Speakers

Naarm (Melbourne), Australia

Fiji-born writer and researcher, Manisha is the author of Naag Mountain, published by Giramondo. She is the founder of Neptune, a research and learning platform for dreams, visions, and hallucinations. She is currently a PhD candidate at the University of Melbourne.

Appearing in: Art Will Save Us and Not Just Pretty Rhymes

Tarntanya (Adelaide), Australia

Hossein Asgari studied physics and creative writing. His debut novel, Only Sound Remains, was shortlisted for the Miles Franklin Literary Award and the Victorian Premier Literary Awards in 2024. His second novel, Desolation, was published in 2025. He works as a researcher at UniSA Creative.

Appearing in: Thriving as a Writer

Eora Nations (Sydney), Australia

Tamara Asmar is a Palestinian-Australian screenwriter and script producer who has worked on a diverse range of projects, including NCIS: Sydney (Paramount+/ CBS, Channel Ten), Love Me (Warner Bros./Wildflower Films/Binge), In Limbo (ABC), Doctor, Doctor (Channel Nine), and many more.

Appearing in: Your Script is Great, But… and Writing for Streaming

Naarm (Melbourne), Australia

Tony Ayres is an award-winning Australian showrunner, writer and director, and one of the founding members of Matchbox Pictures. In 2018, Tony established his own production company, Tony Ayres Productions (TAP), developing and producing feature films and television for global audiences and international marketplaces.

Appearing in: Your Script is Great, But… and Writing for Streaming

Tarntanya (Adelaide), Australia

Durkhanai Ayubi is an Afghan-born writer. Her first book Parwana: Recipes and Stories from an Afghan Kitchen was published in 2020 to global acclaim. Her next book (2026) combines memoir, history and food writing to reveal a lesser-seen portrait of homeland and exile.

Appearing in: Whose Recipe is it Anyway?

Eora Nations (Sydney), Australia

Elana Benjamin is a Jewish-Australian writer of Indian-Iraqi heritage, and an avid home cook. Her latest book is Indian-Jewish Food: Recipes and Stories from the Backstreets of Bondi (2024, Sydney Jewish Museum). Elana lives in Sydney with her husband and their two children.

Appearing in: Whose Recipe is it Anyway?

Ngunnawal Country, Canberra, Australia

Aarti Betigeri is a multi-platform journalist and the editor of Growing Up Indian In Australia. She is a former foreign correspondent and TV news journalist and presenter, and a long-term correspondent for Monocle.

Appearing in: I Get My News from TikTok and Track Changes

Naarm (Melbourne), Australia

Mridula researches and teaches Indigenous, multicultural and postcolonial literatures, with an emphasis on diasporic writings of South Asia around the world (including in Asia, Africa and the Americas), Asian literatures in translation and culinary cultures.

Appearing in: Speaking in Tongues and Art Will Save Us

Eora Nations (Sydney), Australia

Queenie Chan is a manga-style comic book writer-artist, with over 20 years of experience. Her first published work was a 3-volume mystery horror series titled The Dreaming (TOKYOPOP), and she has since self-published and worked with publishers like Viz Media, Yen Press, Random House, Harper Collins, and more.

Appearing in: A Brave New Space, Making Manga One-Shots Workshop and Drawn from Life Workshop

Eora Nations (Sydney), Australia

Shankari Chandran is the author of Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens, Song of the Sun God, The Barrier, Safe Haven and Unfinished Business. In 2023, she won the Miles Franklin Literary Award 2023 for Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens.

Appearing in: Some of My Best Friends Are Made Up

Naarm (Melbourne), Australia

Cheng Lei is an Australian Chinese journalist with over twenty years of experience. She received the Press Freedom Award from the Australian Press Council in 2024 and was The Australian newspaper's Australian of the Year in 2023. She is currently a presenter and columnist for Sky News Australia.

Appearing in: Opening Night Gala and What Will People Say?

Tarntanya (Adelaide), Australia

Jason has been performing stand-up comedy for more than 20 years, appearing in festivals around the world, on radio and TV. You can hear Jason presenting Sunday Mornings on 891 ABC Radio Adelaide.

