Border's premier writers festival to return with stellar 2025 line-up

Image caption: Authors Julie Janson and Siang Lu meet attendees of the 2024 Write Around the Murray festival.

Write Around the Murray (WAM) returns from 10 to 14 September 2025, delivering five days of more than 70 events featuring award-winning authors and illustrators from across the country. You can now secure your place for the many activities on offer.

Leading this year’s program is the Book of the Festival, Lyrebird by celebrated journalist, social commentator and writer Jane Caro – hailed by The Sydney Morning Herald as “potentially the most Australian crime thriller of all time”.

WAM 2025 will showcase a remarkable line-up of talent whose recent works have captured national attention, including:

• Melanie Cheng (The Burrow) – longlisted for the Miles Franklin Award
• Kate Emery (My Family and Other Suspects) – longlisted for the 25th Davitt Awards, shortlisted for the Indie Book Awards 2025 and noted in the Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) list for older readers
• Deborah Frenkel (The Truck Cat) – shortlisted for the CBCA and ABIA Picture Book of the Year
• Isobelle Carmody (Comes the Night) – shortlisted for the Indie Book Awards
• Charmaine Ledden-Lewis – Bundjalung illustrator of the Ask Aunty series, one of which was shortlisted for the Karajia Award for Children’s Literature
• Nat Amoore (We Run Tomorrow) – shortlisted for the REAL Awards

“WAM is where the love of story brings our community together,” said festival director Aimee Chan, an internationally award-nominated author. “Whether it’s crime, fantasy, romance or comic art, there’s something here to spark every imagination."

Beyond books, WAM celebrates storytelling in all its forms: author talks, workshops, slam poetry, visual art, music and film.

This year, the festival takes a bold step into comic art, including manga. A highlight will be the launch of WAM’s first-ever comic, created by young people at The Hive Youth Resource Centre in collaboration with artists Kieran Jack, Angie Spice and Shane McCarthy. The project, supported by the Australian Government’s Festivals Australia program, will be unveiled at the festival’s opening day on 10 September.

Albury Mayor Kevin Mack said Write Around the Murray had cemented its place as one of the city’s flagship cultural events over the past 19 festivals.

“It not only brings some of the country’s best writers to our city, but also gives our talented local authors and illustrators the chance to shine on a national stage,” Mayor Mack said. “I encourage everyone to come along, be inspired and experience the buzz this festival brings to Albury each year.”

Write Around the Murray is an AlburyCity signature event. You can now purchase tickets and view the full program at writearoundthemurray.org.au.