coast)
Hear from participants of the 2024 South Coast Writers Centre Emerging & Established Writers Group Retreat share insights into their current writing projects and the unique writer-in-residence experience at Bundanon with Dr. Sarah Nicholson. Immerse yourself in the literary world as this talented group shares excerpts from their current works in progress, delves into discussions about their projects, and reflects on the unique experience of being writers in residence at Bundanon.
20 May: 2024 NSW Premier’s Literary Awards (Sydney)
The NSW Premier’s Literary Awards are the longest-standing and richest state-based literary awards in the country. The Awards recognise the best Australian writers, including novelists, poets, playwrights, scriptwriters and authors of non-fiction and children’s books. Join the announcement of the winners for 2024 and celebrate the contribution of writers to our cultural lives.
21 May: Creatives Guide to Marketing Workshop (Wollongong)
Marketing is one of the most despised and least understood aspects of running a creative business or working in the arts. Most creatives hate to sell and would rather be making than hustling. The Creative’s Guide to Marketing workshop shares a simple six-step marketing approach that has been designed to take the pain out of promotion. This workshop is free to attend.
21 May: Bondi Literary Salon May Book Club: The Work by Bri Lee (Bondi Beach)
Join the Bondi Literary Salon for their May book club, hosted by Emma Selby, where they will be discussing Bri Lee’s debut novel, The Work. Dazzling, funny and unforgettable, it is an epic and forensic exploration of modern love and passion, politics and power.
23 May: Dreaming Inside Volume 12 Launch (Wollongong)
Join Graham Ackhurst, author of Borderland, and Ngana Barangarai (Black Wallaby) project leader Aunty Barbara Nicholson for the launch of Volume 12 of Dreaming Inside: Voices from Junee Correctional Centre. Dreaming Inside is in its twelfth year of assisting inmates in improving their literacy skills, resulting in higher self-esteem, greater cultural awareness and an increased ability to understand their own feelings.
23 May: Debra Dank: We Come with this Place (Sutherland)
Through a rich and varied mosaic of vivid episodes, Debra shares a complex, powerful story that moves outside of time and place, and confronts the racism that is ever-present in Australia. In an unprecedented sweep, We Come With This Place took home four awards at the 2023 NSW Premier’s Literary Awards, including Book of the Year. Sit down with Debra to reflect on the creation of this remarkable book.
23-31 May: Library Book Sale (Goulburn)
The library second-hand book sale is back in May, with all cash proceeds from the first day of sales going towards the Cancer Council’s Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea. There will be plenty of quality items for sale including fiction, large print, children’s books, audiobooks, and more. Everything is just $2 or you can fill a bag for $10.
25 May: Rotary Book Fair (Armidale)
Thousands of quality used books will be on sale from as little as $2 to $3. The books reflect all genres from fiction, children’s, cookery, history, reference, arts and crafts, military and photography. There is also a range of rare and collectable items at very attractive prices.
28 May: Book Launch: Psykhe by Kate Forsyth (North Sydney)
Celebrate the launch of Kate Forsyth’s latest novel at Harry Hartog Warringah. Kate will be in conversation with Vanessa McCausland, talking about the inspirations and challenges of writing her novel Psykhe, a powerful reimagining of an ancient Greek myth of love, death, desire, and disobedience.
29 May – 3 June: Words on the Waves Festival (Central Coast)
Words on the Waves Writers Festival is a celebration of words and ideas. With author talks and panels, as well as evening conversation events, writing workshops, local book launches, a literary cruise, family fun day, schools program and more, the festival offers a diverse range of high quality literary events for both the Central Coast community and visitors to the area.
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