Vampires in the Sunburnt Country

An ongoing listing of literature-related events in Australia. Feel free to contact me with additions and corrections.
Watch for = dates or information TBC.

2013

Watch for these throughout the year:

 

• Outspoken at Maleny, Maleny, QLD. Gen lit author talks.
• Riverbend Poetry Series, Brisbane, QLD. Poetry readings.

 

January

Jan 11-13: QWC Rabbit Hole, Brisbane and online, intensive writing session.
Jan 19-20: Oz Horror Con, Melbourne, VIC

February

Feb 9-10: UWA Writers Corner, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA. Alumni gen. lit.
Feb 19: Riverbend Poetry Series, Riverbend Books, Brisbane. Poetry.
Feb 20-22: National Screenwriters Conference, Mornington Peninsula, VIC
Feb 21-24: Perth Writers Week, Perth, WA. General lit.
Feb 21-24: National Play Festival, Perth, WA. Playwriting.
Feb 24-26: Write in the Great Southern, regional WA. General lit.

March

Mar 1-3: Australian Romance Readers Convention, Brisbane, QLD. Romance.
Mar 2-7: Adelaide Writers Week, SA. Gen. lit.
Mar 9-10: Oz Comic-Con, Perth, WA. Pop culture.
Mar 13-15: Somerset Celebration of Literature, Gold Coast, QLD. Gen and YA.
Mar 16: Festival of Speculative Fiction, Sydney, NSW. Spec fic.
Mar 16-17: Oz Comic-Con, Adelaide, SA. Pop culture.
Mar 21-24: Tasmanian Writers Festival, Hobart, TAS (no website, but keep an eye on Tassie Writers Centre). Gen lit.
Mar 22-24: Australian Festival of Travel Writing, Melbourne, VIC. Travel writing.
Mar 22-24: Bellingen Writers Festival, Bellingen, NSW. Australian general lit.
Mar 29-31: Snowy Mountains Readers and Writers Festival, Jindabyne, NSW. General lit.
Mar 29 – Apr 1: Swancon, Perth, WA. Spec fic.

Watch for:

 

• Storylines Literary Festival, Perth, WA. YA.
• Norman Lindsay Festival of Children’s Literature, Faulconbridge, NSW.

 

 

April

Apr 4-7: Oracles of the Bush, Tenterfield, NSW. Bush poetry, lit and music.
Apr 5-7: Newcastle Writers Festival, NSW. Gen. lit.
Apr 5-14: National Youth Week
Apr 10-12: National IPEd Editors’ Conference, Perth, WA
Apr 12-14: Supanova, Melbourne, VIC. Pop culture.
Apr 19-21: Supanova, Gold Coast, QLD. Pop culture.
Apr 20: CQ Literary Luncheon, Rockhampton, QLD. YA and childrens/schools.
Apr 23: Riverbend Poetry Series, Riverbend Books, Brisbane. Poetry.
Apr 25-28: Conflux, Canberra, ACT. Spec fic.
Apr 25-28: Eye of the Storm, Alice Springs, NT. Gen. fic.

Watch for:

 

• Past Matters Festival, Eltham, VIC. Gen. lit.

 

May

May 3-5: Newstead Short Story Tattoo, Newstead, VIC. Gen. lit.
May 3-5: StripFest, Fitzroy, VIC. Arts fest with poetry and readings.
May 4-5: Clunes Booktown Festival, Clunes, VIC. Book sale.
May 8-19: Anywhere Theatre Festival, Brisbane, QLD. Poetry, drama, performance.
May 10 – June 2: Bayside Literary Festival, Bayside, VIC. Gen. lit.
May 17-19: Margaret River Readers & Writers Festival, WA. Gen. lit.
May 17-18: Literati, Gold Coast, QLD. General lit.
May 18: Aurealis Awards, Sydney, NSW. Spec fic awards night.
May 18: Bundaberg Writefest, Bundaberg, QLD. General lit and workshops.
May 18-21: Varuna Sydney Writers Festival Blue Mountains Program, Katoomba, NSW. Gen. lit.
May 20-26: Sydney Writers Festival, NSW. Gen. lit.
May 23 – Jun 2: Emerging Writers Festival, Melbourne, VIC. Gen. lit.
May 30 – June 1: Reading Matters, Melbourne, VIC. YA and schools, conference.
May 30 – August 2:Monash Wordfest, Monash (Melbourne), VIC. General lit, presentation series.
May 31 – 2 Jun: Williamstown Literary Festival, Williamstown, VIC. General lit.

Watch for:

 

• Wordstorm, Darwin, NT. Gen lit. Next to be held in 2014.
• National Poetry Festival. Poetry.

 

June

Jun 1-4: Voices on the Coast, Sunshine Coast, QLD. YA.
Jun 6-10: Henry Lawson Festival, Grenfell, NSW. Bush poetry, lit, music.
Jun 7-10: Continuum, Melbourne, VIC. Spec fic.
Jun 7-10: Woodend Winter Arts Festival, Woodend, VIC. General lit.
Jun 8-10: Gloucester Writers Festival, Gloucester, NSW. General lit.
Jun 14-23: Noosa Long Weekend, Noosa, QLD. Gen lit stream.
Jun 21: Torquay Froth and Bubble, Torquay, VIC. General lit monthly winter series.
June 18: Riverbend Poetry Series, Riverbend Books, Brisbane. Poetry.
Jun 21-23: Supanova, Sydney, NSW. Pop culture.
Jun 28-30: Supanova, Perth, WA. Pop culture.

