Opening Night Address and Panel

Claire G. Coleman's opening address: Freedom to Read and Write

Writers in Australia are united in support of social justice and free, but respectful, speech. Yet the landscape in which we work has become increasingly fractured and divisive leading to cancellations, closures and books being pulped.

How are writers navigating this?

Panel: Power of Story and Writing for Change

Science tells us that stories impact and influence us in ways that facts and statistics can’t. Storytelling is a powerful tool in changing the way we understand others, ourselves, and the world around us.

Nadia Heisler, Manager of Stories - Learning and Participation at Centre for Stories, chairs this panel discussion. Nadia is joined by: Wirlomin Noongar writer Claire G. Coleman, Rashida Murphy, author and founder of The Writers' Collective, and Egyptian-Danish-Australian photographer, journalist and writer Mohammed Massoud Morsi.

Come and be inspired by these award-winning authors as they share the unique ways they write to challenge bias, develop empathy and cross-cultural understanding, and help heal community.

This session is for adults.

Please Note: Bookings open 1 August 2026.