2024
June 7 -9
After three years in the Bellingen showground,
the festival made its return to the Bellingen Memorial Hall, with the Fringe events unfolding in Maam Gaduying Park.
The result? A remarkable success that left lasting memories.
Max Barry | Bryan Brown | Alisa Bryce | Shelley Burr | Stuart Coupe | Matthew Evans | Kate Grenville | Chris Hammer | Jackie Huggins | Seth Jordan | Yumna Kassab | Melanie Kembrey | Thomas Keneally | Amy Lovat | Siang Lu | Simon Marnie | Paul McDermott | Catherine McKinnon | Kate Mildenhall | Louise Milligan | Hannah Moloney | Vasyl Myroshnychenko | Indira Naidoo | Adam Norris | Bruce Pascoe | J.P Pomare | Leah Purcell | Matthew Reilly | Henry Reynolds | Tracey Spicer | Benjamin Stevenson | Toby Walsh | Rachel Ward | Cathy Wilcox | Bruce Wolpe | Misha Zelinsky
BRWF Schools program ran across the region in the leadup to the weekend with: Lee Constable | Sarah Armstrong | Anton Clifford-Mitopi | Luka Lesson | Claire Saxby | RJ Timmis
2024 festival program 2024 festival photos Updates from 2024
2023
June 9-11
Another packed Bellingen Showground festival with a huge lineup of guests, topped off with the hilarious Bookwiz.
Guests included: Wil Anderson · Akuch Kuol Anyieth · Eugen Bacon · Tom Ballard · Paul Barry · Behrouz Boochani · Tim Cadman · Isobelle Carmody · Reece Carter · Maxine Beneba Clarke · Danielle Clode · Steve Coates · Sophie Cunningham · Paul Dalgarno · Rhett Davis · Robert Dessaix · Anton Enus · Kate Evans · Peter FitzSimons · Craig Foster · Gary Fry · Elisa Hall · Carolyn Heise · Kathryn Hore · Mark Humphries · Natalie Isaacs · Micklo Jarrett · Jason John · Christy Anne Jones · Gail Jones · Seth Jordan · Melanie Kembrey · Kim Mahood · Zoë Coombs Marr · Thomas Mayo · Fiona Kelly McGregor · Angela Meyer · Janine Mikosza · Heather Mitchell · First Dog on the Moon · Adam Norris · Kerry O’Brien · Shaun Prescott · Heather Rose · Matthew Spencer · Holly Throsby · Claudine Tinellis · Omid Tofighian · Erna Walraven · Pip Williams.
BRWF Schools program ran across the region in the leadup to the weekend with: Isobel Carmody · Reece Carter · Aleesah Darlison · Will Kostakis · Lili Wilkinson.
2023 festival program 2023 festival photos Updates from 2023
2022
June 10-12
Our second year at Bellingen Showground was a blast, and the festival’s most successful year yet.
Guests included: Robbie Arnott · Jessica Au · Hannah Bent · Emily Bitto · Bernadette Brennan · Bryan Brown · Michael Burge · Peter Carey (via livestream) · Jane Caro · Felicity Castagna · Danielle Celermajer · Steve Coates · Claire G. Coleman · Tim Dean · Reeta Dhar · Professor Peter Doherty (via livestream) · Delia Falconer · Marion Frith · Zianna Fuad · Simi Genzuik · Costa Georgiadis · Alison Gibbs · Elisa Hall · Jane Harrison · Dr Anita Heiss · Dave Horsley · Micklo Jarrett · Jason John · Seth Jordan · Fran Kelly · Melanie Kembrey · Thomas Keneally · Sofie Laguna · Charlotte McConaghy · Kate Mildenhall · Mark Mordue · Adam Norris · Sophie Overett · Oliver Phommavanh · Shivaun Plozza · Penelope Pratley · Darren Pryce · Diana Reid · Kevin Rudd (via livestream) · John Safran · Mykaela Saunders · Nardi Simpson · Inga Simpson · Dick Smith · Dr Norman Swan · Mark Tedeschi · John Thiering · Erna Walraven · Andrew Williams · David Williamson · Kaya Wilson · Adrian Todd Zuniga.
BRWF Schools program ran across the region in the leadup to the weekend with: Felicity Castagna · Jane Harrison · Simi Genzuik · Sophie Laguna · Oliver Phommavanh · Penelope Pratley.
