1 date
Dates
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Friday, 07 November 2025
6:00pm – 7:30pm
Prices
Admission
That’s your challenge, finish it however you want.
This year’s Opening Night Gala brings together some of the sharpest and most surprising voices to complete that sentence, however they need to: through comedy, poetry, confession or sheer literary chaos.
It’s a night of noise, joy, truth, and release.
In a loud world, every voice finds its own volume.
By registering your interest you are agreeing to receive a reminder email in the week leading up to the event. This is not a booking and seats will available on a first-come first-serve basis.
Navigate the weekend with an interactive planner and venue maps
- Accessibility
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This venue is wheelchair accessible.
For more information regarding venue accessibility, please visit https://www.adelaidecc.com.au/attending/accessibility-facilities
- Runtime
- 1 hour and 30 minutes
Part of
A vibrant celebration of Asian and Asian Australian literature, writing, and ideas. Discover, engage, inspire. 7-9 November '25.
Discover OzAsia Festival's Weekend of Words
Speakers
Sami Shah
Host
Naarm (Melbourne), Australia
Sami Shah is a multi-award-winning comedian, writer, and journalist, and the curator of OzAsia Festival’s Weekend of Words. He brings his sharp wit and storytelling expertise to explore how humour helps us survive and reshape the stories we inherit.
Appearing in: Opening Night Gala
Sara Haddad
Speaker
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
Hasib Hourani
Speaker
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
Ratih Kumala
Speaker
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
Cheng Lei
Speaker
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?
Sashi Perera
Speaker
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
Dr Samah Sabawi
Speaker
Naarm (Melbourne), Australia
Dr Samah Sabawi is an award-winning author, playwright and poet. Her latest memoir has been shortlisted for the 2025 Stella Prize, The Age Book of the Year award and the NSW Literary Awards’ Douglas Stewart Prize. In 2020, Samah’s independent theatre work won the Green Room Award for Best Writing.
Appearing in: Opening Night Gala and Owning the Page: Identity and Writing Your Truth
Grace Yee
Speaker
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
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11 Sept 2025
Plan Your Literary Weekend
Plan your literary weekend at OzAsia Festival's Weekend of Words with our interactive planner and venue maps.
1 min read -
29 Oct 2024
What We're Reading
In the lead up to OzAsia Festival’s Weekend of Words, we asked Adelaide Festival Centre staff what their favourite genres were to read.
5 min read -
28 Oct 2024
Books and Nooks with OzAsia Festival's Weekend of Words Speakers
Ever wondered how writers organize their bookshelves or choose their next reads? We asked some of the speakers at OzAsia Festival's Weekend of Words to share their secrets.
6 min read
11 Sept 2025
Plan Your Literary Weekend
Plan your literary weekend at OzAsia Festival's Weekend of Words with our interactive planner and venue maps.
1 min read
29 Oct 2024
What We're Reading
In the lead up to OzAsia Festival’s Weekend of Words, we asked Adelaide Festival Centre staff what their favourite genres were to read.
5 min read
28 Oct 2024
Books and Nooks with OzAsia Festival's Weekend of Words Speakers
Ever wondered how writers organize their bookshelves or choose their next reads? We asked some of the speakers at OzAsia Festival's Weekend of Words to share their secrets.
6 min read
2 min read