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

FOR 2015 EVENTS, CLICK HERE

2014

Watch for these throughout the year:

• Outspoken, Maleny, QLD. Gen lit author talks.
• Riverbend Poetry Series, Brisbane, QLD. Poetry readings. ALSO keep an eye out for a strong program of author visits and events throughout the year.
• GenreCon mini events (the main conference will not be held in 2014). Genre fiction.
• Association for the Study of Australian Literature has academic symposiums through the year.
• Whispers, a free monthly series of author readings at the State Library cafe in Brisbane, is hosted by Queensland Writers Centre.
• Poetry at The Gods, a monthly reading series at The Gods Cafe, ANU, Canberra, ACT.
• The Melbourne Literary Salon meets the first Tuesday of the month in a city cafe.
• The Australian Bush Poets Association maintains a list of events for bush poets, at times run in conjunction with other festivals.
• Melbourne’s Crime and Justice Festival has events throughout the year as well as its annual fest.
• Do check writers’ centres for event information. These are some who organise public events: ACT, NSW, QLD, WA, SA, NT, VIC, TAS, Katharine Susannah Prichard (Perth, WA), Northern Rivers (Byron Bay, NSW), Sunshine Hinterland (Sunshine Coast, QLD), Varuna (Blue Mountains, NSW).

January

Jan 17-19: The Rabbit Hole, Brisbane and online. Free writing event where wordcount rules.

February

Feb 6-7: Travelling-Writing-Tasmania, Launceston, TAS. Tassie travel writing symposium.
Feb 7-17: Banjo Paterson Festival, Orange, NSW. All things Banjo, especially poetry!
Feb 13-24: Digital Writers Festival, online. General (digital) lit.
Feb 14: Poetry d’Amour, Perth and Mandurah, WA. Poetry.
Feb 14 – Jun 16: Words by the Bay: Bayside Literary Series, Bayside, VIC. A series of talks, workshops and launches.
Feb 20-23: Perth Writers Festival, Perth, WA. General lit.
Feb 27 – Mar 2: Dunedoo Bush Poetry Festival, Dunedoo, NSW. Bush poetry.

March

Mar 1-6: Adelaide Writers Week, SA. General lit.
Mar 6: A Night with Our Stars, Perth, WA. Children’s.
Mar 9: Whispers, Brisbane, QLD. Author readings.
Mar 14-16: Beaconsfield Festival of Golden Words, Tamar Valley, TAS. General lit, poetry, children’s, wine and food writers.
Mar 19-21: Somerset Celebration of Literature, Gold Coast, QLD. Gen and YA.
Mar 21-23: Queermance, Melbourne, VIC. GLBT
Mar 22: Australian Romance Readers Awards Night, Sydney, NSW. Romance.
Mar 22: Indie Authors Down Under, Gold Coast, QLD. General lit.
Mar 23: Children’s Book Festival, Melbourne, VIC. Children’s and YA.
Mar 27-28: Storylines Literary Festival, Perth, WA. YA.
Mar 29: Playwriting Festival, NSW Writers Centre, Sydney, NSW. Theatre.
Mar 29-30: Oz Comic-Con, Perth, WA. Pop culture.

April

Apr 3-6: Oracles of the Bush, Tenterfield, NSW. Bush poetry, lit and music
Apr 4-6: Newcastle Writers Festival, NSW. Gen. lit.
Apr 4-6: Supanova, Gold Coast, QLD. Pop culture.
Apr 4-13: National Youth Week, various. Youth.
Apr 5: Conflux Writer’s Day, Canberra, ACT. Gen lit, genre, craft-oriented.
Apr 5: Aurealis Awards, Canberra, ACT. Genre awards night.
Apr 5-6: Oz Comic-Con, Adelaide, SA. Pop culture.
Apr 6: Ipswich Poetry Feast, Ipswich, QLD. Poetry.
Apr 10-13: Jane Austen Festival Australia, Canberra, ACT. All things Jane.
Apr 11-13: Supanova, Melbourne, VIC. Pop culture.
Apr 13: Whispers, Brisbane, QLD. Author readings.
Apr 17-21 : Swancon 39, Perth, WA. Genre and pop culture.
Apr 19: Snowy Mountains Readers Writers Association Children’s Festival, Jindabyne, NSW. Children’s, YA.
Apr 23-24, 26: Voices on the Coast, Sunshine Coast, QLD. YA.
Apr 24-27: Lighthouse Literary Fest, Aireys Inlet, VIC. General lit.
Apr 30 – May 2: Montessori Literature Festival, Sydney, NSW. School, kids, YA, general lit.

