Mildura Writers Festival

Former journalist and politician, Maxine McKew, in conversation with historians Anna Clark and professor Clare Wright. Touching on most recent world events like #MeToo, Black Lives Matter, Covid and the war in Ukraine, to questions about the history wars and what our kids should be learning at school, this session asks our eminent historians what they’ve gleaned during living history and what their work tells us about Australian identity.

Package: 12 sessions, 3 lunches, 1 dinner, 1 concert $390 Full program can be viewed at

Krissy Kneen and Sam Morley read their work and give an insight into the poet’s life. Krissy Kneen is the award-winning author of nine works of fiction, poetry, non-fiction and memoir. Sam Morley is a poet whose work has been published widely in a number of publications. He is the recipient of the 2022 Tina Kane Emergent Writer Award whose debut poetry collection, Earshot, is out in July this year.

Outlander writer Anne Kenney talks adaptation with award-winning writer and historian professor Clare Wright. Our guests will share their process for adapting non-fiction narratives for television, the importance of the female gaze, constructing powerful female historical representations and navigating an international co-production. Lunch catered by Stefanos Cafe.

Reg Dodd and Malcolm McKinnon in conversation with author and social anthropologist Melinda Hinkson. Our guests will discuss their enduring friendship, Dodd’s upbringing in a cross-cultural environment at Finniss Springs that defied social conventions of the time, and the tensions surrounding power, authority and Indigenous knowledge that have defined the recent decades of this resource-rich area.

Gerald Diffey and Max Allen on Beggars Belief – Stories from Gerald’s Bar The free-wheeling duo will share how they worked together to get the book published and why storytelling is like a meal.

Mildura Arts Centre (03) 5018 8330 Mildura Visitor Information & Booking Centre (03) 5018 8376

5 Sessions plus lunch

Bring your questions to a free session with the founder of Jacinta di Mase Management, a literary agency committed to the creation of quality books that engage, entertain, and inspire.

Poet, academic and former artistic director of the Mildura Writers Festival Paul Kane (livestreamed from the USA), presents the Tina Kane Emergent Writer Award to Sam Morley in Mildura

After Story, Larissa’s most recent work of fiction, weaves a love of English literature and the dynamics of a mother/daughter relationship in a contemporary tale. Writer and teacher Nic Brasch will explore the story, described as ‘an exquisite tapestry that talks to our common humanity’ in more depth with the author.

Individually packed lunch catered by Stefanos Cafe.

Western Sydney writer Yumna Kassab, author of The House of Youseff and Australiana joins Krissy Kneen, author of The Three Burials of Lotty Kneen, to read from their work and share a conversation about the writing life.

Spiri Tsintiziras, author of My Ikaria, talks to our guests about what gets their hearts pounding and their minds enthused and how writing serves their passion

Be it farming, furniture or foundations, why does good design make a difference? Join architect Antony di Mase, furniture maker Damien Wright, and anthropologist Melinda Hinkson in a discussion with Stefano de Pieri about the benefits of good design to our wellbeing and that of the world.

This event is currently booked out please join out wait list or alternatively book to attend our Festival Finale Lunch on Sunday 17th July! Featuring food and drink by Gerald Diffey and words by Max Allen. Before a rollicking dinner inspired by the signature dishes of Gerald’s Bar, sip on your Chatham Pony cocktail made with Fossey’s gin, while you hear Max Allen give a potted history of drinking in Australia.

Presented by Stuart Kells, winner of the Ashurst Business Literature Prize in 2015 and 2018 and writer on subjects including libraries, intellectual property, economic regulation, professional services, financial markets and diamond mining. This talk will outline Stuart’s research, supported to the value of $200,000 by Mildura Rural City Council, towards a new work on Mildura’s history.

This gathering is popular for its informality and comforting winter fare. Guest writers provide amusing and thought-provoking responses to questions from their peers.