Sunshine Coast Hinterland Writers Festival
Program of Events
For Terms & Conditions of the festival, please click here.
Friday 11 October
Author Pitching Sessions & Chats
Friday – Sunday
Author Pitching Sessions
This session is your chance to pitch your unpublished manuscript to a literary agent or publisher! Agents and publishers are always on the lookout for new and exciting voices, so here’s your chance to show them yours in a succinct 5-minute pitch.
Held at Queensland Country Bank, 28 Maple Street Maleny
Friday
3.00pm – 5.00pm
Apertif with an Author (Free Event)
Join us for an afternoon chat with a host of successful and inspiring indie authors. Drinks and light refreshments included.
Held at The Maleny Bookshop, 41 Maple Street, Maleny
Scon ver sations
Friday
10.00am – 11.30pm
Sponsored by Nambour Chamber of Commerce
Entertainment
Friday
4.30pm – 8.30pm
Nambour Twilight Markets
Join us for a fabulous night of food, art, shopping and music!
Held in Short Street, Nambour
Friday
6.30pm – 8.30pm
Official SCHWF Launch Party
Join us to officially open the festival and get to spend one on one time with special guest authors Stacey McEwan and A.K. Mulford.
Held at Tramco, Mill Street, Nambour
Saturday 12 October
Book & Authors Market
Nambour Library Forecourt, corner of Currie and Bury Street, Nambour
Saturday
8.00am – 12.00pm
Author Panels
Maleny Community Centre, 23 Maple Street, Maleny
The 'Story' in History
Saturday
9.00am – 9.45am
Melissa Ashley
Christine Wells
Lisa Brookhouse
Chair: Lauren Elise Daniels
Supported by:
Harper Collins
Connecting to Country
Saturday
10.00am – 10.45am
Nardi Simpson
Mindy Woods
Chair: Melanie Saward
Supported by: Hachette, Murdoch Books
Criminal Minds
Saturday
11.00am – 11.45am
Candice Fox
Georgia Harper
Nikki Mottram
Chair: Ben Hobson
Supported by: Penguin Random House
Travels Through Time
Saturday
12.00pm – 12.45pm
Siang Lu
Bill Crozier
Kári Gíslason
Chair: Ashley Hay
Supported by: Hachette
Meet the Author & Book signings (Free Event)
Rosetta Books Maleny, 30 Maple Street, Maleny
Saturday
10.00am – 10.30am
Melissa Ashley
Christine Wells
Lisa Brookhouse
Saturday
11.00am – 11.30am
Nardi Simpson
Mindy Woods
Saturday
12.00pm – 12.30pm
Candice Fox
Georgia Harper
Nikki Mottram
Ben Hobson
Saturday
1.00pm – 1.30pm
Siang Lu
Bill Crozier
Kári Gíslason
Saturday
2.15pm – 2.45pm
Dianne Kelly
Amy Hutton
Melanie Saward
Saturday
Time TBC
Andrew Stafford
Young Readers & Writers
Maleny State School Hall, 16 Bunya Street, Maleny
Saturday
9.00am – 10.45am
Storytime with Karen McKinley & Cathrin Blickling + craft
Concurrent parent session:
10.00-10.45am
The Grown-Ups Guide to Picture Books
with Lara Cain Gray
Saturday
10.30am – 12.00pm
Fantasy SciFi Writing
Writing Fantasy & Science Fiction for Teens (and Adults) with Lauren Elise Daniels
Will be held at Maleny High School Library, 50 Bunya Street, Maleny
Saturday
11.00am – 12.15pm
Children’s Writing Workshop
The Victorian Art of Letter Writing with Alison Stegert
(Age: 9-13)
Saturday
12.30pm – 2.00pm
Spotlight: Lynette Noni in conversation with Taryn Powell
(All ages welcome)
Supported by: Andrew Powell MP & Penguin Random House
Saturday
2.15pm – 3.30pm
Children’s Illustration Workshop
Telling Stories with Pictures with Peter Carnavas
(Age: primary school)
Workshops
Saturday
8.30am – 10.30am
Crime Writing
Authentic Crime Fiction with Jack Roney
Held at Maleny Hotel, 6 Bunya Street, Maleny
Saturday
9.30am – 12.30pm
Memoir Writers Workshop
Learn the secrets of writing a great memoir in this 3-hour workshop with award-winning author Shelley Davidow.
Held at Nambour Library, Cnr Currie & Bury Street, Nambour
Saturday
1.30pm – 3.30pm
Self-Publishing
Turn your draft into a published book with Ann Dettori
Held at Maleny Neighbourhood Centre, 17 Bicentenary Lane, Maleny
Exhibition
Little Red Cottage, 20 Coral Street, Maleny
Saturday
10.00am – 4.00pm
Exhibition: Narratives – An exhibition of artists’ books
(Open Thursday-Saturday)
Foodie Events
Saturday
From 2.00pm
Karkalla at Spill: Mindy Woods in conversation with fellow Masterchef alumni Jamie Fleming
Supported by: Murdoch Books
Held at Spill Wine, 45 Maple Street, Maleny
Saturday
2.00pm – 3.00pm
Green Room Event From the Wild
Heidi Merika in conversation
Held at Mapleton Public House, 2 Flaxton Drive, Mapleton
Saturday
3.30pm – 4.30pm
RomCom Authors High Tea: Puppy Love
Amy Hutton
Melanie Saward
Chair: Tiffany Szerenyi
Held at The Joy Collective, 1/37 Coral St, Maleny
Art & Indie Author Events
Saturday
1.00pm – 2.00pm
The Art of Watering Colour: Author Talk Dianne Kelly (Free Event)
Supported by: Boolarong Press
Held at Maleny Art Direct, 19 Maple Street Maleny
Saturday
1.00pm – 3.00pm
Speed Date an Author (Free Event)
The is your opportunity to ask your “Favourite Five questions in Five minutes”.