May

May 3-4: Clunes Booktown Festival, Clunes, VIC. Book sale and author talks.
May 7-18: Anywhere Theatre Festival, Brisbane, QLD. Poetry, drama, performance.
May 11: Whispers, Brisbane, QLD. Author readings.
May 16-18: Margaret River Readers & Writers Festival, WA. Gen. lit.
May 16-18: Children’s Book Council of Australian national conference, Canberra, ACT. Children’s, YA, industry.
May 16-19: Australian Booksellers Association Conference and Trade Exhibition, Leading Edge Book Conference, Melbourne, VIC. Concurrent industry events.
May 17: Bundy WriteFest, Bundaberg. General lit.
May 18-20: Varuna Sydney Writers Festival Blue Mountains Program, Katoomba area, NSW. Gen. lit.
May 19-25: Sydney Writers’ Festival, NSW. General lit.
May 19-25: Join the Dots: library and information week, national. Library awareness initiative.
May 20: National Book Bloggers Forum, Sydney, NSW. A publisher-organised seminar for bloggers.
May 21: National Simultaneous Storytime, national. Childrens reading initiative.
May 27 – June 6: Emerging Writers Festival, Melbourne, VIC. Gen. lit.
May 29 – June 1: Wordstorm, Darwin, NT. Gen lit.
May 30: Keeping Books Alive, Dandenong, VIC. Seminars for teachers.
May 30 – June 1: Williamstown Literary Festival, Williamstown, VIC. General lit.
May 31 – June 1: National Writers Conference, Melbourne, VIC. Part of Emerging Writers Festival, industry focus.
May 31 – June 1: Yamba Writers Festival, Yamba, NSW. General lit.
May 31 – June 2: Melbourne Jewish Writers Festival, Melbourne, VIC. General lit.

Watch for:

• Literati, Gold Coast, QLD. General lit.
• National Poetry Festival. Poetry.

June

June 2-4: Abbotsleigh Literary Festival, Sydney, NSW. Student focus.
Jun 5: Monash WordFest Launch, Melbourne, VIC. Gen. lit. series of events.
June 5-8: Her Majesty’s Really Great Graphical Festival, Hobart, TAS. Zines.
June 5-9: Henry Lawson Festival, Grenfell, NSW. Bush poetry, lit, music.
June 6-8: International Storytelling Conference, Sydney, NSW. General lit – oral focus
June 6-9: Woodend Winter Arts Festival, Woodend, VIC. General lit.
June 6-9: Continuum 10, Melbourne. Genre and pop culture.
June 7-9: Bellingen Writers Festival, Bellingen, NSW. Australian general lit.
June 8: Whispers, Brisbane, QLD. Author readings.
June 9: The Australian Fairy Tale Society Annual Conference, Sydney, NSW. Academic, general lit with fairy tale focus
June 12-15: National Play Festival, Sydney, NSW. Playwriting.
June 13-15: Supanova, Sydney, NSW. Pop culture.
June 13-15: Gold Coast Writers Festival, Gold Coast, QLD. General lit.
June 19-24: Central Queensland Literary Festival, Rockhampton, QLD. Schools focus, general lit.
June 20-22 Supanova, Perth, WA. Pop culture.
June 28: Kids and YA Festival, NSW Writers Centre, Sydney, NSW. Children’s, YA.
Jun 28-29: Torquay Froth and Bubble , Torquay, VIC. General lit.

