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 2025 this September!
2 September: The Stowaway by Mary-Anne O’Connor (Newcastle)
You are invited to a wonderful morning tea event in the Lovett Gallery to hear from award-winning author and playwright, Mary-Anne O’Connor.
2 September: Kathleen Folbigg & Tracy Chapman in conversation (Glebe)
Join Kathleen Folbigg and Tracy Chapman in conversation with Quentin McDermott.
2 September: Author Talk: Natalie Murray presents Lights, Camera, Love (Tuggerah)
Get ready for a fun and fiery romance with Natalie Murray as she is in conversation with fellow author Lisa Kenway about her latest swoon-worthy book Lights, Camera, Love!
4 September: Book Launch: The Locked Room – An Evening with Adam Cece (Sydney)
Join a special evening launching Adam Cece’s new book, The Locked Room – a The Breakfast Club meets escape room thriller. Adam will be in conversation with fellow author and escape room designer, Leanne Yong!
4 September: Jack Toohey in conversation with Grace Tame (Rozelle)
Better Things Are Possible is a timely and hopeful manifesto. Jack Toohey cuts through the noise to expose what’s broken—and shows how we can fix it. Join Jack Toohey in conversation with Grace Tame.
4 September: Discipline Launch: Randa Abdel-Fattah in conversation with Nour Haydar (Marrickville)
Join Randa Abdel-Fattah to celebrate the release of Discipline! Randa will be in-conversation with Nour Haydar.
4 September: The Giant Launch: Sophie Masson and Lorena Carrington with Ursula Dubosarsky (Newtown)
Join Sophie Masson and Lorena Carrington to celebrate the release of The Giant! Sophie and Lorena will be joined by Ursula Dubosarsky.
5 September: Parramatta’s Lit! Industry Day (Parramatta)
A dynamic afternoon of thought-provoking industry presentations, panel discussions industry leaders in writing and publishing, live readings from emerging voices and networking opportunities for writers.
6 September: Conversations that Matter with Yumi Stynes & Emma Grey (East Maitland)
Join broadcaster and author Yumi Stynes, bestselling author Emma Grey, and local organisation Top Blokes for a thought-provoking discussion on consent, respect, healthy masculinity, and safety.
6 September: Reading to Write with Emily Maguire (Rozelle)
In this workshop with award-winning author Emily Maguire, participants will learn to approach texts with a writer’s eye, paying close attention to craft choices that shape character, plot, dialogue, and narrative voice to build immersive, emotionally resonant fictional worlds.
6 September: Andy Griffiths Live (Sydney)
Hold on tight for a white-knuckle ride into the wild imagination of one of Australia’s favourite storytellers, Andy Griffiths, with a guest appearance from illustrator Bill Hope. Join the bestselling creator of the Treehouse series for a laugh-out-loud event to launch his new book: You & Me and the Peanut Butter Beast.
8 September – 21 November: Online Feedback: Non-Fiction with Tricia Dearborn (Online)
In this creative non-fiction writing program, writer and editor Tricia Dearborn will provide feedback on your essays and creative non-fiction work, enabling you to hone your skills over three months.
8 September – 21 November: Online Feedback: Fiction with Anna Spargo-Ryan (Online)
Do you have a draft manuscript of adult or young adult fiction? Are you looking for feedback and tips to improve your work? Join this online feedback course to give and receive feedback on your writing.
10 September: The Society of Women Writers – Centenary Lunch Celebration (Sydney)
Join The Society of Women Writers for a special luncheon and speeches by The Hon. Jodie Harrison, MP and Libby Hathorn, as well as a recorded message from Susan Steggall who will launch the Centenary Anthology, Ink! 4.
10 September: Very Impressive for Your Age: Eleanor Kirk in conversation with Nina Oyama (Newtown)
Join Eleanor Kirk to celebrate the release of Very Impressive of Your Age! Eleanor will be in-conversation with Nina Oyama.
10 September: Kemi Nekvapil – Grounded Success (Glebe)
Join Author Kemi Nekvapil in-conversation with Mamamia’s Naima Brown for her latest book Grounded Success.
10 – 14 September: Albury Writers’ Festival (Albury)
Meet the award-recognised and best-selling authors and illustrators ready to engage with you at the Albury Writers’ Festival.
11 – 13 September: BAD Sydney Crime Writers Festival 2025 (Sydney)
BAD is back with the best in crime writing by new and bestselling authors, examining critical questions of criminality and justice. Hear from Lisa Kenway, Michael Burge, venture into the expanding genre of young adult fiction or discover how to keep your readers up all night with Candice Fox. Explore notorious crime slums with historian Elliot Lindsay, and go on an adventure in East Sydney and Darlinghurst with Amanda Hampson.
11 – 20 September: Trent Dalton’s Love Stories (Parramatta)
Inspired by a personal moment of profound love and generosity, bestselling author – and one of Australia’s finest journalists – Trent Dalton spent two months in 2021 gathering stories on his sky-blue 1960s Olivetti typewriter, on a prominent street corner in Brisbane’s CBD. Speaking to Australians from all walks of life, he asked them one simple thing: ‘Can you please tell me a love story?’
12 September: Orko (Parramatta)
Presented by Nautanki Theatre, Orko is an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Othello by Saurabh Bhattacharya.
13 September: True Crime and Crime Fiction: Researching and Writing in the State Library Archives with Dr Rachel Franks (Sydney)
Join Dr Rachel Franks as she unpacks the challenges of crafting crime stories based on real-life events and offers practical solutions to common writing dilemmas.
13 September: They’re Poets, After All (Parramatta)
They’re Poets, After All is a suite of spoken word poetry performed by After All, a quartet of poetic misfits hailing from across Western Sydney.
