Just In: The Sydney Writers’ Festival Program for 2026 Is Here

What is “truth”? The question is enough to have many of us reaching for an aspirin. 

Between May 17 and 24 at the Sydney Writers’ Festival, we’re hoping to get to the bottom of that headache-inducing question – with the help of more than 220 Australian writers and 39 international guests.

The theme of this year’s festival is “show me the truth”.

In a statement, artistic director Ann Mossop said, “The 2026 festival highlights how these brilliant authors explore truth and trust in times of uncertainty across all forms of writing … We’ll explore important questions about the future of democracy and the impact of AI on the arts and culture, but we’ll also celebrate a major anniversary for one of Australia’s favourite cookbooks and the joys of Dav Pilkey’s Captain Underpants.”

Key figures in the world of fiction include international figures like Chinese American fantasy novelist RF Kuang (Yellowface), Mick Herron (Slough House), Yann Martel (Life of Pi) and beloved local legends like Trent Dalton and Madeleine Gray.

Global changemakers like former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales will also take to the stage to unpack the changing nature of trust, power and politics.

The festival includes over 200 events, including 55 free events. Program highlights include After Bondi, in which Jewish artists and authors gather to reflect on grief, solidarity and resilience; Brave Conversations: When Words Offend, which will unpack the importance of disagreement and how we ask the difficult questions with the help of panellists Waleed Aly, Cordelia Fine, Antoinette Lattouf, Greg Sheridan and Amy Thunig-McGregor; and a panel on AI, misinformation and digital disruption from Jimmy Wales, US journalist Barbara Demick, British philosopher AC Grayling and UNSW professor Toby Walsh. There’ll also be Silenced, a conversation between Randa Abdel-Fattah, Michael Mohammed Ahmad and Antoinette Lattouf.

On the lighter side, there’s Great Adaptations, a panel discussion between Mick Herron, whose Slough House series is the basis for the wildly successful Apple TV show Slow Horses, and Australian playwright Suzie Miller, whose award-winning play Prima Facie is being adapted into a film starring Cynthia Erivo. The SWF Great Debate is also back for another year with captains Annabel Crabb and David Marr leading teams of comedians and commentators as they debate a Jack Nicholson-esque topic: “We can’t handle the truth”.

There’s also a festival feast for food lovers with Stephanie Alexander celebrating the 30th anniversary of The Cook’s Companion, the bright orange tome that’s spent decades in kitchens across Australia. Then there’s Feast: Food Fights, in which chefs and authors Durkhanai Ayubi, Natalia Figueroa Barroso, Shirley Le, Debra Oswald, Michael Shaikh and more will share their dinner party disasters.

Sydney Writers’ Festival runs from May 17 to 24. Tickets are on sale from 10am Saturday March 14, 2026.

www.swf.org.au/

@sydwritersfest