Lunch with Chef Tony Tan
Over a delicious two-course meal prepared from new book
Tony Tan’s Asian Cooking Class, Tony will share the excitement of growing up in his family’s restaurants, eye-opening experiences working in kitchens around the world, and the remarkable path that inspired him to start his own cooking school. With
Kerrie O’Brien.
$85
Friday 18 October
12pm - 2.30pm
360Q
Candice Fox’s Long Game
International bestselling author
Candice Fox talks about her devotion to crafting page-turning stories with strong characters and gripping plots, and her extraordinary experiences co-writing with American author James Patterson. With
J.P. Pomare.
$25 / $18
Friday 18 October
5pm
Queenscliff Town Hall
The Dictionary of Pip Williams
The meteoric success of
Pip Williams’ deeply researched, compelling novels has been celebrated worldwide. With a recent theatre adaptation and screenplays beckoning, Pip explains why, after a career writing academic and social research texts, shifting to writing fiction re-ignited her passionate love of history, drama and folklore. With
Hannie Rayson.
NOTE: the QLF cashless bar will be open from 6.30pm, before this 7.30pm event.
$25 / $18
Friday 18 October
7.30pm
Queenscliff Town Hall
Australia’s Love Affair with Fishing
Historian
Anna Clark’s new book is a personal account of her love of ‘the catch’ and an exploration of how fishing became a national pastime. Anna delves into favourite fishing spots, the passing down of fishing know-how, Indigenous fishing practices, and why we love ‘throwing a line’. With
Clare Wright.
$25 / $18
Saturday 19 October
10am
Queenscliff Town Hall
Pheasants Nest
Award-winning investigative journalist
Louise Milligan has spent her career breaking generation-defining news and exposing nefarious activities of the powerful across political, religious and social spectrums. She explains the inspiration behind her debut crime novel
Pheasants Nest to
J.P. Pomare.
$25 / $18
Saturday 19 October
11.30am
Queenscliff Town Hall
You’re Cancelled!
High profile industrial relations lawyer
Josh Bornstein explains the real victims of ‘cancel culture’ in his new book
Working for the Brand: How Corporations are Destroying Free Speech. Find out what outspoken individuals are up against in organisations where freedom of expression is seen as an affront. With
Crikey journalist Charlie Lewis.
$25 / $18
Saturday 19 October
1pm
Queenscliff Town Hall
Life Under the Microscope
Two blokes leading big lives get diagnosed with cancer and write enthralling memoirs on lessons learned, mistakes made, and all the contemplative stuff that happens in between. Writers
Peter Goldsworthy and
Tim Baker will talk about difficulties, and the bleakly funny moments, of receiving a life-changing diagnosis. With Natasha Mitchell.
$25 / $18
Saturday 19 October
2.30pm
The Hub
Telling Truths and Busting Myths
Respected historians
Clare Wright and
Mark Dapin describe the excitement and challenges of diving into historical records to expose truths that often make people feel uncomfortable about the past, as explored in Clare’s new book
Naku Dharuk The Bark Petitions and Mark’s
Lest: Australian War Myths. With Hilary Harper.
Supported by Queenscliff Bowling, Tennis and Croquet Club.
$25 / $18
Saturday 19 October
2.30pm
Queenscliff Town Hall
The Fire Inside
Two award-winning storytellers,
Alexis Wright and
Nardi Simpson, talk about their most recent works,
Praiseworthy and
The Belburd, the sparks that ignite their creative imaginations, the process of grappling with great stories, and why writing is as essential as breathing. With Mel Fulton.
$25 / $18
Saturday 19 October
4.00pm
Queenscliff Town Hall
Ben Shewry’s Uses for Obsession
From growing up on a farm in New Zealand to being a globally celebrated chef,
Ben has written new book that is part memoir, part manifesto, and dives deep into how innovation and imagination are central to his business, his kitchen and his life. With
Myf Warhurst.
Ticket price includes a range of delicious canapés created by TARRA. Bar open; drinks available at bar prices.
$65
Saturday 19 October
5.30pm - 7.30pm
TARRA Queenscliff
SOLD OUT
Workshop: How to Write True Crime
Award-winning historian, journalist, screenwriter and author
Mark Dapin answers practical questions faced by first-time true crime authors. How do I find inquest reports and court transcripts? How do I visit prisons? How do I interview lawyers, detectives and criminals? How do I know who is telling the truth? And importantly, how much danger am I letting myself in for? Mark will explain how to structure a story and keep the reader guessing.
All tickets $40
Sunday 20 October
9.30am - midday
The Hub
The Surfer and the Circumnavigator
Surfer
Pauline Menczer and circumnavigator
Bonnie Hancock faced enormous hurdles reaching the top of their professions. Each has written fascinating memoirs explaining what drives them, what kept them bouncing back when the chips were down, and how they conquered challenges that the ocean has thrown at them. With Natasha Mitchell.
$25 / $18
Sunday 20 October
10am
Queenscliff Town Hall
Who Killed the News?