July

Jul 2-4: Australasian Association of Literature annual conference, Melbourne, VIC. Academic: literature and affect.
Jul 4-5: Death in July, Ballarat, VIC. Crime.
Jul 5: Children’s and Young Adult Writers and Illustrators (CYA) Conference, Brisbane. Children’s and YA.
Jul 5: Local Writers’ Word Festival, Double Bay (Woollahra), NSW. General lit.
Jul 5-6: Oz Comic-Con, Melbourne, VIC. Pop culture.
Jul 11-13: Southern Highlands Writers’ Festival, Bowral, NSW. General lit.
Jul 12-13: Telling Tales in Balingup, Balingup, WA. Children’s.
Jul 13: Whispers, Brisbane, QLD. Author readings.
Jul 16-19: Whitsunday Voices Youth Literature Festival, Mackay, QLD. Children, YA, schools.
Jul 17-27: Rare Book Week, Melbourne, VIC. Gen lit., sales.
Jul 17-20: Mildura Writers Festival, Mildura, VIC. General lit.
Jul 18-27: Noosa Long Weekend, Noosa, QLD. Gen lit stream.
Jul 19: Words in the Valley, Bridgetown, WA. General lit.
Jul 27-30: Curtis Coast Literary Carnivale, Gladstone, QLD. General lit.
Jul 30-Aug 3: Red Dirt Poetry Festival, Alice Springs, NT. Poetry.

August

Aug 1-31: Words in Winter, Daylesford and surrounding towns, VIC. Series of general lit events.
Aug 1-31: Sci Fi and Fantasy Month, all Logan libraries, QLD. Spec fic.
Aug 1-3: Byron Bay Writers Festival, Byron Bay, NSW. Gen. lit.
Aug 7-10: Romance Writers of Australia conference, Sydney, NSW. Romance.
Aug 8-10: Corrugated Lines, Broome, WA. General lit.
Aug 8-10: Bendigo Writers Festival, Bendigo, VIC. General lit.
Aug 9: National Bookshop Day. Events around the country to encourage book buying.
Aug 9: Australian Romance Readers Book-Signing, Sydney, NSW. Romance.
Aug 9-10: Mudgee Readers’ Festival, Mudgee, NSW. General lit.
Aug 10: Whispers, Brisbane, QLD. Author readings.
Aug 14-17: Perth Poetry Festival, Perth, WA. Poetry.
Aug 15-17: Word for Word: National Non-Fiction Festival, Geelong, VIC. Uni-run, creative non-fiction, non-fic.
Aug 16: Rose Scott Women Writers’ Festival, Sydney, NSW. Gen. lit, by women.
Aug 16: River City Writers’ Conference, Brisbane, QLD. General lit with writing industry focus.
Aug 16-22: Book Week, national school-based events hosted by Children’s Book Council of Australia.
Aug 19: National Reading Hour, nationwide, 6-7pm. Events to celebrate reading.
Aug 19-21: Ashgrove LitFestival, Ashgrove, QLD. Gen. lit, school-hosted.
Aug 21-24: Sydney Jewish Writers Festival, Sydney, NSW. Gen. lit.
Aug 21-31: Melbourne Writers Festival, Melbourne, VIC. General lit.
Aug 22-31: Salisbury Writers’ Festival, Salisbury, SA. General lit.
Aug 26: Queensland Business Writers’ Conference, Brisbane, QLD. Corporate.
Aug 29-30: Australian Medical Writers Association Conference, Sydney, NSW. Medical.
Aug 29-31: Queensland Poetry Festival, Brisbane, QLD. Poetry.
Aug 29-31: Zine and Comic Symposium, Brisbane, QLD. Zines and comics.
Aug 30-31: Book Expo Australia, Sydney. Marketplace.
Aug 30-31: Sydney Jewish Writers’ Festival, Sydney, NSW. General lit.
Aug 30-31: Sandcliffe Writers Festival, Bracken Ridge Library and Shorncliffe, QLD. Gen. lit. and indigenous.

September

Sep 1-30: Sydney Fringe, Sydney, NSW. Gen lit components.
Sep 2-3: Manuscript Assessor Conference, Melbourne, VIC. MS assessors, editors.
Sep 3: Indigenous Literacy Day, national events. General lit, YA and children’s focus.
Sep 3-7: Brisbane Writers Festival, Brisbane, QLD. General lit.
Sep 5-7: Ex Libris Port Fairy Festival of Words, Port Fairy, VIC. General lit.
Sep 5-7: Emerging Writers Festival Adelaide, Adelaide, SA. General lit.
Sep 6-7: Oz Comic-Con, Brisbane, QLD. Pop culture.
Sep 10-14: Write Around the Murray, Albury, NSW. General lit.
Sep 12-14: Big Sky Writers and Readers Festival, Geraldton, WA. General lit.
Sep 13-14: Oz Comic-Con, Sydney, NSW. Pop culture.
Sep 13-14: Cairns Tropical Writers Festival, Cairns, QLD. General lit.
Sep 15-19: Australian Library and Information Association conference, Melbourne, VIC. Industry.
Sep 20: Langhorne Creek Writers Festival, SA. Workshops and presentations.
Sep 28-29: Tasmanian Poetry Festival (part 1), Sheffield, TAS. Poetry.

