Queenscliffe Literary Festival October 2025

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Dine with the delightful Alice Zaslavsky at 360Q (2 Wharf Street East)

NOTE: Book as a group if you want to sit together.

Session title: 'Lunch with Alice Zaslavsky'

12.15pm, Fri 17 Oct (event 12.30–2.30pm)

$85.00

Enjoy lunch with chef and TV presenter Alice Zaslavsky, who'll be in conversation with Age journalist Kerrie O'Brien over a delicious two-course meal prepared from Alice's new book, 'Salad for Days'.

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Be awed by Stella Prize-winning poet Evelyn Araluen at Queenscliff Town Hall

Session title: 'After the Stella comes the Rot'

5–6pm, Friday 17 October (bar from 4pm)

$22.00 - $30.00

Join Goorie and Koori writer and Stella Prize-winning author Evelyn Araluen as she talks with Jayne Tuttle about her new book, 'The Rot', and the bloody violence of settler colonies here and afar.

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Join the Craig Silvey fan club at Queenscliff Town Hall

NOTE: This event is for adults. Children are welcome to attend Craig's family event on Saturday morning, which is recommended for readers 8+.
Session title: 'Craig Silvey’s Diabolical Genius'

7.30–8.30pm Fri 17 Oct (bar from 6.30)

$22.00 - $30.00

Craig Silvey talks with Jason Steger about how he crafts genre-defying stories, including his bestsellers 'Jasper Jones', 'Honeybee', and 'Runt' — and its new, blockbuster sequel.

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Explore wellness culture and sociophobia at Queenscliff Town Hall

Session title: 'The Wellmaniac and the Introvert'

9.30–10.30am, Saturday 18 October

$22.00 - $30.00

Bestselling 'Wellmania' author Brigid Delaney and reformed sociophobe Jenny Valentish explain to journalist Tracee Hutchinson how existential dilemmas have stimulated some of their wildest escapades.

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Bring the kids to meet Craig Silvey at Point Lonsdale Primary School Hall

NOTE: Price includes entry and party pies for two kids and their adult. BYO drink bottle and picnic rug!
Session title: 'A Morning with Craig Silvey'

11.15am–12.15pm, Saturday 18 October

$10.00 - $30.00

Enjoy storytelling, pie-eating, and dog-themed shenanigans with Craig Silvey, bestselling author of 'Runt' and its brand new sequel 'Runt and the Diabolical Dognapping'. Recommended for readers 8+.

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Get criminal with Jane Caro at Queenscliff Town Hall

Session title: 'Jane Caro's Lyrebird'

11.15am–12.15pm, Saturday 18 October

$22.00 - $30.00

Bestselling, award-winning author and political commentator Jane Caro will talk about her new crime novel, 'Lyrebird', and how she weaves her real-life advocacy into her fiction. With Hannie Rayson.

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Be knocked out by John Wayne Parr and Jarrod Boyle at Monahan Sports Centre (150 Hesse St)

Session title: 'John Wayne ‘The Gunslinger’ Parr: An Australian Champion'

1pm–2pm, Sat 18 Oct (bar from 12.30)

$22.00 - $30.00

Join World Title-winning Muay Thai fighter, kickboxer and boxer John Wayne ‘The Gunslinger’ Parr and his co-writer Jarrod Boyle as they discuss his career and their book with Jenny Valentish.

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Admire Heather Rose's incredible range at Queenscliff Town Hall

Session title: 'Heather Rose’s Next Great Act'

1–2pm, Saturday 18 October

$22.00 - $30.00

Stella Prize-winning author Heather Rose shares with Jason Steger the inspiration behind her latest work, 'A Great Act of Love', and the themes she grapples with across her acclaimed novels.

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Celebrate good journalism with Peter Greste at Queenscliff Town Hall

Presented in partnership with the Peter Blazey Fellowship.