In his new book
The Men Who Killed the News,
Eric Beecher, the owner of Crikey and ex-News Corp and Fairfax editor, explains the threat to democracies of media owners behaving badly, and what it was like being sued by the Murdochs. With
Rick Morton and
Nicole Chvastek.
$25 / $18
Sunday 20 October
11.30am
Queenscliff Town Hall
Because I’m Not Myself, You See
After
Ariane Beeston gave birth, she experienced postpartum psychosis and was admitted to a psychiatric unit. Ariane explains in her memoir the long road back from the brink, her efforts to create awareness and minimise shame about postpartum psychosis, and her career pivot to perinatal health. With
Jayne Tuttle.
$25 / $18
Sunday 20 October
1pm
The Hub
Rick Morton: Mean Streak
Journalist and author
Rick Morton explains his extraordinary new book
Mean Streak, exposing the fraud and damage wrecked by the Australian government’s Robodebt scheme, where 470,000 wrongly-issued debts were issued to citizens. Lives were lost, legal challenges, a royal commission and government inquiries ensued. With Sophie Black.
$25 / $18
Sunday 20 October
2.30pm
Queenscliff Town Hall
The Flirtation of Girls
Lawyer
Sara M Saleh discusses her books
The Flirtation of Girls and
Songs For the Dead and the Living. Sara’s stories explore the lives of women and girls traversing Palestine, Lebanon, Egypt and Australia, celebrating music and family and exposing the violence of colonialism, war and displacement. With
Jayne Tuttle.
$25 / $18
Sunday 20 October
2.30pm
The Hub
The Game Changers
Anti-violence campaigners
Rosie Batty and
Hana Assafiri have changed conversations about violence and coercive control across their communities and across Australia. Their new memoirs explore how they each disentangled themselves from harmful situations and the role that hope has played in rewriting the scripts of their lives. With Hilary Harper.
$25 / $18
Sunday 20 October
4.00pm
Queenscliff Town Hall
Black Duck and Imperial Harvest
Bruce Pascoe and
Lyn Harwood will speak about their new book
Black Duck: A Year At Yumburra, which canvasses our relationship with nature, traditional food growing and Indigenous cuisine. Bruce will also speak about his new novel
Imperial Harvest, a chronicle of war, trauma and survival. With Michael Cathcart.
$25 / $18
Sunday 20 October
5.30pm
Queenscliff Town Hall
Tim Winton’s Juice
Multi-award winning author and activist
Tim Winton has won four Miles Franklin Literary Awards and been named a Living Treasure by the National Trust. His work has been adapted for film, television, stage and radio. He talks about his extraordinary new novel
Juice with broadcaster Bron Burton.
$30 / $22
Thursday 24 October
1.00pm
Queenscliff Town Hall
Judith Lucy & Kaz Cooke: ‘A Conversation About Menopause & Anything Else That Takes Their Fancy'
Authors and funny ladies Judith and Kaz recently sold out their national Menopausal Night Out shows across Australia and now they are bringing the conversation to Queenscliff. An evening full of stand-up, laughs and real chat about perimenopause, menopause and what comes next PLUS anything else that takes their fancy!
NOTE: the QLF cashless bar will be open from 6.30pm, before this 7.30pm event.
All tickets $40
Friday 25 October
7.30pm
Queenscliff Town Hall
Queenscliff Literary Walk - Brochure launch And guided walk
Uncover the Queenscliff locations that feature in a variety of books and films, via a guided walk that will start and finish at the Queenscliff Library, where morning tea will be provided. This leisurely event involves moderate walking and participants should dress warmly if necessary and bring an umbrella.
All tickets $20 / $10 for Geelong Regional Libraries members
Saturday 26 October
9.30am - 11.30am
Queenscliff Library
Live Through This: New Memoirs
Why does writing our own stories feel so liberating and meaningful? Join memoirists
Nova Weetman,
Jo Peck and
Alexandra Collier as they examine the pros and cons of writing about personal setbacks, difficulties and joys, and the unforeseen ways in which having their memoirs published has impacted their lives.
$25 / $18
Saturday 26 October
10.00am
Queenscliff Town Hall
Twelve Rules for Strife
In this cheeky nod to Jordan Petersen’s bestseller
12 Rules for Life, journalist and social activist
Jeff Sparrow and illustrator/activist
Sam Wallman present
Twelve Rules for Strife, a how-to-guide for those wanting to create social and economic change. In discussion with Francis Leach, they outline a set of tactics.
$25 / $18
Saturday 26 October
11.30am
Queenscliff Town Hall
Christian White’s Ledge
Bestselling crime writer
Christian White talks about
The Ledge, his brand new novel of small-town intrigue, long-forgotten secrets and a reckoning with the past that sets off a chain of chilling events, showcasing his prowess as one of our most electrifying thriller writers. With Charlotte Guest.
