Pick up! The Sydney Writers Festival is calling…
This year’s Sydney Writers Festival kicks off on 17 May with a highly anticipated program and impressive author lineup. Appearances include international sensation R F Kuang, Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, and Booker Prize winners David Szalay, Yann Martel and Roddy Doyle. Events span every genre and audience from YA to politics, horror to fantasy, memoir to poetry. Emerging and established creators take stage all week long in lively panels and thought-provoking discussions, going beyond storytelling with conversations on global culture and conflict. But the real heart of SWF is the celebration of literature and ideas from Australia and beyond – and there’s so much to celebrate. So get reading! We’ll get you started with our recommendations.
Read this year’s most talked-about titles for free on the Libby app.
Flashlight
by Susan Choi
Susan Choi’s novel about searching for light in the wake of tragedy, shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2026.
Gravity Let Me Go
by Trent Dalton
Bestselling Australian author Trent Dalton’s latest novel is a story of marriage and murder, and it’s getting lots of award buzz.
The Women Behind the Door
by Roddy Doyle
Booker Prize-winning Irish author Roddy Doyle brings back beloved character Paula Spencer in his most recent novel.
Katabasis
by R.F. Kuang
Bestselling author R F Kuang’s latest fantasy epic in which a hero descends to the underworld.
Muckle Flugga
by Michael Pedersen
Poet Michael Pedersen’s debut novel dives into family and identity, set on an isolated island in Scotland.
Walking Sydney
by Belinda Castles
Explore Sydney in a series of walks taken with fifteen writers as they share stories of imagination, inspiration, and home.
*Title availability may vary.
Published May 08, 2026
Gryphon Beyerle
Gryphon Beyerle is an account manager at Libby specializing in international publisher services. She lives in Cleveland, Ohio, where she’s stuck in a Groundhog-Day-style loop of snacking, reading, and napping.