Tamar Valley Writers Festival 2026

The 2026 Tamar Valley Writers Festival celebrates the art of storytelling in all its forms with its 2026 theme "Feed the Soul". In partnership with the transformed University of Tasmania, Rivers Edge campus at Inveresk, from October 15th to 19th the valley will host an event filled with insightful panels, engaging workshops, and special appearances by renowned International, Tasmanian and Australian authors.

Join us as we celebrate the words, stories and ideas that "Feed the Soul"

If you're here for the Nigella Lawson event - ticketing link

https://events.humanitix.com/in-conversation-with-nigella-lawson-and-alice-zaslavsky?h=u7XrEcQ5FvBjrPLIKERFvVvKjGDWo943X-z63nlEXSc&t=1782020282797

Thursday 15th of October

First Course: Festival Launch with Shaun Micallef

Thursday 15th October, 7:00–9:00pm

Guests: Shaun Micallef (Keynote)

Every feast starts with the first course! Join us to celebrate the opening of the 2026 Tamar Valley Writers Festival with wine, nibbles, and a special address of wit and wisdom from our keynote speaker, Shaun Micallef.

Saturday 17th of October

Eat Your Feelings: Romance Panel

Saturday 17th October, 10:00–11:00am

Guests: Melanie Saward; Rebecca Armitage; Rachael Treasure; Yvette Pershoglian

Nothing warms the soul like a bit of Romance. In this session, some of our finest chroniclers of the heart discuss exactly what makes a great love story so appealing.

Quick Snacks: Short Form Publishing Workshop

Saturday 17th October 2026, 11:45am–12:45pm

Guests: Jane Rawson (Island); Sonia Strong (Forty South)

How do you create a short story that will rise to the top? Jane Rawson from Island and Sonia Strong from Forty South offer a masterclass of insights into what packs a punch in the world of short-form writing.

Hannah Kent In Conversation

Saturday 17th October, 11:45–12:45pm

Guests: Hannah Kent; Maggie McKellar

Hannah Kent has a peerless power to capture a sense of the beyond. Here, she talks to the fantastic Maggie McKellar about how stories can become something more.

Siang Lu In Conversation

Saturday 17th of October, 1:15–2:15pm

Guests: Siang Lu; Cameron Hindrum

Siang Lu's writing opens up interwoven worlds full of humour and insight. Here, he joins the Tamar Valley's own Cameron Hindrum to explore the power of writing to talk the power of imagination and how far the soul can take us.

Shaun Micallef In Conversation

Saturday 17th of October, 2:45–3:45pm

Guests: Shaun Micallef; Nick Clements

There is no-one who could make history quite as much fun as Shaun Micallef. In this very special session, he returns to the home of his latest subject to launch his brand new book: Matthew Flinders: A Definitive and Indisputable History of the Man Who Mapped Australia.

Killer Appetites: Crime and Thriller Panel

Saturday 17th of October, 4:45–5:45pm

Guests: Hayley Scrivenor; Ashley Kalagian- Blunt; Anthony Byrt; Rebecca Lim

Murder and Mystery. We can't get enough. And there will be plenty to feast on as some of Australia's finest crime writers talk about the enduring appeal of humanity's dark side, and why we have such an appetite to see evil get its just desserts.

Sunday 18th October

Life, Well Seasoned: Memoir Panel

Sunday 18th October 2026, 10:00–11:00am

Guests: Hannah Kent; Madeleine Cleary; Nadia Mahjouri; Katherine Johnson

How do we craft narrative from the stuff of life? Our panel have created works that build on the personal and historical to create something much bigger. How do we blend fiction and the real to make something that is more than true?

Belly Laughs: Humour Panel

Sunday 18th October 2026, 11:45am–12:45pm

Guests: Siang Lu; Shaun Micallef; Karen Brooks; Stewart Bell

Nothing feeds the soul quite like comedy, and it's sure to be a banquet of laughs when the festival's favourite humourists speak to local comedy legend Stewart Bell about how and why we love humour and how to weave it into writing.

How the Sausage Gets Made: Inside Publishing Workshop

Sunday 18th October 2026, 1:15–2:15pm

Guests: Madeleine Cleary; Ruby Ashby-Orr

Every great novel needs to find its way to a hungry audience. Publishing expert Ruby Ashby-Orr and Madeline Cleary talk about the publisher-writer relationship, and how you can set yourself up for the kind of success that might just put food on the table.

The Apple Isle: Writing Tasmania Panel

Sunday 18th October 2026, 1:15–2:15pm

Guests: Claire van Rynn; Maggie MacKellar; Katherine Johnson; Greg French

Tasmania is a flavour that everyone is begging for right now. Some of our island's finest writers talk about what sets their souls alight when it comes to capturing our Tasmania in writing.

Rebecca Armitage and Karen Brooks In Conversation

Sunday 18th October 2026, 2:45–3:45pm

Guests: Rebecca Armitage; Karen Brooks

The festival is excited to bring together two peerless authors: Rebecca Armitage, writer of the Reese's Book Club pick The Heir Apparent, and the incomparable Karen Brooks, author of many much-loved novels including the upcoming The Extraordinary Florence Stoker.

Feed the Soul: Food Writing Panel

Sunday 18th October 2026, 4:45–5:45pm

Guests: Lucy Ridge; Kate Legge; FermentTAS

Food, glorious food! Our keynote panel discussing why we'll never get sick of talking about, writing about, and eating food. Don't leave the festival hungry.

Ticketing for Monday's Sessions will be released by the University of Tasmania. A link will be provided here as soon as it is available.

Tamar Valley Writer's Festival (TVWF) wishes to acknowledge the outstanding support provided by Events Tasmania and the City of Launceston. Their generous contribution is instrumental in delivering our exciting 2026 program,