Writers Assemble! 2026

Writers Assemble! is a South Australian festival dedicated to the craft of writing. Across three days and seven events, this FREE festival brings together some of Australia’s best writers for fun discussions on the writing life.

The panels deliberately jumble writers from different genres and age groups—spicy romance flirting with sci-fi, horror side-questing with YA fantasy—to uncover the universal themes and techniques that power all stories. Each session will spotlight a different emotion—Joy, Fear, Desire, Anger, and Awe—and explore how writers bring these emotions to life in the books you love.

For emerging genre writers, an interactive session—Publishing Genre Fiction in Australia—offers a chance to hear tips directly from successful genre writers and publisher.

The festival opens with a star-studded conversation on the popular genres of science fiction, fantasy and horror. We hope you can join our guests and celebrate the best in reading and writing.

Writers Assemble! is proudly supported by Flinders University