Session title: 'Peter Greste: From Correspondent to Casualty'

2.45–3.45pm, Sat 18 Oct (bar from 2pm)

$22.00 - $30.00

Imprisoned for his journalism, Peter Greste has traversed the globe and reported from the world’s most dangerous places. He talks with Michael Cathcart about how good journalism is essential.

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Love Melissa Leong's Guts at Queenscliff Town Hall

Presented in partnership with Geelong Regional Libraries.

Session title: 'Melissa Leong Gets Gutsy'

4.30–5.30pm, Sat 18 Oct (bar from 4pm)

$22.00 - $30.00

Gold Logie-nominated TV personality and fashion icon Melissa Leong will discuss her book 'Guts: A Memoir of Food, Failure and Taking Impossible Chances' with Jaclyn Crupi.

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Vote 1 Bob Brown at Queenscliff Town Hall

Presented in partnership with The Bookshop at Queenscliff.

Session title: 'Bob Brown Remains Defiant'

7.30–8.30pm, Sat 18 Oct (bar from 6.30)

$30.00 - $40.00

Former Australian Greens leader Bob Brown casts an unflinching eye on the forces that have shaped him, the reasons why he’ll never stop fighting, and his new book, 'Defiance'. With Sophie Black.

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Make policy great again with Jenny Macklin at Queenscliff Town Hall

Sunday 19 October 2025 9:30 AM - 10:30 AM

$22.00 - $30.00

Passionate about reform and progressive change, former parliamentarian Jenny Macklin AM explores how urgent issues can be tackled in the current political landscape. With Jane Caro.

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Unravel America with Don Watson and Emma Shortis at Queenscliff Town Hall

Presented in partnership with RMIT University.

Session title: 'America Unravelling'

Sunday 19 October 2025 11:15 AM - 12:15 PM

$22.00 - $30.00

Emma Shortis and Don Watson unpack what the re-election of President Trump—and this tumultuous new era of political strongmanship—means for Australia and the world. With Dylan Bird.

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Dig gardening with Jaclyn Crupi and Tim Pilgrim at Queenscliff Town Hall

Session title: 'All Gardens Bright and Beautiful'

Sunday 19 October 2025 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM

$22.00 - $30.00

Award-winning gardener and landscape designer Tim Pilgrim and passionate gardener and cook Jaclyn Crupi talk about the inspirations behind their new gardening books. With Michael McCoy.

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Raise a toast to Jane Austen at Queenscliff Town Hall

NOTE: Price includes afternoon tea, sparkling wine, and a Regency dance lesson.

Session title: 'A Toast to Jane Austen'

Sunday 19 October 2025 2:45 PM - 4:00 PM

$40.00

To celebrate Jane Austen's 250th birthday, Kelly Gardiner, Sharmini Kumar and Alison Goodman will explain their love of Regency fiction. We'll have afternoon tea, sparkling wine, costumes and dancing!

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Examine the values of the West with Omar El Akkad at Queenscliff Town Hall

Presented in partnership with The Wheeler Centre.

Session title: 'One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This'

7.30–8.30pm, Fri 24 Oct (bar from 6.30)

$30.00 - $40.00

Omar El Akkad talks to Antoinette Lattouf about his book 'One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This' and global flashpoints including Black Lives Matter and the genocide in Gaza.

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Spice up your writing with a Marion Lennox workshop at the Hub (49/55 Hesse St)

Session title: 'Workshop: Putting the Romance in Your Novel with Marion Lennox'

9.30am–1pm, Saturday 25 October

$45.00

Award-winning romance writer Marion Lennox has had 110 novels published across 130 countries, and translated into 30 languages. She will guide you through plot, pace, empathy and, of course, passion.

10 left

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Keep your eye on the (literary) prize at Queenscliffe Town Hall

Session title: 'Miles Franklin vs. The International Booker'

9.30–10.30am, Saturday 25 October

$22.00 - $30.00

Winner of the 2025 Miles Franklin Literary Award, Siang Lu, and International Booker Prize shortlistee Shokoofeh Azar will talk about their latest deeply imaginative novels with Charlotte Guest.

