All Events: News

We are so excited to share details of one of our panels for this year’s festival. A Crime and a Place, chaired by Marele Day in conversation with Lisa Walker, Mike Burge and Georgia Harper.

This will be a riveting session exploring how landscape, community and secrecy shape crime fiction — and how place can become as powerful as any character.

Our chair, Marele Day, is a towering figure in Australian crime writing. Author of ten books — including the much-loved Claudia Valentine crime series — Marele has won the Ned Kelly Lifetime Achievement Award and earned international acclaim for Lambs of God. 

Joining Marele in conversation:

Georgia Harper

Following the success of her award-winning debut, What I would Do to You, Georgia returns with a bold and unsettling new novel Dove, sparked by a viral question: What would women do if there were no men for 24 hours?
Set in the Sunshine Coast hinterland in the early 1990s, her story unfolds when a single question painted across a permaculture farm wall unleashes buried truths, media frenzy — and ultimately, murder. It’s gripping, provocative and startlingly contemporary in its exploration of gendered violence and community tension.

Lisa Walker

Lisa’s latest novel, The Pact, takes us inside the rarefied world of an elite writing college where ambition, rivalry and secrecy collide. When a charismatic tutor is found dead, dreams unravel. Years later, a reunion on the Camino de Santiago forces old friends to confront what really happened. Dark, twisty and deliciously tense.

Mike Burge

Mike returns with Dirt Trap, a powerful sequel to Tank Water. Set in a rural Australian town reckoning with its past, the novel explores historical gay-hate crimes, institutional failure and the long shadow of silence. When a member of a notorious local family is found dead, journalist James Brandt becomes the prime suspect — and the past refuses to stay buried. It’s crime fiction with heart, courage and razor-sharp social insight.

Together, these writers will explore how crime fiction holds a mirror to our communities — how secrets ferment in small towns, how institutions fail, how ambition corrodes, and how the landscapes we inhabit shape the stories we tell.

If you love smart, layered, socially engaged crime writing — this panel is for you.

Melissa Lucashenko : Not Quite White in the Head
One of Australia’s most powerful voices will reflect on writing, identity, politics and belonging for her latest work Not Quite White in the Head.

Dr Lesley Head : Beyond Green
Exploring our changing relationship with nature — and how we might live well in a damaged world.

Distinguished Australian geographer, Professor Lesly Head will be speaking about her latest book, Beyond Green: The Social Life of Australian Nature, in which she imagines new (positive and optimistic) possibilities to deal with the biodiversity and climate crises.

Behind the scenes, plans are already taking shape for a rich program, including a panel on crime and another celebrating local writers, alongside other sessions we’ll be sharing more about early in the new year.

We’re delighted to announce the Kyogle Readers and Writers Festival Committee for 2026:

Co-Convenors: Kevin Markwell and Sue Page
Administration Manager: Sue Page
Finance Manager: Sue Millican
Creative Director: Vacant
Committee Members: Fiona Norrie, Jarrah Dundler, Kate Harrison, and Susan Hughes

On behalf of the entire KRAW Committee, we want to express our deepest gratitude to Paul Shields for his extraordinary contribution over the past five years. Quite simply, without Paul, this festival would not exist.

From the very beginning, it was Paul’s inspiration, vision, and drive that brought to life a bold idea—one that has grown into a much-loved and defining part of Kyogle’s cultural landscape. Through his tenacity, creativity, and countless unpaid hours, the festival has flourished beyond what many of us could have imagined.

Paul has curated and delivered every festival with care, generosity, and remarkable flair. The outstanding calibre of speakers and presenters he attracted delighted audiences and showed what’s possible when belief and commitment come together. His efforts have brought immense joy to so many and helped shift the cultural tone of our town in deep and lasting ways.

He has truly put Kyogle on the literary map—all as a volunteer, often quietly behind the scenes, and too often without due recognition. Paul, please know how deeply we appreciate your work and the legacy you’ve built. It will continue to inspire us for many years to come.

Looking ahead as  a committee, we know we have some big shoes to fill—but we’re excited and ready for the challenge. 

Save the Date: Kyogle Readers and Writers Festival – 15 & 16 May 2026

We look forward to building on the wonderful foundation Paul has created and bringing you another inspiring celebration of words, ideas, and community.

We are pleased to invite you to the Annual General Meeting of Kyogle Readers and Writers Inc.

Date: Saturday, 8^th November
Time: 9:00 AM
Venue: KMI Banquet room

If you have a passion for supporting and growing our vibrant community of readers and writers, we encourage you to join us! We’re looking for enthusiastic members to take on roles in our organisation, including:

• Co-Convenor (up to 2)
• Administration Officer
• Finance Officer
• Creative Director
• General Committee Members (at least one ordinary committee member)

To nominate, please complete the nomination form and submit to admin@kraw.com.au by Thursday, 5^th November. Download here. Only financial members can nominate and vote. 

For any inquiries or to check your financial status, please contact admin@kraw.com.au.

We look forward to seeing you at the meeting