01-04-26
Special May event with Sarah Wilson
Join us for a special event with New York Times bestselling author and journalist Sarah Wilson on 29 May from 7.30pm at the University of Newcastle Conservatorium of Music. Sarah…
Read more
Category: Uncategorized
19-03-26
Updates: Literary Trivia with Nick Milligan
We look forward to welcoming you to the Customs House Hotel for this year’s Newcastle Writers Festival Trivia Night. Please note that bookings for this event close at 5.00pm on…
Read more
10-03-26
New writing competition for Hunter region students
Newcastle Writers Festival invites young writers living in the Hunter region to submit to the Story Hunter Schools Writing Competition. The prize seeks to celebrate and encourage the next generation…
Read more
08-03-26
Re-view: Artists respond to festival books
Celebrate the launch of RE-VIEW at Back to Back Galleries on 27 March from 5.30pm to 7.30pm. The exhibition features Hunter region artists who have responded to books by authors…
Read more
08-02-26
How to Book Tickets for NWF2026
For this year’s festival, there are two main ticketing providers. Ticket links are available in the individual event information on the festival website. Events held in Newcastle City Hall must…
Read more
19-01-26
Simon Winchester special event cancelled
Due to health reasons, Simon Winchester has cancelled his upcoming Australian tour. All ticket holders will receive a refund. Internationally acclaimed British author Simon Winchester will speak about his fascinating…
Read more
07-01-26
Volunteer applications now open
Applications to volunteer for the 2026 Newcastle Writers Festival have now closed. Volunteers play a crucial role in the presentation of Newcastle Writers Festival. As many as 150 people from…
Read more
09-12-25
First artists announced for 2026 festival
International best-selling writer and Reese Witherspoon’s November Book Club pick Charlotte McConaghy, much-loved cook and Australian treasure Stephanie Alexander, and British philosopher A. C. Grayling are among 150 writers participating…
Read more
04-11-25
Fresh Ink Prize winner
Congratulations to Hunter region writer Jessie Ansons who has been awarded the 2025 Fresh Ink Prize for a regional NSW emerging writer. Jessie receives $5000 for professional development thanks to…
Read more
04-11-25
Partnerships and Development Manager
Newcastle Writers Festival is seeking a Partnerships and Development Manager to play a crucial role in growing, broadening and sustaining sponsorship revenue and partnerships to support the strategic ambitions of…
Read more
09-10-25
2025 Fresh Ink Shortlist
Three Hunter region residents are among five writers shortlisted for the 2025 Fresh Ink Prize. This is the fifth year Newcastle Writers Festival has offered the prize, which is open…
Read more
30-09-25
Volunteer Coordinator
Newcastle Writers Festival is seeking an organised, people-focused Volunteer Coordinator to join our small, passionate team on a fixed-term contract. This role is essential to the successful delivery of the…
Read more
05-08-25
Spring Program launched
Newcastle Writers Festival is delighted to announce a special spring program with an exciting lineup of Australian and international writers. Five events will be held from 20 September to 25…
Read more
22-05-25
Festival secures NSW Government multi-year funding
Newcastle Writers Festival is among 32 regional arts organisations and 82 across the state to secure NSW Government multi-year funding. The government’s arts body Create NSW announced the recipients this…
Read more
15-04-25
A. C. Grayling special event
We are excited to welcome eminent British philosopher Professor A.C. Grayling to Newcastle for the first time for a special event on 20 May at 7.30pm at Newcastle Library, centred…
Read more
20-03-25
Environmental Nonfiction: New short course
Newcastle Writers Festival and The University of Newcastle’s School of Humanities, Creative Industries and Social Sciences are collaborating to offer a month-long intensive creative writing short course from 3 to 21…
Read more
22-04-24
2025 joanne burns Microlit Award
Newcastle Writers Festival and publisher Spineless Wonders are excited to announce the launch of the 2025 joanne burns Microlit Award. Melbourne writer and academic Cassandra Atherton and Canberra-based poet and…
Read more
18-04-24
Story Hunter Historical Fiction Masterclass
One early Wednesday morning, 55 excited children gathered outside Newcastle Museum, ready to flex their writing skills, meet new friends, and dive a little deeper into history. Ranging in age…
Read more
05-04-24
Weather Update for NWF2024
A severe weather system is expected to generate heavy rain in Newcastle until Sunday but we won’t let that dampen your festival experience. There will be plenty of space to…
Read more
23-03-24
2024 Festival Box Office
Need assistance buying tickets for the festival? Maybe you prefer to buy them in person, or you have accessibility requirements? Our ticketing manager Melissa Chandler will be available to assist…
Read more
18-02-24
Caelli Brooker Designs the 2024 Festival Program
The artwork for the 2024 Newcastle Writers Festival program was designed by Caelli Jo Brooker, a Newcastle artist and designer with cultural ties to Wangaaypuwan and Kawambarai Country in Central…
Read more
29-09-23
2023 Fresh Ink Prize Shortlist
