Featherstone 
Byron Writers Festival 2026: Hope, craft and the joy of being around the writing and reading community
The sound of more than one hundred writers sharing with each other what they’re working on is a sound I’ll never forget. It was more than a sound really, it was raw energy and it felt like hope, passion, joy, love, curiosity, creativity and community. I stepped away from the front of the room to soak it in, and the positive vibe is still pulsing within me now.
The whole weekend at Byron Writers Festival was motivating. Not just for me as a presenter, writer and reader, but also as a regular human finding my way in life too. Being surrounded by 10,000 people willing to listen and learn, challenge and chuckle, make space and take space filled my heart, as did catching up with old and new writer friends.
The Calling to Country with Delta Kay set the tone. Outback Tom brought a different way of living and cooking. Michael Winkler (Grimmish and Griefdogg) and Steve Toltz (A Rising of the Lights) brought the laughs, as did the accompanying skilled and animated Auslan interpreter doing the ‘song and dance’. My in-conversation with Maggie Walters, author of Split and Fractured Motherhood, shone a light on mental health and the power of writing to help heal. While other sessions, too numerous to mention here, ranged from ‘After Authoritarianism’ to ‘Being a Good Ancestor’, ‘Lessons from History’ to ‘Sophie Standing There’, ‘How to Be an Arts Advocate’ to ‘Better Things Are Possible’. And that’s before the fab kidlit writers shone. The program is still up here if you want to see the depth and breadth.
Other highlights for me included nourishing my own creativity by attending a Writing with Wonder Masterclass with the ever-entertaining Kathryn Heyman, and a journalling session facilitated by author and storyteller Melaina Faranda with accompanying teas by Organic India. It reminded me of the power of connecting through heart to hand, pen to paper, rather than leaning more heavily to the keyboard in the creation stage.
It was great to be able to discuss the future of self-publishing with IngramSpark’s Paige Allen (US), Ben Hughes (UK), Christopher Munnery and Madeline Bush (Australia), and to hear about the success of under-represented voices, trailblazers and the further blurring of lines and opportunities between indie and traditionally published authors. It was also wonderful to see them experience an Australian writers festival and embrace the writing community in such a special place.
In the packed Believing You Can workshop, I challenged writers to pinpoint what might be holding them back, even if ever so slightly, in the writing, publishing or sharing of their work. And then we worked out way through ways to move forward. It was wonderful to see the enthusiasm and buzz in the room and it was a reminder to me that the labour of love that was Look-It’s Your Book! has really made a difference to others. I think that’s what we all hope our books will do. And I wish that outcome and feeling for you with your books.
Thanks to Byron Writers Festival 2026, all the fantastic volunteers and venues, the locals who made everyone feel welcome and the authors who entertained, inspired and educated. Here’s to another 30+ years!
More Writers Festival Reading
If you’ve read all the way down here, here are some other writers festival posts that might be of interest.
- Writers Festivals in Australia for the remainder of the year here.
- List of benefits of attending a writers festival
- How authors can get invited to writers festivals
- How to make the most of your time at a writers festival
Bestest to you and happy writing, Anna