Willoughby Literary Festival: Friday 19 July
19 July 2026 @ 10:00 am - 4:30 pm
Book lovers on the Lower North Shore have a treat coming their way. The Willoughby Literary Festival is back from Friday 17 to Sunday 19 July 2026, with a packed program of free author talks, panels and readings at Chatswood Library.
The festival is presented by Willoughby City Library and runs across three days, with sessions in most time slots so there is always something to duck into between other school holiday plans. All sessions are free, though bookings are required, and books will be available for purchase at Chatswood Library with signings after each session courtesy of Constant Reader Bookshop.
- 10–11am: Catherine DeVrye, Beyond Timbuktu
- 10–11am: Zena Shapter, Make talk matter
- 10–11am: Michael Visontay in conversation
- 11:15am–12:15pm: Osher Günsberg
- 11:15am–12:15pm: Kate Forsyth in conversation with Sue Williams
- 11:15am–12:15pm: Jane Messer in conversation with Cynthia Banham
- 12:45–1:45pm: Michelle de Kretser in conversation with Walter Mason
- 12:45–1:45pm: Zahid Gamieldien, Writing for different formats
- 12:45–1:45pm: Mette Menzies in conversation with Claudine Tinellis
- 2–3pm: Michael Burge in conversation with Candice Fox
- 2–3pm: Pamela Freeman, The editing-to-publishing pipeline
- 2–3pm: Yumna Kassab in conversation with Eda Gunaydin
- 3:30–4:30pm: Alex Sarkis in conversation with Sarah Ayoub
- 3:30–4:30pm: Open mic session, featuring reader Guan Un
- 3:30–4:30pm: Inside Publishing: Industry Leaders in Conversation, with Lucy Hayward, Patrizia Di Biase-Dyson and Meredith Curnow, moderated by Jay Lansdown