2022 festival program 2022 festival photos Updates from 2022
2021
June 9-13
Someone was looking out for us in 2021. A reimagined BRWF, at a new location, somehow snuck in between COVID outbreaks. Despite some last-minute changes it was wildly successful, from the pumping opening night Poetry Slam to the Good News finale.
Guests included: Bob Brown · Julian Burnside (via livestream) · Barrie Cassidy · Callum Clayton-Dixon · Steve Coates · Courtney Collins · Anton Enus · Jenni Fenton · Kate Forsyth · Zenobia Frost · Alison Gibbs · Morris Gleitzman · Kathryn Heyman · Jess Hill · Michael Jarrett · Rebecca Jessen · Jason John · Claire Hooper (via livestream) · Gisela Kaplan · Dominic King · Malcolm Knox · Kirsten Krauth · Paddy Manning · John Marsden (via livestream) · B.P (Ben) Marshall · Paul McDermott · Barry McDonald · William McInnes · Mohammed Massoud Morsi · Jonica Newby · Adam Norris · Favel Parrett (via livestream) · Mirandi Riwoe · Rhoda Roberts · Michael Robotham · Mikey Robins · Luke Ryan · Craig Silvey · Michael Simic · Debbie Spillane · Nike Sulway · Miriam Verbeek · Erna Walraven · Rohan Wilson.
A wonderful Schools program featured: Anna Fienberg · Oliver Phommavanh · Penelope Pratley · Kate Forsyth · Alana Valentine.
2021 festival program 2021 festival photos Updates from 2021
2020
June 5-8 The year of the plague
There was no physical festival in 2020, but we ran a series of online events including workshops and book launches, and a live-streamed online version of the ever-popular Bellingen Poetry Slam (watch night one and the finals). We also launched a podcast and ran a writing competition with our friends from I Love Bello Shire.
2019
June 7 – 9
Guests included: R.L. Aiken · Marty Branagan · Mark Brandi · Tim Cadman · Caroline de Costa · Robert Drewe · Jarrah Dundler · Anna Fienberg · Mark Flanders · Morris Gleitzman · Elias Greig · Elisa Hall · Chris Hammer · Leonie Henschke · Jane Hutcheon · Tom Iggulden · Eve Jaremka · Michael Jarrett · Leah Kaminsky · Gisela Kaplan · Zohab Zee Khan · Marcia Langton · Anne Manne · Robert Manne · Jane McCredie · Malcolm McFarlane · Cherise Lily Nana · Jonica Newby · Kerry O’Brien · Fiona Patten · Lachlan Philpott · Oliver Phommavanh · J.P. Pomare · Henry Reynolds · Margaret Reynolds · Belinda Scott · Shaa Smith · Debbie Spillane · Jason Steger · Colin Thompson · Holly Throsby · Michelle Scott Tucker · Alana Valentine · Rachel Ward · Christian White · Robyn Williams · Bernard Zuel
2018
June 7 – 10
Guests included: Claire Aman · Amal Awad · Wendy Bacon · Sunil Badami · Lucy Bell · Steve Bell · Jesse Blackadder · Jo Butler · Tim Cadman · Jenevieve Chang · Jessie Cole · Kate Cole-Adams · Stuart Coupe · Blanche d’Alpuget · .M. Donellan · Johanna Featherstone · Libby Feez · Samuel J. Fell · Dan Findlay · Sulari Gentill · Peter Greste · Marieke Hardy · Lex Hirst · Michael Jarrett · Seth Jordan · Michael Leunig · Fiona McArthur · Jane McCredie · Catherine McKinnon · Lisa Milner · Lorna Munro · Chris Nash · Craig Nelson · Tim Page · Bruce Pascoe · Jon Rhodes · Ute Schulenberg · Annie Seaton · Robyn Sheahan-Bright · Alli Sinclair · Debbie Spillane · Alicia Tuckerman · Gary Williams
2017
June 9
Only Schools program and Poetry Slam ran in 2015.