Three Hunter region residents are among the six writers shortlisted for the 2023 Fresh Ink Prize. This is the third year Newcastle Writers Festival has offered the prize, which is…
Read more
19-07-23
2023 Fresh Ink Prize
Newcastle Writers Festival has launched its third annual Fresh Ink Emerging Writer Prize for those living in regional New South Wales. The winner will receive $5000 prize money provided by…
Read more
02-07-23
Microlit Writing Workshop at Newcastle Library
Love to write but find it hard to find the time? Why not try microlit?! This workshop will help you write, edit and then submit a microlit piece (200 words…
Read more
16-06-23
2023 Schools Program Announced
Join Newcastle Writers Festival on 28 August for our first live Schools Program in four years! The program is part of this year’s Book Week celebrations and draws on the…
Read more
06-06-23
Special Book Week Program for Primary Students
The Newcastle Writers Festival is thrilled to be presenting its first live Schools Program in four years. We can’t wait to welcome primary students back in August! Special guests include…
Read more
29-01-23
Volunteer with us
Volunteer registration is now open for the 2023 festival. We’ve been very fortunate to have wonderful volunteers since the inaugural festival in 2013, and every year we welcome both reliable…
Read more
07-12-22
First writers announced for 2023 festival
Award-winning and much-loved Australian writers Craig Silvey (pictured) and Pip Williams, as well as debut authors Mawunyo Gbogbo, Andrew Quilty, and Amy Thunig, are among 100 artists participating in the…
Read more
17-11-22
New creative writing program for schools
Newcastle Writers Festival launched Story Hunter, a new creative writing program for Hunter region primary school students, on Thursday, 17 November, at Mayfield West Demonstration School. Story Hunter is a…
Read more
20-10-22
Special event with Kevin Rudd
Join us on Tuesday 22 November for a wide-ranging discussion between former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and the ABC’s Matt Bevan about geopolitics, media, and the health of democracy. As…
Read more
16-10-22
2022 Fresh Ink Prize Winner Announced
Blue Mountains writer Alejandra Martinez has been awarded the 2022 Fresh Emerging Writers Ink Prize and receives $5000 for professional development and a week-long residency at Varuna. “I have been…
Read more
29-09-22
2022 Fresh Ink Prize Shortlist
Judges Magdalena Ball, Winnie Dunn, and Andrew Pippos have selected five writers for the 2022 Fresh Ink Emerging Writer Prize shortlist. “These shortlisted writers are connected through their strong themes,…
Read more
25-07-22
2022 Fresh Ink Prize
Newcastle Writers Festival is inviting emerging writers living in regional NSW to submit to the 2022 Fresh Ink Emerging Writers Prize. The prize seeks to elevate marginalised voices and is…
Read more
24-04-22
Work with us
The new position of Youth Creative Writing Program Coordinator will be pivotal in helping Newcastle Writers Festival establish Story Hunter, an exciting new program for primary school students. The program…
Read more
23-03-22
Festival book drive
Festival book donation drive We will be holding a book drive during the festival weekend on April 2 and 3 to help flood-affected libraries in northern NSW rebuild their collections….
Read more
08-03-22
Newcastle Writers Festival launches 2022 program
The Newcastle Writers Festival launched its ninth program on Thursday night, March 3, with a special event at Newcastle City Hall featuring much-loved gardening identity Costa Georgiadis and hosted by Paul West.
Read more
16-09-21
Fresh Ink Emerging Writers Prize Shortlist
Fresh Ink Emerging Writers Prize Shortlist Congratulations to Alex Chalwell, Rebecca Chaney, Lorina Mason and Nate McCarthy who have been shortlisted from 80 emerging regional NSW writers for the inaugural…
Read more
28-07-21
Festival update
Due to the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 outbreak in Sydney, we have decided to postpone our September event until 2022. While we are not in lockdown in Newcastle, there…
Read more
03-02-21
Julia Gillard: Women & Leadership
UPDATE: THIS EVENT HAS SOLD OUT Newcastle Writers Festival and City of Newcastle present Julia Gillard: Women and Leadership 6pm-7pm Sat 13 February, The Arena NEX Tickets $30 (plus fees…
Read more
31-01-21
Work with us
NWF is thrilled to have received Create NSW funding to appoint three guest curators in 2021: First Nations Curator; Poetry Curator; and an Emerging Curator. There is scope for the…
Read more
16-04-20
The joanne burns microlit award now open
The 2021 joanne burns Microlit Award is now open. Entries of 200 words should be inspired by the theme ‘pulped fiction’. The award is a collaboration between Newcastle Writers Festival…
Read more
18-12-19
Farewell to Jill Emberson
The Newcastle Writers Festival has lost one of its most treasured supporters. Much-loved ABC Newcastle presenter Jill Emberson died last night surrounded by her loved ones after a determined struggle…
Read more
03-05-19
Double poetry book launch: DH Lawrence edition and David Musgrave 13 May
Invitation to a Joint Book Launch You are invited to attend a joint launch of D. H. Lawrence‘s The Poems, Volume III: Uncollected Poems and Early Versions, edited by Christopher…
Read more
14-04-19
2019: That’s a wrap!
