Editor Group is a proud supporter of the Sydney Writers’ Festival. Since 2014, we have been editing and proofreading the program for the festival, which attracts leading international authors.
We look forward to attending this year’s week-long celebration of books and ideas in May. The program is centred around the theme ‘In This Together’.
Bestselling Australian author Markus Zusak (Three Wild Dogs and the Truth), crime novelist Chris Whitaker (All the Colors of the Dark), feminist icon Anne Summers (Damned Whores and God’s Police), esteemed English writer Alan Hollinghurst (Our Evenings), acclaimed memoirist Robert Dessaix (Chameleon), philosopher A.C. Grayling (Discriminations: Achieving Peace in the Culture Wars) and Alone Australia winner Gina Chick (We are the Stars) are among the line-up. There truly is something for everyone.
To help you out, here are our top picks from the program.
The art and science of AI
Wednesday 21 May, 6–7pm – Bay 17, Carriageworks
Artificial intelligence (AI) is infiltrating every aspect of our lives. Join acclaimed writer Jeanette Winterson (12 Bytes: How artificial intelligence will change the way we live and love) as she discusses the history of AI and its place in our future with academic Toby Walsh (The Shortest History of AI).
David Nicholls: You Are Here
Thursday 22 May, 2–3pm – Bay 17, Carriageworks
Love isn’t just for the young. David Nicholls’s You Are Here explores the search for human connection in midlife through the eyes of protagonists Marnie and Michael, who unexpectedly find themselves brought together on a walking holiday. David speaks with Jennifer Byrne about his newest love story.
Past and future of Indigenous recognition
Thursday 22 May, 4–5pm – Bay 17, Carriageworks
Respected Indigenous leader, activist and advocate for First Nations rights Thomas Mayo and Stella Prize–winning historian Clare Wright discuss the history of First Nations movements for change and where we go from here. They are in conversation with Indigenous journalist Lorena Allam.
Kaliane Bradley: The Ministry of Time
Thursday 22 May, 6–7pm – Bay 17, Carriageworks
Blending time travel, romance and spies, Kaliane Bradley’s bestselling debut, The Ministry of Time, crosses genre boundaries in a thrilling tale of history, bureaucracy and love across the centuries. Listen to Kaliane and host Melanie Kembrey unpack this captivating work of speculative fiction.
Stan Grant: Murriyang, Song of Time
Thursday 22 May, 6–7pm – Bay 20, The ARA Stage, Carriageworks
Experience Murriyang, acclaimed journalist Stan Grant’s most inspiring book yet, in this unique event blending storytelling and music. Rooted in the Wiradjuri practice of Yindyamarra, Murriyang is a spiritual and theological meditation on love, kindness and transcendence.
Helen Garner: The Season
Friday 23 May, 12–1pm – Bay 17, Carriageworks
Iconic Australian writer Helen Garner reflects on Aussie rules football, family and life during a season spent standing on the sidelines of her grandson’s training sessions and games. She shares her observations with journalist David Leser.
Yael van der Wouden: The Safekeep
Saturday 24 May, 11am–12pm – The ARA Stage, Carriageworks
Shortlisted for the 2024 Booker Prize, Yael van der Wouden’s The Safekeep is a gripping tale of desire, family loyalty and betrayal set in post-WWII Netherlands. Yael reveals to The Book Show’s Claire Nichols how she uncovered unexpected secrets from the past while writing her novel.
Ben Macintyre: The Siege
Saturday 24 May, 2–3pm – Bay 17, Carriageworks
Ben Macintyre’s The Siege offers a gripping, minute-by-minute account of the 1980 Iranian embassy siege. It reveals untold stories, drawing on unpublished source material and interviews with SAS members. Listen as Ben explores this dramatic event with ABC Radio National’s Richard Fidler.
Ian Rankin: Master of Crime
Saturday 24 May, 4–5pm – Bay 17 Carriageworks
John Rebus dedicated his career to putting Edinburgh’s most dangerous criminals behind bars. Now, he’s joined them. Hear from internationally bestselling author Ian Rankin as he reflects on his latest Inspector Rebus thriller, Midnight and Blue, and his place as the UK’s leading crime writer.
Lemn Sissay: Let the Light Pour In
Saturday 24 May, 4.30–5.30pm – Bay 20, The ARA Stage, Carriageworks
Lemn Sissay’s Let the Light Pour In is a collection of bite-sized poems he has posted on social media every day for the past decade. Others have since turned these poems into songs, tattoos and murals. Join Lemm as he discusses the stories behind his poems and how others have found inspiration in them.
Asako Yuzuki: Butter
Saturday 24 May, 6.30–7.30pm – Bay 20, The ARA Stage, Carriageworks
In Butter, Asako Yuzuki’s first novel to be translated into English from Japanese, she tells the tale of a gourmet cook turned serial killer, skilfully examining the unrealistic beauty standards imposed on Japanese women. Join her as she discusses the runaway success of her novel in a live in-translation event with Carody Culver.
Samantha Harvey: Orbital
Saturday 24 May, 7.30–8.30pm – Bay 17, Carriageworks
A team of astronauts on the International Space Station collects meteorological data, conducts experiments and observes the Earth spinning silently below. Join author Samantha Harvey as she discusses her 2024 Booker Prize–winning novel, Orbital, an introspective exploration of isolation, wonder and the fragility of life, with writer Charlotte Wood.
John Lyons: A Bunker in Kyiv
Sunday 25 May, 11am–12pm – Track 8, Carriageworks
With Ukraine’s long-term future in doubt, multi-award-winning journalist and ABC Global Affairs Editor John Lyons takes readers behind the front line of the war in Ukraine in A Bunker in Kyiv. Join him as he appears live via video.
Rick Morton: The story of Robodebt
Sunday 25 May, 3–4pm – Track 8, Carriageworks
Join Walkley Award–winning journalist Rick Morton as he delves into Mean Streak, his gripping account of the Robodebt scandal, one of Australia’s greatest public administration failures. Written like a corporate thriller, this powerful work exposes the lies, their consequences and the more profound truths they reveal about Australia today. He is hosted by Schwartz Media CEO Erik Jensen.
