12-14 SEPTEMBER 2025
SATURDAY PROGRAM
Port Fairy Library Program
INDOOR STREET PARTY!
presented by the Community Bank Port Fairy & District​​
10 am - 12.30 pm
Port Fairy Library
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Children's book authors:
Kate Mildenhall (To Stir With Love)
RWR Rob McDonald (Rainbow Street),
Olivia Coates (Rosie's Garden)
Julie Murphy (Dog Beach)
Lorena Carrington (The Giant)
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A fun (and free) program for the little ones (specifically up to 10 year olds, but older kids and grownups are more than welcome to join in the fun)! This will involve a special storytime with each of the authors reading from their books, followed with some crafty fun, games and snacks!
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Bookings are free, but essential for our planning!
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10-11am, Reardon Theatre
Heide – Harvesting Art, Legacy & Flavour
Alice Crowe, Maximilian, Christabel Blackman - Anne Connor
Join Christabel Blackman (Charles and Barbara Blackman: A Decade of Art and Love), Alice Crowe, and Maximilian (A Heide Harvest: Menus, feasts and stories inspired by Sunday Reed’s kitchen gardens) for a richly layered conversation about Heide, a place where art, community, and nourishment converge. From the intimate stories of the Blackmans to the enduring cultural harvest of this legendary artistic enclave, the panel explores how Heide’s gardens and kitchen inspired creativity and connection. Reflecting on the seasonal recipes inspired by Heide’s kitchen gardens alongside its vibrant artistic legacy, this discussion celebrates a unique fusion of food, art, and history that continues to feed the imagination and the soul.
11.30-12.30, Reardon Theatre
Bringing up the Bodies
Emily Maguire, Gail Holmes, Chloe Adams – Hilary Harper
With a nod to Hilary Mantel’s portrayal of power and memory, this session gathers three of Australia’s best historical fiction writers - Emily Maguire (Rapture), Chloe Adams (The Occupation), and Gail Holmes (In the Margins) - to explore the art of resurrecting lives long buried by history. Holmes gives us a 17th-century rector’s wife whose love of books becomes a quiet revolution. Adams follows a young woman navigating postwar Japan and the cost of a life-changing decision. And Maguire reimagines the legend of Pope Joan, with a woman disguised as a man rising to power in the medieval Church. These are compelling stories of risk and resistance.
1.00-2.00 pm, Reardon Theatre
The Biography as Inquiry
Judith Brett & Katia Ariel & Belinda Probert - Lloyd Jones
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Biography lies at the intersection of literature, history, and the deeply personal. Acclaimed authors Judith Brett (Fearless Beatrice Faust), Katia Ariel (Ferryman: The Life and Deathwork of Ephraim Finch), and Belinda Probert (Bill’s Secrets) come together to explore the art and responsibility of writing real lives. In uncovering political legacies, unravelling intimate inheritances and cultural displacement, these writers confront the central question of biography: How do you craft a compelling narrative from the noise and silences of the past?
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2.30-3.30pm, Reardon Theatre
Football, Family & Bearing Witness
Helen Garner & Jock Serong
In The Season, Helen Garner brings her trademark attentiveness and honesty to a surprising subject: her teenage grandson’s football season. What begins as a grandmother’s quiet attendance on the sidelines becomes a profound meditation on masculinity, discipline, family, and the passing of time. In conversation with writer and former criminal lawyer Jock Serong, Garner reflects on sport as theatre, youth as transition, and what it means to observe - without interference - as someone you love learns how to live.
4.00 - 5.00 pm, Reardon Theatre
Hard Truths: The Grit of Crime Writing
Mark Smith, Fiona Hardy, Zane Lovitt, Luke Johnson - RWR McDonald
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Step into the shadows with these authors as they expose the raw, unflinching realities behind crime fiction. This isn't just about clever plots. It's about the grime, the moral ambiguity, and the dark truths that fuel the genre. These writers will share how they dig deep to create stories that hit hard and refuse to let go.
5.30 - 6.30 pm, Blarney Books & Art
Mystery and Untold Stories
Kelly Gardiner, Sharmini Kumar, Belinda Lyons-Lee, Lyn Yeowart - Kate Mildenhall
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What lies beneath the official record? In this powerful panel, novelists Kelly Gardiner and Sharmini Kumar (Miss Caroline Bingley Private Detective), Belinda Lyons-Lee (The Haunting of Mr and Mrs Stevenson), and Lyn Yeowart (The Hollow Girl) discuss how fiction can uncover buried histories and give voice to the silenced. Through their reimagined literary characters, gothic mysteries, and gripping thrillers, these writers explore how storytelling becomes a form of resistance where they are able to reshape the past to reckon with its truths.
5.30 - 6.30 pm, Reardon Theatre
Wine & Wisdom: The Pulse of the Political
Judith Brett & Barry Jones
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Join esteemed political thinkers Judith Brett and Barry Jones for an engaging pre-dinner conversation about the past, present and future of Australian politics. Over complimentary wine, they'll explore how history shapes political life, the evolving landscape of democracy, and the challenges facing society today. This is a rare opportunity to hear two sharp minds unpack the stories behind the headlines, with warmth, wit and insight.
OAK & ANCHOR FESTIVAL DINNER
7pm - 10 pm - Oak & Anchor Hotel, Bank Street
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Jock Serong presents:
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After some tasty appetisers from the Oak & Anchor kitchen, Jock Serong will lead a conversation with acclaimed poet and author Gregory Day about Day's evocative new poetry collection, Southsightedness. Explore themes of landscape, memory and belonging before enjoying a delicious main course. To round out the night, we'll have a special live musical performance following the main course.
Note: Book early - as this is the main social event of the weekend, and most of our invited guests will be here, this dinner event is always the first to sell out!