Living Stories: Is It True...? Publication Showcase

Join us in celebrating the winning and highly commended writers of our award-winning program: The Living Stories Western Sydney Writing Prize - Is It Ture ... ?

Saturday July 18th, 2026 is a unique opportunity to celebrate our new partnership with The National Trust, and be welcomed at our new event venue: Old Government House in Parramatta Park.

We invite all winning and highly commended writers to celebrate and showcase their work in front of a crowd, and to come collect their copy of the publication.

Between 12pm and 4pm there will be an open mic on stage, where all winners and highly commended writers are welcome to read their work -- freshly published in the anthology! This is a call for participation for the writers featured in the publication! 

Please RSVP into the age group you represent in the publication / competition. These are the times the readers will be invited onto the stage:

12pm - 1pm: Ages 10-12
1pm-2pm: Ages 13-15
2pm-3pm: Ages 16-18
3pm-4pm: Adults

Families and friends are welcome to come and support the public readings. Please RSVP under the age group / time slot of the featured writer you are there to support.

All writers featured in the publication will receive 1 free copy of the publication, which can be collected from WestWords staff at this event. There will be an opportunity to have your photo taken at a signing table, as you sign the WestWords 'display copy' of the publication. Additional copies will be available for purchase. 

We are expecting a large number of people to join us at Old Government House. We ask for your patience for a smooth running of the day. There is parking available inside Parramatta Park. Old Government House is a 14-minute walk from Parramatta Train Station. There are bathrooms available on site.

This program, and the stories we tell, wouldn't be possible without the support of our partners, Arab Bank, Australian Catholic University (ACU), Create NSW, and WestLit Libraries, and our event partner, The National Trust.