Guests included: Chris Collin · Gaye Chapman · David Hallett
2016
June 9 – 13
Guests included: Jim Anderson · Kacie Anning · Greg Barron · Helen Chebatte · Mark Dapin · JM Donellan · Irina Dunn · Lyn Gain · Lawrence Gibbons · Richard Glover · Alison Green · Larry Hancock · Kim Hodges · Michael Jarrett · Leah Kaminsky · Lee Kofman · Ross Macleay · Annette Marfording · Martin McKenzie-Murray · Jane Messer · Steve Morelli · Tommy Murphy · Lynette Noni · Debra Oswald · Graham Potts · David Reiter · Janet Richardson · Judith Rodriguez · Brian Purcell · Jan Strom · Lesley Truffle · Les Wicks · Gary Williams · David Williamson · Kristin Williamson · Tony Windsor
2015
June 4 – 8
Guests included: Tristan Bancks · Shelley Birse · Justin Brow · Michael Burlace · Bob Carr · Felicity Castagna · Jessie Cole · Paul Daley · Robert Drewe · Irina Dunn · Bob Ellis · Michael Jarrett · Zohab Zee Khan · Peter Macinnis · Ross Macleay · David Marr · Jayne Newling · Nic Newling · Mandy Nolan · Professor Gordon Parker · Janet Richardson · Judith Rodriguez · David Roland · Brian Purcell self-portrait · Rob Simpson · Jan Strom · Diana Sweeney · Lesley Truffle · Samantha Turnbull · Lisa Walker · Sam Wagan Watson · Les Wicks · Gary Williams · David Williamson · Kristin Williamson · Tony Windsor
2014
June 6 – 9
Guests included: Elizabeth G. Arthur · Auntie Bea Ballangarry · Isabelle Carmody · Melanie Casey · Carl Cleves · Moya Costello · Claire Dunn · Irina Dunn · Merrkiyawuy Ganambarr-Stubbs · Sulari Gentill · Paula James · Vivien Jones · Monica Joseph · Liz Keen · Dominic Knight · Kate Lloyd · Ross Macleay · Annette Marfording · Djawundil Maymuru · Angela Meyer · Alex Miller · Marguerite Montes · Omar Musa · Adrian Newstead · Kristina Olsson · Sandie Suchet Pearson · Brian Purcell · Elizabeth Routledge · Victoria Rowland · Claire Scobie · Aunty Shaa Smith · Neeyan Smith · ian Tanner · John Thiering · Dr Hayden Washington · Nadia Wheatley · Gary Williams · Dr Sarah Wright
2013
March 22 – 24
Guests included: Romy Ash · Auntie Bea Ballangarry · Emily Ballou · Belinda Castles · Jessie Cole · Sophie Cunningham · Stephanie Dowrick · Ursula Dubosarsky · Irina Dunn · Libby Feez · Libby Gleeson · Maggie Groff · Katherine Howell · Mette Jakobsen · Cate Kennedy · Karly Lane · Tony Lawrence · Jeanine Leane · Gabrielle Lord · Jenn L McLeod · Patti Miller · Melissa Lucashenko · Drusilla Modjeska · Edwina Preston · Carrie Tiffany · Fiona Wirrer-George
2012
March 25 – 27
Guests included: Pema Baker · John Bennett · Peter Boyle · Steven Carroll · Robert Carter · Laurel Cohn · Nell Cook · Marele Day · Marele Day · Robert Drewe · Siboney Duff · Claire Dunn · Colin Falconer · Kate Forsyth · Morris Gleitzman · Richard Glover · Alan Gould · Martin Harrison · Rod Howard · Ian Irvine · Michael Jarratt · Kit Kelen · KirstenTranter · Tony Lawrence · Bronwyn Lea · Sophie Masson · Alice Pung · Kate Rigby · Bronwyn Rodden · Deborah Bird Rose · Pantelis Roussakis · Lorraine Shannon · Michael Sharkey · Mark Tredinnick · Auntie Emily Walker · Andy White · Uncle Gary Williams · Charlotte Wood · Arnold Zable
2011
Our inaugural festival
April 5 – 10
Guests included: Deb Abela · Debra Adelaide · Auntie Bea Ballangarry · Jon Bauer · John Bennett · Judith Beveridge · Georgia Blain · Tim Cadman · Lesley Cannold · MTC Cronin · Gregory Day · Brook Emery · Tom Galbraith · Stephen Herrick · Janie Conway Herron · Ian Irvine · Wendy James · Ross Macleay · Barry Maitland · Sophie Masson · George Negus · Linda Neil · Michael Robotham · Michael Sharkey · Colin Thompson · Dr Mary White · Chris Womersley