Held at The Maleny Bookshop, 41 Maple Street, Maleny
Entertainment
Saturday
5.00pm – 5.45pm
From The Saints to Savage Garden – Andrew Stafford in conversation with Ashley Hay.
From cult heroes the Saints and the Go-Betweens to national icons Powderfinger and international stars Savage Garden, hear how Brisbane has produced more than its share of great bands.
Held in Maleny Lane, 38 Maple Street, Maleny
Saturday
6.00pm – 8.45pm
Poetry Slam
Hosted by Liquid Lyrics
Get ready for a night of raw energy and linguistic fireworks as our most fearless poets take the stage.
Held in Maleny Lane, 38 Maple Street, Maleny
Saturday
6.00pm – 9.30pm
Showdown
Join us for an immersive experience where you can dive into the creative process of writing a short film or documentary and get inspired by watching five multi-award-winning short films.
Held at Tramco, Mill Street, Nambour
Poetry Events
Mapleton Community Library, Obi Obi Road (opposite Mapleton Pharmacy)
Saturday
1.00pm – 3.00pm
Poetry Workshop with Brett Dionysius
Saturday
3.00pm – 5.00pm
Poetry Reading Salon hosted by Brett Dionysius
Various Poets including:
Jane Frank
Vanessa Page
Jarad Bruinstroop
Damen O’Brien
Sunday 13 October
Author Panels
Montville Village Hall, Memorial Close (off Main Street), Montville
Sunday
9.00am – 9.45am
Spotlight: Nardi Simpson in conversation with Sophie Green
Supported by: Hachette
Sunday
10.00am – 10.45am
Hinterland Secrets
Christine Gregory and Steven Lang in conversation
Sunday
11.00am – 11.45am
On Love and Life
Rebecca Ray
Sheridan Stewart
Warren Ward
Chair: Tracey Young
Sunday
12.00pm – 12.45pm
Truth Talking
Carly-Jay Metcalfe
Kirsty Iltners
Jo Skinner
Chair: Dr Janet Lee
Supported by: UWA Publishing
Sunday
1.00pm – 1.45pm
Melodies in Prose
A captivating exploration of the intersections between music and writing.
Shelley Davidow
Gillian Wills
Liz Evans
Chair: Sheridan Stewart
Sunday
2.00pm-2.45pm
Queer Voices
Georgia Harper
Ali K. Mulford
JM Tolcher
Chair: Jake Corvus
Supported by: Penguin Random House
Meet the Authors & Book Signings (Free Event)
Rosetta Books Popup, Montville Village Hall Deck, Memorial Close, Montville (access via right side of hall).
Sunday
10.00am – 10.30am
Nardi Simpson
Sophie Green
Sunday
11.00am – 11.30am
Christine Gregory
Steven Lang
Sunday
12.00pm – 12.30am
Rebecca Ray
Sheridan Stewart
Warren Ward
Sunday
1.00pm – 1.30pm
Carly-Jay Metcalfe
Kirsty Iltners
Jo Skinner
Sunday
2.00pm – 2.30pm
Shelley Davidow
Gillian Wills
Liz Evans
Sunday
3.00pm – 3.30pm
Georgia Harper
JM Tolcher
Ali K. Mulford
Book Market
St Mary’s Church Hall, 141 Main Street, Montville
Sunday
9.00am – 3.00pm
Local Indie Author Book Market + Author Conversations
Step into a world of literary wonder at our Writers’ Festival Book Market!
Workshops
Mapleton Library Community Centre, Obi Obi Road (opposite Mapleton Pharmacy)
Sunday
9.00am – 11.00am
Creative Writing Workshop
What’s an idea and where do I find one? with Melissa Ashley
Sunday
12.00pm – 2.00pm
Publishing and Beyond
Inspiration for emerging authors with Nita Lester
Sunday
2.30pm – 4.30pm
Memoir Workshop with Paul Williams
Workshops
Little Red Cottage, 20 Coral Street, Maleny
Sunday
9.00am – 12.00pm
Pocket Books with Suzie Haddock
Join us for an artist bookmaking workshop where you’ll create your own unique pocket books.
Sunday
1.00pm – 4.00pm
All About the Fold with Kim Herringe
Create a beautiful handmade book using only paper and folding techniques.
Foodie Events
Sunday
10.00am – 11.30am
Romance Authors High Tea: Happily Ever After
Delve into the world of love, passion, and heartwarming stories as our authors share their insights, inspirations, and writing secrets.
Anna Campbell
A.K. Leigh
Chair: Charmaine Clancy
Held at Mapleton Bowls Club, 5 Post Office Road, Mapleton
Sunday
11.00am – 1.30pm
Long Table Lunch with Candice Fox
Supported by: Penguin Random House & Queensland Writers Centre
Held at Mapleton Public House, 2 Flaxton Drive, Mapleton