18 September: Access Ideas and Insights: Reclaiming Words (Campbelltown)
Accessible Arts is thrilled to be presenting a hybrid event exploring Reclaiming Words. This pivotal discussion will feature panelists Hannah Diviney (writer, advocate, actress and media personality), Robin M Eames (poet and historian) and Dr Ayah Wehbe (social researcher). The discussion will be MC’d by Maeve Marsden, the Creative Director of Varuna the National Writers’ House.
18 September: A Literary Lunch with Hayley Scrivenor – Friends of the Library (Wollongong)
Join The Friends of Wollongong City Library for a literary lunch with Hayley Scrivenor! The bestselling author of Dirt Town will discuss her latest book, Girl Falling – a suspenseful novel that navigates the story of one woman’s grief and suspicion following the death of her girlfriend in an accident.
18 September: Michelle de Kretser: Theory & Practice (Sydney)
Join Michelle de Kretser, one of Australia’s most celebrated writers and the winner of the 2025 Stella Prize, to uncover her latest genre-bending work Theory & Practice. Unpacking jealousy and desire, truth and shame, Michelle asks what a novel can achieve in conversation with Malcolm Knox.
19 September: The Anatomy of Gods: Megan White in conversation with Olivia O’Flynn (Newtown)
Join Megan White to celebrate the release of The Anatomy of Gods! Megan will be in-conversation with Olivia O’Flynn.
20-21 September: Oz Comic Con Sydney (Sydney)
Oz Comic-Con is Australia’s Ultimate Pop Culture event, showcasing all the latest studio activations, comics, anime, cosplay, and video games. Make sure to check out Artist Alley, a space celebrating Art in pop culture. A colourful, creative district filled with original and fan art, it’s here you can interact with the creative geniuses behind your favourite comic books, graphic novels, literature, and artistic products.
20 September: Travel Writing: Turning Wanderlust into Wordcraft with Nicole Lenoir-Jourdan (Rozelle)
This interactive workshop with Nicole Lenoir-Jourdan isn’t just about writing pretty things about beaches and buffets. It’s about learning how to take a dusty observation or a half-decent holiday mishap and spin it into something editors want to publish.
20 September: Writing Setting and Landscape with James Mckenzie Watson (Rozelle)
In this workshop with award-winning author James McKenzie Watson, you will explore the role setting plays in character development and practice crafting landscapes that speak to your narratives.
23 September: Seminar: Setting Up for Success: Build your Community and Brand with Claudine Tinellis (Online)
Join industry professional Claudine Tinellis to discover some easy strategies you can use to help build your own community and readership before your book hits the shelves while also preparing yourself for the various promotional activities that go hand in hand with publishing – giving you and your book the best possible chance of success.
24 September: Speaker Series: Starry Eyed/Big Feelings – Katharine Pollock & Amy Lovat (Marrickville)
Authors Katharine Pollock and Amy Lovat engage in an insightful conversation about their latest novels, Starry Eyed and Big Feelings, unpacking themes of obsession, identity, and the gap between fantasy and reality. Their novels challenge romantic ideals through flawed, relatable heroines navigating disillusionment, self-sabotage, and the myth of the perfect love story. Free but bookings essential.
24 September: Author talk with Markus Zusak (Batemans Bay)
Meet international best-selling author Markus Zusak as he shares insights on his latest book.
24 – 30 September: Online: Introduction to Writing from Life with Amra Pajalic (Online)
In this course with award-winning author, editor and teacher Amra Pajalić, you will learn about the features and expectations of writing from life, finding ideas through research, as well as how to identify the theme of your memoir, and how to develop their purpose in life writing.
25 September: Bread & Butter Poetry Slam (Marrickville)
The Inner West’s most oven-fresh poetry night! Join them every last Thursday for poems, feelings and laughs in a safe and inclusive space.
25 September: Anh Do and Suzanne Do Dymocks Luncheon (Sydney)
Suzanne Do is an Australian writer, former lawyer and co-writer of the award-winning children’s book, The Little Refugee and the feature film, Footy Legends. Suzanne will be in conversation with her husband, Anh Do, award-winning author, comedian and artist, launching her new book, The Golden Sister.
25 September: Happy Endings with Melanie Saward and Saman Shad (Sydney)
Join Melanie Saward and Saman Shad as they discuss their latest novels charting contemporary love and the art of writing romance for the modern age.
27 September: Crafting Comedy Gold with Tim Ferguson (Rozelle)
Ideal for beginners as well as more advanced writers, this one-day course with screenwriter and comedian Tim Ferguson, will show you the secrets of writing comedy for page, stage and screen.
28 September: Katharine Pollock in conversation with Laura Irvine, Bookish Bron, and Lindsay Artels (online)
Mass online video call with author Katharine Pollock, in conversation about her new novel, Starry Eyed! Free to join via comment.
29 September: Benjamin Stevenson in conversation with Michael Robotham (Rozelle)
Fast paced, ingenious and hugely entertaining, Everyone In This Bank Is A Thief is a worthwhile investment. Join Benjamin Stevenson in conversation with Michael Robotham.
29 September: Online: Writing Children’s Books with Jacqueline Harvey (Online)
Through short writing exercises, peer and tutor feedback, develop the skills and insights needed to write compelling children’s books: from goal-setting and understanding what you want to achieve, to finding your voice and knowing how to grow your story.
20 – 30 September: Newcastle Writers Festival: Spring Program (Newcastle)
Newcastle Writers Festival is delighted to announce a special spring program with an exciting lineup of Australian and international writers.
Writing NSW publishes these free listings in good faith but does not endorse or warrant the accuracy of any information.
More from Writing NSW
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