The Inaugural Festival of Fiction

Perth’s newest fiction festival lands with a bang

When word of Perth’s new lit festival broke in early 2024, I was lucky to secure one of the 350-odd tickets that sold out in a handful of minutes.

Then the organisers announced a series of pitching opportunities with well-known publishers and agents from around the country. It all sounded brilliant, and an amazing opportunity to immerse myself (a former east coaster) in WA’s vibrant writing scene.

On a whim, I messaged festival director and author Tess Woods, asking if my marketing and events expertise could be useful to her. Lo and behold Tess – who, as well as being a talented writer, happens to be one of the loveliest people on the planet – replied saying yes, and they would even love to have me on the committee.

Local author and the festival’s assistant director Sasha Wasley, and I took charge of event merchandise, scouring the internet for high quality bookish items that attendees would love. (Which they did. On the day we sold out of socks, pins and showbags, with just a handful of tote bags, mugs and notebooks leftover).

The Inaugural Festival of Fiction

Me prepping event merch before guests arrived.

The festival was held on October 19th at Edith Cowan University in Joondalup, and what a day it was. Not only did it bring together a diverse crowd of writers, readers and literary peeps, but the overall vibe was one of connection and positivity and, of course, a love for all things good fiction.

Here’s a quick recap of the day.

Love, Actually

Melina Marchetta, Rachael Johns, Annie de Monchaux and Tess Woods discussed the importance of diverse narratives, and what it takes to make readers feel deeply. The panel was moderated by agent and author Danielle Binks.

Gritty Tales

In a session that featured crime writing heavy-hitters Michael Trant, David Whish-Wilson, Dervla McTiernan and Anna Downes, Writing WA’s Will Yeoman prompted discussions about how to write compelling fiction that leaves readers hungry for more.

Dangerous Women

Domestic noir and literary fiction writers Sara Foster, Nicola Moriarty and newcomer Amy Brown challenged societal perceptions of female characters, and discussed the importance of pushing the envelope and taking risks in their writing, with Nadia King moderating.

Other Worlds

In the only purely Western Australian panel of the day, Donna Mazza, Madeline Te Whiu, Juliet Marillier and Tamara Moss, who were joined by moderator Kaya Ortiz to discuss the magical worlds of fantasy and speculative fiction.

Little Wonders

Kylie Howarth, James Foley, Ash Harrier and Jacqueline Harvey spoke about the wonder of writing for young audiences, with Cheryl Akle of Better Reading serving as moderator.

Historically Speaking

Historical fiction queens Lauren Chater, Jennie Jones, Natasha Lester and Anthea Hodgson discussed the challenges and unexpected joys of writing historical fiction, and how the past shapes us, with Steve Kinnane moderating the session.

For the Fiction Writers in the Room

Finally, in the last session of the day, five of the biggest names in publishing—Ali Watts (Penguin Random House), Rachel Bin Salleh (Magabala), Lex Hirst (Panterra Press), Georgia Richter (Fremantle Press) and Danielle Binks (Jacinta di Mase Literary Agency) discussed the current state of commercial fiction in Australia, with Sasha Wasley moderating. This supremely experienced panel also also shared a wealth of advice for the many aspiring authors in the room.

The success of the inaugural Festival of Fiction was not just a one-off; it was a celebration of the collaboration and support within WA’s flourishing writing community, and I was delighted to be part of it. My highlight of the day was facilitating the pitch sessions between emerging writers and the attending publishers and agents. Even just witnessing how these sessions unfolded taught me a lot about the process – stay tuned for a more detailed post on this subject.

Next year’s festival is already shaping up to be even bigger and better. I extend my heartfelt thanks to Tess Woods, Sasha Wasley, the attending agents, publishers and authors, and, of course, my wonderful fellow committee members.

Book people really are the best people.