October

Oct 1-4: Mt Isa Writers Festival, Mt Isa, QLD. Gen. lit. (no website)
Oct 2-4: The 12th Biennial International Conference of the Australian and New Zealand Shakespeare Association (ANZSA), Toowoomba, QLD. Academic.
Oct 2-5: National Young Writers Festival, Newcastle, NSW. General lit.
Oct 3-6: Conflux 10, Canberra, ACT. Genre and pop culture.
Oct 4: Coal Creek Literary Festival, Korumburra, VIC. Gen. lit.
Oct 4-6: Tasmanian Poetry Festival (part 2), Launceston, TAS. Poetry.
Oct 10-11: Wollongong Writers Festival, Wollongong, NSW. Gen. lit
Oct 10-12: Whitsunday Writers Festival, Airlie Beach, QLD. Gen. lit.
Oct 11-12: CrimeScene, Perth, WA. Crime.
Oct 12: Whispers, Brisbane, QLD. Author readings.
Oct 18-19: Home Grown: A Literary Feast, Hervey Bay, QLD. Gen. lit. No website. Try Fraser Coast Libraries website.
Oct 19: Brisbane Writers Group Convention, Brisbane, QLD. For writers groups and those interested in joining one.
Oct 23-26: Reality Bites, Cooroy, QLD. Nonfiction.
Oct 24-26: Maleny Celebration of Books, Maleny, QLD. General lit, YA.
Oct 31: Clunes Booktown for Kids, Clunes, VIC. Schools.
Oct 31 – Nov 1: Celebrate Reading National Conference – Insights into Quality Australian Literature for Young Adults, Fremantle, WA. Children’s, YA, educational.
Oct 31 – Nov 2: Disrupted Festival of Ideas, Perth, WA. General.

Watch for:

• CALEB Conference, Indooroopilly, QLD. Christian.
• Australian Society of Authors National Writers’ Congress, Sydney, NSW. Gen lit, industry conference.
• South Australian Readers and Writers Festival, Onkaparinga, SA. General lit, various venues. Check the council’s Facebook page for details.

November

Nov 1: Clunes Booktown for Kids, Clunes, VIC. Children’s.
Nov 1 and 17: Writers Unleashed: Sutherland Shire Writers’ Festival, Gymea, NSW. General lit.
Nov 8: Emerging Writers Festival Roadshow, NSW Writers Centre, Sydney, NSW. General lit.
Nov 13-14: Independent Publishers Conference, Sydney, NSW. Indie publishing.
Nov 14-16: Crime and Justice Festival, Melbourne, VIC. Non-fic, crime fiction component.
Nov 15: Toowoomba Writers’ Festival, Toowoomba, QLD. General lit, poetry focus, workshops.
Nov 15: City of Rockingham Writing and Reading Expo, WA. Gen lit.
Nov 16: Whispers, Brisbane, QLD. Author readings.
Nov 21-23: Supanova, Adelaide, SA. Pop culture.
Nov 21-26: untitled Literary Festival, Stonnington, VIC. Gen. lit.
Nov 24-30: Clare Writers’ Festival, SA. Gen lit, strong on genre.
Nov 28-30: Supanova, Brisbane, QLD. Pop culture.
Nov 30: Eat Your Words, Brisbane, QLD. Gen. lit., craft focus.

Watch for:

• Nanowrimo, international. Write a novel in a month.
• Unley Libraries Festival, Adelaide, SA. General local lit.

December

Dec 1: Freelance Focus, part of Storyology, Sydney, NSW. Industry advice for freelancers.
Dec 1-4: Storyology, Sydney, NSW. Broad industry focus.
Dec 5-7: Sydney Freecon, Clemton Park, NSW. Speculative fiction.
Dec 14: Whispers, Brisbane, QLD. Author readings.

2015

A list of 2015 events is available here.

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