Watch for:

 

• Townsville Literary Festival, Townsville, QLD. General fiction.
• Antipodes Writing Festival, Melbourne, VIC. General lit with a Greek focus.
• Torquay Froth and Bubble, Torquay, VIC. General lit.

 

July

Jul 3-5: ASAL ‘Country’ Conference, Wagga Wagga, NSW. Academic.
Jul 6:Children’s and Young Adult Writers and Illustrators (CYA) Conference, South Brisbane. Children’s and YA.
Jul 6-7: Oz Comic-Con, Melbourne, VIC. Pop culture.
Jul 12-14: Southern Highlands Writers’ Festival, Bowral, NSW. General lit.
Jul 17-20: Whitsunday Voices Youth Literature Festival, Mackay, QLD
Jul 18-21: Mildura Writers Festival, Mildura, VIC. General lit.
Jul 19: Torquay Froth and Bubble, Torquay, VIC. General lit, monthly winter series.
Jul 25-28: Reality Bites, Cooroy, QLD. Nonfiction.
Jul 30 – Aug 2: From Reef to Rigger: This is My Place!, Gladstone, QLD. YA/schools, run by Curtis Coast Literary Carnivale.

Watch for:

 

• Curtis Coast Literary Carnivale, Gladstone, QLD. General lit. Biennial: next in 2014.
• Kimberley Writers Festival, Kununurra, WA. General lit.

 

August

Aug 2-4: Byron Bay Writers Festival, Byron Bay, NSW. Gen. lit.
Aug 2-30: Words in Winter, Daylesford and surrounding towns, VIC. General lit.
Aug 3: Torquay Froth and Bubble, Torquay, VIC. General lit, monthly winter series.
Aug 7-8: Storyology, Sydney, NSW. Industry. Watch Walkley Foundation for details.
Aug 9-11: Corrugated Lines, Broome, WA.
Aug 9-11: Bendigo Writers Festival, Bendigo, VIC. General lit.
Aug 16: Elizabeth Jolley Conference, Fremantle, WA. Academia meets romance.
Aug 16-18: Romance Writers of Australia conference, Fremantle, WA. Romance.
Aug 17-23: Book Week, national school-based events hosted by Children’s Book Council of Australia.
Aug 22 – 1 Sep: Melbourne Writers Festival, Melbourne, VIC. General lit.
Aug 23-25: Queensland Poetry Festival, Brisbane, QLD. Poetry.
Aug 23 – Sep 6: Salisbury Writers’ Festival, Salisbury, SA. General lit.
Aug 29: Queensland Business Writers’ Conference, Brisbane, QLD. Corporate.

Watch for:

 

• Sci Fi and Fantasy Month, all Logan libraries, QLD. Spec fic.
• WA Poetry Festival, Perth, WA. Poetry.
• Sydney Jewish Writers’ Festival, Sydney, NSW. General lit.

 

September

Sep 4-8: Brisbane Writers Festival, Brisbane, QLD. General lit.
Sep 6-9: Sydney Fringe, Sydney, NSW. Gen lit components.
Sep 9-17: StoryArts Festival Ipswich, Ipswich, QLD. Childrens and YA focus.
Sep 11-15: Write Around the Murray, Albury, NSW. General lit.
Sep 13-15: Big Sky Writers and Readers Festival, Geraldton, WA. General lit.

Watch for:

 

• Ballarat Writers & Illustrators Festival, Ballarat, VIC. Children’s and YA.
• Indigenous Literacy Day, national events. General lit, YA focus.
• Tropical Writers Festival, Cairns, QLD. Gen lit.
• Avon Valley Writer’s Festival, Northam and Toodyay Libraries, WA. General lit.
• Canberra Readers’ Festival, ACT. General lit.
• CrimeScene, Perth, WA. Crime fiction.

 

October

Oct 3-6: National Young Writers Festival, Newcastle, NSW. General lit.
Oct 7-13: Queensland Writers Week, statewide, QLD. Gen lit, open source events.
Oct 11-13: GenreCon, Brisbane, QLD. Genre fiction.
Oct 17-19: Australian Society of Authors National Writers’ Congress, Sydney, NSW. Gen lit, industry conference.
Oct 18-20: Watermark Literary Muster, Kendall, NSW. Nature and environment.
Oct 25-27: Maleny Celebration of Books, Maleny, QLD. General lit, YA.

Watch for:

 

• Boundless: Festival of Australian Children’s Literature, Canberra, ACT. Children’s and YA.
• Tasmanian Poetry Festival, Launceston, TAS.
• The Word Writers Fair, Sunshine Coast, QLD. Christian.
• Unley Libraries Festival, Adelaide, SA. General local lit.
• Regional Arts Australia National Conference, Goolwa, SA.
• CANCELLED: Gold Coast Writers Festival, Gold Coast, QLD. General lit expo, focus on indie/self-pub.
• Freecon, Sydney (UTS), NSW. Speculative fiction.
• World Matters Literary Festival, Eltham, VIC. General lit, politics.

November

Nov 8-10: Supanova, Brisbane, QLD. Pop culture.
Nov 15-17: Supanova, Adelaide, SA. Pop culture.
Nov 16-18: Sutherland Shire Writers Festival, Gymea, NSW. General lit.
Nov 22-24: QWC Rabbit Hole, Brisbane and online, intensive writing session.

Watch for:

• Nanowrimo, international. Write a novel in a month.
• Independent Publishers Conference, Melbourne, VIC. Indie publishing.

 

December 2013

Nil.
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