What Will People Say?

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?

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?

Eora Nations (Sydney), Australia

Dr Quah Ee Ling is an associate professor researching, writing and teaching about migration, race, gender, sexuality and feminism. She is Singaporean of Chinese-Hokkien and Indonesian Peranakan heritage based in unceded Eora Nations (Sydney). Her most recent work is Fire Dragon Feminism: Asian migrant women’s tales of migration, coloniality and racial capitalism (Bloomsbury 2025). 

Appearing in: What Will People Say? and Owning the Page: Identity and Writing Your Truth

Eora Nations (Sydney), Australia

Born to a Japanese father and Australian mother, Kumi grew up in rural New South Wales learning classical violin from the age of five. She has worked in the media for over 25 years in Australia and overseas, and is the host of SBS's Insight.

Appearing in: What Will People Say?

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