12-14 SEPTEMBER 2025
SUNDAY PROGRAM
​
10 am – 11 am, Blarney Books & Art
Voices for the Next Gen
Fiona Hardy, Mark Smith, Tony Thompson - Matt Neal
​
Join these fabulous young adult authors as they discuss the art and craft of writing for young adults. From tackling tough issues to capturing authentic voices, they explore how stories can empower, challenge and resonate with today's teens.
​
​
​
10 am – 11 am, Reardon Theatre
When Nature Bites Back:
Belonging & Unruly Landscapes
Jane Rawson & Belinda Probert - Jayne Tuttle
​
What happens when the land you try to call home resists you? In Imaginative Possession, Belinda Probert's move to the Australian country revealed a landscape both beautiful and unyielding, where ants bite, trees fall, and ancient histories insist on being heard. In Human/Nature, Jane Rawson explores similar tensions: leaving the city for the bush, seeking connection and ecological clarity, only to find that nature has its own ideas. Together, they discuss the friction between longing and belonging, and what it means to live ethically, imaginately, and honestly on land that predates us and may outlast us.
​
​
​
11.30 - 12.30, Reardon Theatre
Longing & Loss
Jayne Tuttle, Rachel Morton, Katia Ariel - Chloe Adams
​
Join Jayne Tuttle (The Sea in the Metro), Rachel Morton (The Sun Was Electric Light), and Katia Ariel (The Swift Dark Tide) as they navigate relationships in different geographical settings.These three wonderful writers will take us to the serene lakes of Guatemala, the intimate spaces of Paris, and the contrasting shores of Melbourne's St Kilda and Odessa on the Black Sea, and in doing so will demonstrate how geography intertwines with personal history and emotional transformation.​​
​
1.00 - 2.30pm, Reardon Theatre
The Irish Influence
Gregory Day, Brendan Ryan, Nathanael O'Reilly and Anne Gleeson
​
Join our four Australian poets who each have a deep Irish connection as they explore the enduring influence of Ireland's rich literary tradition on their work. This panel offers an intimate conversation about heritage, identity and the ways Irish literature continues to inspire and shape their creative journeys in Australia and beyond.​​
CLOSING EVENT​
​​
3.30 pm, Reardon Theatre
Iconic
Katherine Hattam & Helen Garner
This final event begins with a short 10-minute play presented by the Port Fairy Theatre Group, called Happily Ever After, written by well-known Warrnambool based author/journalist Matt Neal.
Then to finish the weekend, our two towering figures in Australian art and literature, Katherine Hattam and Helen Garner, in conversation about the creative process and cultural resonance of Hattam's Archibald Prize portrait of Garner. They will explore the challenges of translating literary identity into visual form, the negotiation between artist and subject, and discuss what portraiture lends to Australian culture.
​​​
Delicious fingerfood provided at the close. Drinks will be available at the bar. You are encouraged to enjoy Katherine Hattam's exhibition Portrait / Self Portrait - A Shared Moment in the foyer of the Theatre.
​
​