Byron Writers Festival

Louise Milligan

Louise Milligan is a multi-award-winning investigative journalist for ABC TV's Four Corners. Shellybanks is her second novel.

Steve MinOn

Steve MinOn’s debut novel First Name Second Name was longlisted for the 2026 Miles Franklin, and shortlisted for the MUD Literary Prize.

Leanne Minshull

Leanne Minshull is the Co-CEO at the Australia Institute and a board member of the Graeme Wood Foundation.

Meg Mason

Meg Mason is the author of You Be Mother and the international bestselling Sorrow and Bliss. Her latest novel is Sophie, Standing There.

Angela Mackay

Former FT journalist and now Chief Commercial Officer, FT Group.

Mandy Nolan

Mandy Nolan has been performing stand-up comedy for nearly 30 years and has taught, published, and engaged in community activism.

Sarah Ndiaye

Sarah Ndiaye is the Mayor of Byron Shire Council. She believes the ocean teaches you everything worth knowing about patience, power and perspective.

Bebe Oliver

Bebe Oliver is a Bardi Jawi award-winning author, poet and illustrator and Artistic Director of Blak & Bright. His latest book is if this is the end.

Mick O'Regan

Mick O'Regan is a journalist and broadcaster with more than two decades experience with the ABC and Seven Network.

Kerry O'Brien

Kerry O'Brien is one of Australia's most respected journalists with six Walkley Awards. Kerry co-wrote The Voice to Parliament Handbook.

Debra Oswald

Debra Oswald is a two-time winner of the NSW Premier's Literary Award and created the TV series Offspring. Her new novel is 100 Years of Betty.

Anna O'Grady

Anna is a Publicity Director at Simon and Schuster Australia and has been part of acquisition team for the last 12 years.

Turia Pitt

Turia Pitt is the best-selling author of 3 books. Her latest book is Selfish: How to unlearn the rules that are breaking you.

Kirra Pendergast

Kirra Pendergast is a globally recognised online safety expert and co-author of Digital Freedom (with Maggie Dent).

Luke Patterson

Luke Patterson is a Gamilaroi poet, educator and musician. His debut poetry collection, A Savage Turn, is published by Magabala Books

Andrew Pippos

Andrew Pippos is the author of the novels The Transformations (2025) and Lucky's (2020), which were both published by Picador.

Mark Pope

Mark Pope is an Australian music industry legend with a career spanning artist management, touring, A&R, ARIAs and iconic live events.

Amanda Reichelt-Brushett

Amanda Reichelt-Brushett is a professor at Southern Cross University and a lover of clean waters and healthy ecosystems.

Isabelle Reinecke

Isabelle Reinecke is an expert in how law, politics and power shape our climate, society and democracy. She is ED/Founder of Grata Fund.

Amy Remeikis

Amy Remeikis is the author of Screw Nice and Where It All Went Wrong. She is the Chief Political Analyst for the Australia Institute.

Benja Roberts

Benja Roberts, also known as Mibilahm, is a Bundjalung singer-songwriter who has for the past decade immersed himself in the world of music, singing with bands out front or back-up.

Ben Roche

Ben Roche is Pro Vice-Chancellor of Southern Cross University and leads the University’s strategic impact agenda in research and education.

David Sly

David Sly has published six books, and is a judge of the annual MUD Literary Prize, for best debut Australian literary novel.

Julianne Schultz

Dr Julianne Schultz is author of The Idea of Australia and executive producer of the SBS series. She was founding editor of Griffith Review.

Nell Schofield

Nell Schofield is a well-known public figure in Australia for her work as a performer, writer, broadcaster, activist and producer.

Geetanjali Shree

Winner of the 2022 International Booker Prize, and of the Warwick Prize for Women in Translation, for her novel, Tomb of Sand (Ret Samadhi in the Hindi original).

Tricia Shantz

Tricia Shantz is a social geographer, research consultant, and author who works and lives in Byron Bay, Australia. Her recent book is Musicland: When the Music Came to Byron 1970-1995.

Micaela Sahhar

Micaela Sahhar’s first book, Find Me at the Jaffa Gate, won the 2026 Victorian Premier's Literary Award for Non-Fiction.

Niki Savva

Niki Savva is a columnist with The Age and SMH and appears on ABC's Insiders. She is the author of Earthquake: The Election that Shook Australia.

Mark Smith

Mark Smith is the author of six novels and an award-winning writer of short fiction and non fiction. His latest novel is Where Truth Ends.

Thammika Songkaeo

Thammika Songkaeo is the author of Stamford Hospital, a debut novel on maternal ambivalence, sexual desire, and the limits placed on women's choices.

Marika Sosnowski

Marika Sosnowski is a legal anthropologist and the granddaughter of Polish and Dutch Holocaust survivors. She is author of 58 Facets.

Victor Steffensen

Victor Steffensen is a traditional knowledge practitioner. Co-founder of the Living Knowledge Network, his books include Fire Country and The Knowledge.

Janet Swain

Janet Swain is the leader of Big Voice Choir and many local community choirs.

Sarah Temporal

Sarah Temporal is a prize-winning poet and director of Poets Out Loud Youth Slam. Her debut collection Tight Bindings explores the stories we tell and secrets we keep.

Bridie Tanner

Bridie Tanner is an op-shop enthusiast, Bulldogs tragic, and is the Breakfast presenter of ABC North Coast.

Zoe Terakes

Zoe Terakes is an acclaimed actor and writer. They are a vocal advocate for trans rights within the industry. Their first book is Eros.

Steve Toltz

Steve Toltz is the author of four novels; A Fraction of the Whole, Quicksand, Here Goes Nothing and his latest, A Rising of the Lights.

Nicholas Timms

Nicholas Timms is the author of The Lineup and a lifelong surfer. Raised in Byron, he lives in Sydney and works at a major ad agency.

Joel Taylor

Joel Taylor is a two-time World Champion paraplegic surfer born and bred at Lennox Head on the Far North Coast of New South Wales.

Sam Thaiday

Sam Thaiday is a hugely popular NRL legend of Torres Strait Islander descent. His book for children is How The Fish Got Their Bones.

Claire Thomas

Claire Thomas is the Naarm-based author of On Not Climbing Mountains and The Performance.

Lucianne Tonti

Lucianne Tonti is The Saturday Paper's fashion editor, Elle's sustainability editor and columnist for The Guardian. Her new book is Good Witch.

Jack Toohey

Jack Toohey is a Sydney-based writer focused on social inequality and climate justice. He is author of Better Things Are Possible.

Zoë Tuckwell

Zoë Tuckwell is an author and engagement specialist at Energy Leadership Australia, working towards stronger climate policy and clean energy.

Sonya Voumard

Sonya Voumard is an award-winning non-fiction author and a former political journalist with the Age. Her latest book is a memoir called Tremor.

Maria van Neerven

Maria van Neerven is a Mununjali poet from the Yugambeh nation and was the 2023 winner of the David Unaipon Award.

Sita Walker

Sita Walker is a high school English teacher, freelance writer and award-winning memoirist. In a Common Hour is her debut novel.

Festival '26

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Byron Bay NSW 2481

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