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Bear witness to 65,000 years of continuous culture at Queenscliff Town Hall

Session title: 'Marcia Langton & Judith Ryan: 65,000 Years: A Short History of Australian Art'

Saturday 25 October 2025 11:15 AM - 12:15 PM

$22.00 - $30.00

Join Distinguished Professor Marcia Langton AO and Senior Curator Judith Ryan AM as they discuss their landmark book on the history of Indigenous Australian art. With Virginia Trioli.

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Explore the luck—and incredibly hard work—of the Irish at Queenscliff Town Hall

Session title: 'Zach Tuohy and Catherine Murphy and the Way of the Irish'

Saturday 25 October 2025 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM

$22.00 - $30.00

Geelong champion Zach Tuohy and ABC sports journalist Catherine Murphy discuss their book 'The Irish Experiment' with Francis Leach, including Zach's footy missteps, triumphs and, ultimately, victory.

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Find the joy in small things with Virginia Trioli at Queenscliff Town Hall

Session title: 'Virginia Trioli Loves a Bit on the Side'

2.45–3.45pm, Sat 25 Oct (bar from 2pm)

$22.00 - $30.00

Two-time Walkey Award–winning journalist Virginia Trioli discusses the memories, recipes, anecdotes and humour that help us navigate all the tough stuff. With Kate Halfpenny.

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Reconsider one of Australia’s most audacious thinkers at Queenscliffe Maritime Museum

Presented in partnership with Queenscliffe Maritime Museum.

Session title: 'The Greer Effect'

4.30–5.50pm, Sat 25 Oct (bar from 4pm)

$30.00 - $40.00

This playreading of Vanessa O’Neill’s exciting new work 'The Greer Effect' is a fascinating exploration of one of Melbourne’s most formidable daughters, featuring Louise Siversen as Germaine Greer.

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Celebrate life with Better Off Said at Queenscliff Town Hall

Session title: 'Better off Said: Eulogies for the Living and the Dead'

7.30–8.30pm, Sat 25 Oct (bar from 6.30)

$35.00 - $45.00

In an unforgettable night of storytelling, Antoinette Lattouf, Hannie Rayson, Brian Nankervis and Shokoofeh Azar speak to the phrase 'The words I wish I’d said’ and one writer delivers a Living Eulogy

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Feel seen with memoirists Kate Halfpenny and Jayne Tuttle at Queenscliff Town Hall

Session title: 'The Sea in the Metro and Boogie Wonderland'

Sunday 26 October 2025 9:30 AM - 10:30 AM

$22.00 - $30.00

Bellarine locals Kate Halfpenny and Jayne Tuttle have written memoirs that explore ambition, regret, motherhood, overwhelm, addiction and all the messiness of life. They talk with Sarah L'Estrange.

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Tune into true crime podcasts with Rachael Brown and Andrew Rule at Queenscliff Town Hall

Session title: 'Mushroom Murders and the True Crime Podcast Boom'

Sunday 26 October 2025 11:15 AM - 12:15 PM

$22.00 - $30.00

ABC investigative journalist Rachael Brown and veteran crime reporter Andrew Rule discuss our fascination of the mushroom murders and the cultural power of true crime podcasts. With Francis Leach.

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Be gripped by local crime writers at Queenscliff Town Hall

Session title: 'Crime Writers on the Surf Coast'

Sunday 26 October 2025 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM

$22.00 - $30.00

Mark Smith, Christine Keighery and Tanya Scott explain their love of writing crime fiction, and how living on the Surf Coast stimulates their imaginations. With Sarah L'Estrange.

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Reminisce over beach houses with Brian Nankervis at Queenscliff Town Hall

Session title: 'The Beach House Years with Brian Nankervis'

2.45–3.45pm, Sun 26 Oct (bar from 2pm)

$30.00 - $40.00

Inspired by Brian Nankervis’s own experiences and classic beach house anecdotes, 'The Beach House Years' is a funny, heartfelt show that explores beach house memories across forty years.

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