Appearing in: Do the Voice and The Special Comedy Comedy Special: Greatest Debate

Naarm (Melbourne), Australia

Keshe Chow (she/her) is a #1 Sunday Times bestselling author of fantasy, romance, and speculative fiction. Born in Malaysia, Keshe moved to Australia when she was two years old. Currently she resides in Naarm (Melbourne) with her husband, two kids and one cat.

Appearing in: Happily Ever After?

Tarntanya (Adelaide), Australia

Smriti Daniel is an award-winning journalist whose longform features have appeared in 20+ publications across the US, UK, India, Sri Lanka and Australia. She writes at the intersection of science, culture, and environment, blending narrative depth with journalistic rigour.

Appearing in: Fake News / Real Journalism and The Line Keeps Moving

Tarntanya (Adelaide), Australia

Olivia De Zilva’s work has been published in The Guardian, SBS and Australian Poetry Journal, among others. Olivia graduated with a Master of Philosophy from the University of Queensland and is the author of Plastic Budgie (Pink Shorts Press) and Eggshell (Spineless Wonders).

Appearing in: Owning the Page: Identity and Writing Your Truth

Tarntanya (Adelaide), Australia

Lyn Dickens is an award-winning writer, editor, and academic. Her debut novel Salt Upon the Water was the winner of the 2024 Arts South Australia Wakefield Press Unpublished Manuscript Award and will be published in October 2025.

Appearing in: Track Changes

Naarm (Melbourne), Australia

Osman Faruqi is an award-winning journalist, writer and editor. Osman is the co-founder and host of Lamestream Media, and a former editor at The Age and Sydney Morning Herald, and the ABC.

Appearing in: Fake News / Real Journalism, I Get My News from TikTok and The Line Keeps Moving

Boon Wurrung Country (Melbourne), Australia

Eugenia Flynn is a Chinese Malaysian, Larrakia, Tiwi and Muslim writer, creative and researcher. Her essays, short stories, poems and textual works have been published and exhibited widely. Her creative practice explores narratives of truth, grief and devastation, interwoven with explorations of race and gender.

Appearing in: Speaking in Tongues, Art Will Save Us and The Line Keeps Moving

Eora Nations (Sydney), Australia

Jan Fran is a multifaceted media personality and founder of Ette Media. She is a Walkley Award-winning journalist, television presenter and social commentator. Her international experience includes shooting and producing documentaries in countries such as Lebanon, France, Bangladesh and Uganda, and she is fluent in three languages.

Appearing in: I Get My News from TikTok and The Line Keeps Moving

Eora Nations (Sydney), Australia

Sara Haddad is a Lebanese Australian author and editor who has worked in independent and corporate publishing in Australia, Aotearoa New Zealand and the United Kingdom for over 35 years. She is the author of The Sunbird. A middle-grade reader version will be published in February 2026.

Appearing in: Opening Night Gala and Track Changes

Singapore

Kirsten Han is a Singaporean writer and activist, and managing editor of the literary journal Mekong Review. She runs We, The Citizens, a newsletter covering Singapore from a rights-based perspective, and is the author of The Singapore I Recognise: Essays on home, community and hope.

Appearing in: Fake News / Real Journalism and I Get My News from TikTok

Eora Nations (Sydney), Australia

Michael Hing is an award-winning comedian, actor and host. He's been on The Feed, triple j Drive and hosted the documentary series Where Are You Really From? For three years, he was a regular host of The Project, and wants to point out he left 6 months before it was cancelled.

Appearing in: Do the Voice

Eora Nations (Sydney)

Hasib Hourani is a Lebanese-Palestinian writer, editor, arts worker, and educator living on unceded Gadigal Country. His debut book, rock flight, was released with Giramondo (AU) and Prototype (UK) in 2024, and New Directions (US) in 2025.

