Adelaide Writers’ Week (AWW) Festival (1-6 March) has just announced its program, with Louise Adler continuing as Director.
In its 40th iteration, AWW will showcase 231 writers (with 37 international guests) live and live-streamed. There will be 140 free sessions and 11 ticketed events. This year’s theme is ‘Words Matter’.
Confirmed authors include Sir Simon Schama, Waleed Aly, Susan Carland, Dava Sobel, Howard Jacobson, Gina Chick, Tim Winton, Anita Heiss, Kara Swisher, Rachel Kushner, Niall Williams, Stan Grant, Geraldine Brooks, Peter Beinart, Helen Garner, Orlando Figes, Bettany Hughes, Charlotte Mendelson, Wesley Lowery, Rachel Perkins, Robert Dessaix, David Remnick and Geoffrey Robertson.
A new program, Podfest, will be introduced, where audiences can view a live recording of some of Australia’s most popular podcasts including True Crime, Book Cheat and Ladies, We Need to Talk.
Other highlights include:
- Marcus Zusak will celebrate 20 years since the publication of The Book Thief; Tim Winton will discuss writing, climate change and the fate of the planet, as covered in his latest novel, Juice; and drama writers Anthony Horowitz and Andrew Knight will discuss mysteries, murder and mayhem.
- In the AWW Great Debate, team captains Annabel Crabb and David Marr will tackle the question of whether ‘true friends stab you in the front’ with thanks to Oscar Wilde. The teams include Christopher Pyne, champion debaters Nick Ryan and Louise Milligan, and The Guardian’s political sketch writer, John Crace.
- New Yorker editor David Remnick will join ABC 7.30’s Sarah Ferguson to discuss Trump and the US’s place in the world.
- Two keynote events will focus on why words matter: ‘On Islamophobia’ with Waleed Aly and Susan Carland and the ‘Special Envoy to Combat Islamophobia and an oration On Antisemitism’ featuring Sir Simon Schama.
- John Lyons and Bob Carr will examine prospects for peace in the Middle East; Orlando Figes discusses Europe and the challenge of Russia with Robert Desaix; Pulitzer Prize-winning author Wesley Lowery will talk with Rachel Perkins about the cost of progress in the US and we will find out if politics is a laughing matter with John Crace and Annabel Crabb.
- Anita Heiss (Dirrayawadha) will share stories of the Wiradyuri nation; Robert Dessaix (Chameleon) will discuss art, sex and death; historian Bettany Hughes will survey the seven wonders of the ancient world; and Daisy Goodwin (Diva) will talk with Pip Williams about Maria Callas and Aristotle Onassis and their scandalous love affair.
- Niall Williams (Time of the Child) Helen Garner (The Season), Rachel Kushner (Creation Lake) Michelle de Kretser (Theory and Practice), Charlotte Mendelson (Wife) will discuss their latest books.
- Select Writers’ Week sessions at participating libraries, community centres, retirement villages and schools across the state will be live streamed.
- For the first time, AWW will also offer Schools Day on Friday 28 February, with sessions exclusively for primary and secondary school students, ahead of the official opening day on 1 March.
The Director’s Choice series also returns for those who prefer streaming sessions from home live or one week thereafter. The series covers a range of topics: crimes against humanity with Tobias Buck, Geoffrey Robertson and Dorcy Rugamba; Wesley Lowery and Amy McQuire on the issues of race and racism; and Orlando Figes, Bettany Hughes, Matthew Longo and Dava Sobel asking if we’ve learned anything from history. Markus Zusak (Dog Days) will discuss the nature of dogs, while Geraldine Brooks (Memorial Days) will talk about grief with Bob Carr.
Read: Australian literary festivals in 2025
Breakfast with Papers will also return to the Pioneer Women’s Memorial Garden from 8am each morning of AWW, hosted by Tory Shepherd (The Guardian) and Jonathan Green (Radio National).
For more programming details visit Adelaide Writers’ Week (1-6 March 2025).
Schools Day will take place Friday 28 February, 10am – 12.30pm (Primary Schools) and 10am – 2.30pm (Secondary Schools).
Young Readers’ and YA Day will take place Sunday 2 March, 9.30am – 4pm.
