Overview

SWF Live & Local: Maitland Town Hall brings the excitement of Sydney Writers’ Festival to Maitland for an immersive afternoon and evening of stories, ideas and conversation.

Enjoy a live, in‑venue author talk and settle in for a curated program of live‑streamed festival sessions featuring some of today’s most celebrated international writers, and delicious food and drinks along the way.

Spanning fantasy and myth, literary icons, and deeply moving stories of love and memory, this event showcases the power of storytelling across genres and generations—shared live, local, and on the global stage.

Emma Gray
3.00–3.50pm
An engaging live conversation with the acclaimed Australian author to open the afternoon.

Live‑streamed Sydney Writers’ Festival sessions

Fantastical Worlds: The masters, myths and magic that keep readers hooked
4.00–4.55pm
Lev Grossman, R.F. Kuang and Garth Nix discuss fantasy’s enduring appeal, imaginative world‑building and devoted readers. Hosted by Carody Culver.

Food and book talk break
4.55 – 6.00
Enjoy some delicious food while chatting with other book lovers from the Maitland area.

Roddy Doyle in Conversation
6.00–6.55pm
Booker Prize–winning Irish author Roddy Doyle reflects on his celebrated career and latest novel, The Women Behind the Door, in conversation with Kate Evans.

Dessert and Literary trivia
6.55 – 8.00
Enjoy a delicious sweet treat while testing your literary knowledge with our boisterous literary trivia.

Lily King: Heart the Lover
8.00–9.00pm
New York Times bestselling author Lily King explores love, desire, forgiveness and loss in her latest novel, in conversation with Melanie Kembrey.