Fitzroy Writers Festival 2025

The Fitzroy Writers Festival is back. On April 12, Fitzroy Town Hall’s The Reading Room will once again present panel talks by celebrated authors, journalists and scholarly thinkers on a range of topics from mental health and economics to food.

This year’s line-up is made up of five sessions. Food writer Dani Valent will kick off the day leading a panel discussion with the owners of four loved restaurants in Fitzroy: Mario Maccarone of Marios, Audrey Shaw of Carnation Canteen, Mischa Tropp of Toddy Shop and Ricardo Garcia Flores of El Columpio. They’ll share the ins and outs of running a business in Melbourne’s culinary heart, from sourcing ingredients to designing menus.

Nilima Rao (A Disappearance in Fiji) will then host fellow crime fiction authors Mark Mupotsa-Russell (The Hitwoman’s Guide to Reducing Household Debt) and Zane Lovitt (The Midnight Promise) for a conversation about the genre and insights into their respective works.

From 2pm to 3pm, social researcher and author Rebecca Huntley will follow with insights into her memoir, Sassafras, which explores her experience of supervised MDMA therapy to treat PTSD.

In the mid-afternoon, GP and author Melanie Cheng will discuss her new novel The Burrow with ABC broadcaster Sarah L’Estrange. The session will reflect on its central themes of family, grief and rebuilding after tragedy.

Leading Australian political analyst George Megalogenis will close the day with a talk moderated by Sean Kelly, a columnist for The Age and former advisor to Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard. The session will draw from social data and Megalogenis’s most recent Quarterly Essay to explain contemporary political sentiments across the country and examine the future of Australian democracy.

Every event is free, you just have to register. Plus, each talk will be Auslan interpreted and is wheelchair accessible.

More information here.