Appearing in: Opening Night Gala, Owning the Page: Identity and Writing Your Truth and Not Just Pretty Rhymes

Eora Nations (Sydney), Australia

Kalhari Jayaweera is a senior editor and editorial content manager at Penguin Random House. She has had the pleasure of working with authors across fiction and non-fiction, including crime, romance, memoir, self-help and general non-fiction. Kalhari has written for Kill Your Darlings and ABC Lifestyle.

Appearing in: Track Changes

Seoul, Republic of Korea

Joo Dong Geun is a South Korean webtoon artist. He debuted with the webtoon All of Us Are Dead. In 2022, this webtoon was adapted into a Netflix drama in 2022 and quickly gained widespread popularity, entering the Top 10 rankings in over 90 countries.

Appearing in: A Brave New Space and Drawn to Life Workshop

Eora Nations (Sydney), Australia

Yumna Kassab is a writer based in Sydney. She is the author of The House of Youssef, Australiana, The Lovers, and Politica. The Theory of Everything is her latest book, and it is available from Ultimo Press. She is the inaugural Parramatta Laureate in Literature.

Appearing in: Thriving as a Writer and Guilty Pleasures

Boorloo (Perth), Australia

Sukhjit Kaur Khalsa OAM is a writer, performer, producer, and cultural leader based in Boorloo. Her debut novel Fully Sikh: hot chips and turmeric stains (Upswell Publishing) was released in February 2025.

Appearing in: Thriving as a Writer and What Will People Say?

Dharug Country (Sydney), Australia

Sukhmani Khorana is an Associate Professor in media at the University of New South Wales. She lives on unceded Dharug country, and identifies as a public scholar and writer.

Appearing in: Whose Recipe is it Anyway?

Eora Nations (Sydney), Australia

Stephen is a graphic novel creator living in Sydney. He has over 20+ published titles and his works can be found in libraries across Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Canada and the UK. He is also a Ringo nominated creator in 2023 (Fractured Shards) and 2024 (Letterer).

Appearing in: A Brave New Space

Jakarta, Indonesia

Ratih Kumala, an Indonesian writer since 2001, has published eight fiction works including her latest novel, Koloni. She is also a prolific screenwriter, notably adapting her novel Gadis Kretek (Cigarette Girl) into a 2023 Netflix series, which won the Seoul Drama Awards.

Appearing in: Opening Night Gala and Writing for Streaming

Eora Nations (Sydney), Australia

Alex Lee is an award-winning writer, TV presenter, comedian, and actor. She has hosted shows such as Win The Week, The Feed, The Checkout and The Project. Alex starred in Michelle Law’s hit play Single Asian Female at La Boite Theatre and Belvoir St; and has written and starred in sketch, stand-up and improv shows in festivals across Australia and the US.

Appearing in: Happily Ever After?

Naarm (Melbourne), Australia

Lawrence Leung is a screenwriter, actor and award-winning stand-up comedian. He created the ABC comedies Lawrence Leung’s Unbelievable and Choose Your Own Adventure. Recently he was a writer/performer for WTFAQ on ABC and a recipient of the 2024 Creative Fellowship at the State Library of Victoria.

Appearing in: Your Script is Great, But..., Speaking in Tongues and Do the Voice

Naarm (Melbourne), Australia

Ann Liang is the New York Times, USA Today and Indie bestselling author of critically acclaimed young adult and adult fiction. Her books have sold in over twenty foreign territories, and have been featured on GMA, the Today show, Cosmopolitan, PEOPLE, Harper’s Bazaar and more.

Appearing in: Happily Ever After?

Meanjin (Brisbane), Australia

Siang Lu is the Miles Franklin-winning author of Ghost Cities and ABIA-winning author of The Whitewash. He is the co-creator of The Beige Index and the creator of #sillybookstagram. Siang is based in Brisbane, Australia, and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Appearing in: Thriving as a Writer and Some of My Best Friends Are Made Up

Bigigal Country, (Sydney), Australia

Sarah Malik is a Walkley award-winning journalist, presenter and author of the critically acclaimed memoir Desi Girl: Faith, Race, Feminism and Belonging and Safar: Muslim Women's Stories of Travel and Transformation. She is also the creator of the SBS Book Club podcast.