$25 / $18
Saturday 26 October
1.00pm
Queenscliff Town Hall
Women and Children
A novel exploring fraught yet loving family ties,
Women and Children has been awarded
The Age’s Book of the Year. Author
Tony Birch talks about his long and celebrated career writing extraordinary stories anchored in ‘the ordinary’ with
Jeff Sparrow.
$25 / $18
Saturday 26 October
2.30pm
Queenscliff Town Hall
The Football War
Footy, anyone? Join footy historian
Xavier Fowler and footy tragic Francis Leach for a passionate exchange about the history of our great game and an exploration of Fowler’s new book
The Football War: The VFL & VFA's Battle for Supremacy.
$25 / $18
Saturday 26 October
4.00pm
Monahan Sports Complex - Queenscliff
Saying the Quiet Part Out Loud
Award-winning authors
Melanie Cheng and
Jane Tara share their remarkable new novels
The Burrow and
Tilda Is Visible and discuss how writing fiction makes space to illuminate more about the human condition than non-fiction stories. With Sarah L'Estrange.
$25 / $18
Saturday 26 October
4.00pm
The Hub
Stereo Stories Concert
A celebration of the stories that make music so memorable. Join the Stereo Stories band with special guest storytellers
Claire Hooper,
Thomas Mayo,
Jock Serong,
Jayne Tuttle and
Christian White for a unique evening of storytelling and music that will leave you feeling moved, amused and delightfully surprised.
NOTE: the QLF cashless bar will be open from 6.30pm, and will also be open during intermission.
All tickets $40
Saturday 26 October
7.30pm - 9.30pm includes intermission
Queenscliff Town Hall
Angry at Breakfast
Founding editor of
The Saturday Paper and Schwartz Media Editor-in-Chief
Erik Jensen talks about his book
Angry at Breakfast, an anthology of ten years writing editorials for
The Saturday Paper, and the triumphs and frustrations of his career publishing the nation’s biggest news stories. With Stephanie Convery from
The Guardian.
$25 / $18
Sunday 27 October
10am
Queenscliff Town Hall
Shipwrecks and Sea Myths
Among the spectacular artefacts at Queenscliffe’s iconic Maritime Museum, authors
Shivaun Plozza,
Michael Earp and
Andrea Rowe discuss their love of writing stories about shipwrecks, pirates, ocean adventures and sea myths for young and diverse readers. Optional tour of Fishermens’ Waiting Shed included.
All tickets $10
Sunday 27 October
11.30am
Maritime Museum
Cherrywood
Jock Serong is one of our most compelling novelists, writing unforgettable stories that link tensions between the past and the present, exploring fraught familial and societal dynamics. His new novel
Cherrywood is another cross-generational triumph. With Sarah L’Estrange.
$25 / $18
Sunday 27 October
11.30am
Queenscliff Town Hall
The Referendum One Year On
With the majority of residents in the Borough of Queenscliffe voting ‘Yes’ in last year’s historical Referendum for a Voice to Parliament, but the nation overall voting ‘No’, First Nations writer
Thomas Mayo and constitutional law expert
Shireen Morris share their thoughts on the outcome and the new path forward for reconciliation. With radio presenter Amy Mullins.
$25 / $18
Sunday 27 October
1.00pm
Queenscliff Town Hall
Love Me, Love My Manuscript
Authors
Nina Kenwood,
Stuart Rosson and
Jane Tara share their stories about receiving manuscript rejections and the pleasure of finally being published and establishing a writing career. These riveting insights will include tips and tricks on how to get your story ideas and manuscripts noticed. With Sarah L’Estrange.
$25 / $18
Sunday 27 October
2.30pm
The Hub
Bubbles and Sweets with Nat Paull from Beatrix Bakes
Cake doyenne
Nat Paull discusses her latest book,
Beatrix Bakes: Another Slice, making an appetising case for baking sweet treats that are delicious, creative, a little bit mischievous and a whole lot of fun. Nat’s tantalising sweet treats recipes will be served by Willow Tree Cafe, together with sparkling wine by Scotchmans Hill. With Elizabeth McCarthy.
$40
Sunday 27 October
4.00pm - 5.30pm
Queenscliff Town Hall
Fusing Fiction with Fact
Novelists are increasingly drawing on real-world historical events to write fiction.
Malcolm Knox’s new book
The First Friend is set in Stalin’s Soviet Union, and
David Dyer’s latest,
This Kingdom of Dust, explores what-ifs during the 1969 moon landing. They speak about the allure of history to Mel Fulton.
$25 / $18
Sunday 20 October
1pm
Queenscliff Town Hall
#QLFBookSwap
Queenscliffe residents, be part of QLF’s first-ever community-wide book swap on the final day of our tenth anniversary festival.
Just pop or a book or two you enjoyed (but are prepared to part with) by your letterbox and take a walk around town to find another new read from someone else.
Who knows, you might even find a kindred spirit in the process.
Share your book on social media with the hashtag #QLFBookSwap.
free
Sunday 27 October
7pm
your Queenscliff or Point Lonsdale home
