Curated by festival director Alan Baxter, the 2023 Speculative Fiction Festival program boasted some of Australia’s best fantasy, sci-fi and horror authors, discussing everything from craft and inspiration to publishing and industry.

Check out some of the wonderful literary events happening in Sydney and around NSW (and online) this July!

‘Individual words on their own are rarely enough to tell you anything meaningful. They need to be grouped together to convey a message. Putting words into a sentence gives you context, insight, nuance, sometimes an introduction to a whole new world.’

‘For me, writing a complicated character is like putting together a puzzle with a thousand pieces, without a clear picture on the box to help guide you towards the final scene. And with puzzles like that, it’s always about where you start.’

‘When a piece is going to exist off the page there is a beautiful invitation to consider an additional form and function in that new medium.’

Check out some of the wonderful literary events happening in Sydney and around NSW (and online) this June!

‘Reading YA as a young person empowered me with the language to talk about things that I didn’t know how to talk about. I found a library of reference for my many emotions and experiences.’

‘Research has given me characters and their stories and if the synopsis is the bones of my novel, research helps me put flesh on those bones.’

There are lots of things to do in May with these wonderful writing events. Find a range of events on our calendar this month, including book launches, in-conversations, festivals, and more!