Appearing in: Memoir Writing Workshop

Meanjin (Brisbane), Australia

Steve MinOn was an internationally awarded advertising copywriter and a restaurateur before becoming a writer of fiction. His debut novel First Name Second Name (UQP 2025) won the Glendower Award for an Emerging Queensland Writer in the 2023 Queensland Literary Awards.

Appearing in: Some of My Best Friends Are Made Up and Guilty Pleasures

Naarm (Melbourne), Australia

Thuy On is the Reviews and Literary Editor of ArtsHub. She has 3 collections of poetry published by UWAP: Turbulence (2020), Decadence (2022) and Essence (2025). Her works have been longlisted and shortlisted for the Stella Prize and the Mary Gilmore Prize, respectively.

Appearing in: Not Just Pretty Rhymes

Meanjin (Brisbane), Australia

Sandhya Parappukkaran writes stories that encourage celebrating who you are, being bold and not shrinking down for anyone. Steeped in the theme of ‘embracing your cultural identity’, her stories feature scrumptious food and glimpses of nature inspired by her Kerala Indian heritage.

Appearing in: Art Will Save Us

Naarm (Melbourne), Australia

Sashi’s award-winning comedy is a commentary on the daily absurdities of language and life – from doors to crows to self-serve checkouts. She also draws on her former life as a refugee lawyer, which started in Perth and took her to Manila, Ankara, Dar es Salaam, Cairo and Bangkok over a decade.

Appearing in: Opening Night Gala and Track Changes

Ngunnawal and Ngambri Country, Canberra, Australia

Qin Qin is a writer committed to living consciously for a more peaceful and sustainable world. As a former unfulfilled overachiever, her memoir Model Minority Gone Rogue (The Age Book of the Year shortlist 2025) explores choosing love over fear.

Appearing in: Thriving as a Writer, What Will People Say? and Guilty Pleasures

Peramangk Country (Adelaide), Australia

Datsun Tran is a Chinese Australian visual artist whose work primarily features the natural world, though the art is about us, the human story. His picture book Then and Now was released recently and received a Notable Award in the CBCA Awards in 2025.

Appearing in: Art Will Save Us

Tarntanya (Adelaide), Australia

Leela Varghese (she/her) is a writer and director known for telling joyful and impactful stories. Her award-winning works include Lesbian Space Princess (Berlinale 2025) and I’m the Most Racist Person I Know (SXSW Austin 2025).

Appearing in: Your Script is Great, But…

Tarntanya (Adelaide), Australia

Kushi Venkatesh was named South Australia’s Funniest Teen in 2023 and is a stand-up comedian and reporter. She was the winner of the 2023 Australian EdStart Achievement Award for Performing and Visual Arts and was a nominee for the Young Australian of the Year Awards in 2025.

Appearing in: Do the Voice

Seremban, Malaysia

Malachi Edwin Vethamani is a Malaysian poet, writer, editor, critic, bibliographer, and Emeritus Professor at the University of Nottingham. He has published five volumes of poems and two collections of short stories. He is the Founding Editor of Men Matters Online Journal (2020).

Appearing in: Speaking in Tongues and The Poetic Line Workshop

Kohima, Nagaland India

Beni Sumer Yanthan is the pen name of Yanbeni Yanthan. She is an Assistant Professor at Nagaland University. Her works encompassing poetry, essays, reviews, and short stories, have been published in various journals, e-zines, newspapers, and forums.

Appearing in: Speaking in Tongues

Naarm (Melbourne), Australia

Grace Yee is the author of Chinese Fish (Giramondo), winner of the Victorian Prize for Literature. Chinese Fish will be published in the UK by Akoya Publishing in 2026. Her second book is Joss: A History (Giramondo).

Appearing in: Opening Night Gala and Not Just Pretty Rhymes

Tarntanya (Adelaide), Australia

Jessica is an Adelaide-based zine maker and illustrator working under the name Ban-She. Her work explores feminist and political ideas in an accessible and light-hearted way.

Appearing at: Zines & Reads (Regattas)