Wow! What a festival. It is hard to believe that just over a week ago we were in the midst of the Schools Program and getting ready for the opening…
Read more
19-01-19
First guests announced for 2019
We are thrilled to announce the first of 120 guests for the 2019 festival, which will be held from April 5 to 7 in the Civic Precinct. The full program will be…
Read more
19-01-19
2018 Newcastle Writers Festival/ joanne burns Microlit Award finalists announced
The finalists in the 2018 NWF/joanne burns MicroLit Award have now been announced. Two of these finalists will go on to win the joanne burns Microlit Award for the National…
Read more
13-06-18
Anne Summers in Newcastle Sunday 4 November
Respected journalist, editor, policy maker and feminist Anne Summers will visit Newcastle on 4 November to discuss her new memoir Unfettered and Alive. Anne has influenced and often shaped the…
Read more
14-06-17
Special August double bill
Join us for a very special event at the University of Newcastle’s Conservatorium of Music featuring Professor of Philosophy Emrys Westacott and award-winning British journalist and best-selling author Christina Lamb….
Read more
20-05-17
Mark Colvin
Everyone involved with the Newcastle Writers Festival is deeply saddened by the death of Mark Colvin. His brilliant journalism, ideas and insight have helped shape healthy debate about a number…
Read more
02-05-17
2017 Program Highlights
Newcastle Writers Festival director Rosemarie Milsom outlines some of this year’s program highlights. Thanks to our major sponsor Newcastle City Council. Watch the video!
Read more
09-04-17
Even more Poetry – at the Pub
Poetry at the Pub – a wonderful Newcastle institution – will hold a special session on 10 April to wrap up NWF17, with Festival guest poets John Foulcher and Melinda…
Read more
01-03-17
NBN interviews NWF Director Rosemarie Milsom
NBN news interviewed the NWF Director, Rosemarie Milsom, about Newcastle Writers Festival’s 2017 spectacular line-up. Watch the video here!
Read more
01-03-17
Launch of 2017 Newcastle Writers Festival Program
The launch of the 2017 Newcastle Writers Festival program was held at Newcastle Region Library. Festival director Rosemarie Milsom thanked sponsors, including Arts NSW, Newcastle City Council, The University of…
Read more
20-12-16
First guest writers announced for NWF17
In the December 2016 NWF newsletter, Rosemarie Milsom announces, I have finalised the program for next year’s Festival and am thrilled to announce that Nick Earls and Tara Moss are…
Read more
17-12-16
Newcastle Writers Festival 2017 School Program
The Newcastle Writers Festival is proud to be presenting a school program in 2017 in partnership with Newcastle Region Library. Bookings open 6 February 2017, via Ticketek. DOWNLOAD THE 2017…
Read more
24-11-16
2017 Newcastle Short Story Award
The 2017 Newcastle Short Story Award, which is organised by the Hunter Writers Centre, is now open for entries of up to 2000 words. Submission are open to all Australians…
Read more
26-10-16
Email maintenance 27 October
The NWF email system was down for maintenance on Thursday 27 October 2016. We apologise for any inconvenience. During maintenance any emails sent to NWF email addresses may either have…
Read more
21-10-16
NWF/joanne burns MICRO-LIT AWARD FINALISTS ANNOUNCED
Congratulations to the Newcastle category finalists: Dael Allison for Breakwall and Amanda Berry for As We That Are Left. Congratulations also to the national category long-list finalists: After the Storm,…
Read more
12-06-16
The 2016 NWF/Joanne Burns Award for Microlit
UPDATE: ENTRIES ARE NOW CLOSED THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST We are very excited to announce that the 2016 Joanne Burns Award for Microlit will be jointly sponsored by the…
Read more
05-06-16
If you missed Richard Glover…
No need to stress if you missed seeing Richard Glover and Rosie Waterland talking to Meredith Jaffe at the 2016 Newcastle Writers Festival about balancing family obligation and the urge…
Read more
05-06-16
If you missed seeing Stan Grant…
Don’t despair if you missed the fantastic session with Stan Grant and Jill Emberson at NWF16 in April 2016 – we have footage!
Read more