Sydney Writers' Festival

Australia's largest celebration of literature, stories and ideas. Bringing together the world's best authors, leading public intellectuals, scientists, journalists and more. Subscribe to our channel for new releases.

Sydney Writers' Festival is a society podcast hosted by Unknown Host, with 100 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Unknown Host hosts Sydney Writers' Festival, a society show with 100 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Sydney Writers' Festival

  Maria Reva: Endling

  Aug 18, 202653 min

  Longlisted for the 2025 Booker Prize,  Endling  is an inventive, bold and original debut which follows three angry women and one endangered snail on a road trip across contemporary Ukraine. Named a Best Book of 2025 by The   Guardian , The   Observer , The Washington Post ,  The New Yorker and  NPR , Maria Reva’s debut novel  Endling took the world by storm, delighting readers with its playfulness, dark humour, gripping plot and heartfelt message. Hear Maria discuss her wildly successful debut in conversation with Beejay Silcox. This episode was recorded live in May at the 2026 Sydney Writers’ Festival. If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and follow our channel.  Sydney Writers’ Festival podcasts are available on all major podcast platforms. After more? Follow Sydney Writers’ Festival on social media: Instagram: @sydwritersfest Facebook: @SydWritersFest TikTok: @sydwritersfest See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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  Sydney Writers' Festival

  Yann Martel: Son of Nobody

  Aug 5, 202655 min

  The story of the Trojan War, like so many wars real and imagined, is a story most often told by the victors, the princes and the powerful. In this new imagining of the ancient legend,  Son of Nobody , Yann Martel tells the familiar tale from an unheard perspective: that of a commoner and goatherd who becomes a soldier, Psoas, the son of nobody. Acclaimed for his Booker Prize–winning  Life of Pi , adapted into an Oscar-winning film, Yann’s first novel in a decade sings a universal song about the power of story. Unravel ancient traditions with Yann, in conversation with ABC Radio National’s Claire Nichols ( The Book Show ). This episode was recorded live in May at the 2026 Sydney Writers’ Festival. If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and follow our channel.  Sydney Writers’ Festival podcasts are available on all major podcast platforms. After more? Follow Sydney Writers’ Festival on social media: Instagram: @sydwritersfest Facebook: @SydWritersFest TikTok: @sydwritersfest See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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  Sydney Writers' Festival

  Amitav Ghosh in Conversation

  Jul 28, 202655 min

  An incomparable storyteller, lucid analyst and eloquent polemicist, acclaimed writer Amitav Ghosh’s rich body of fiction and non-fiction work has shaped our contemporary understanding of history and the environment. Listen in as Amitav reflects on his career and range of bestselling books including the Ibis trilogy, ground-breaking non-fiction in The Great Derangement and  The Nutmeg’s Curse  and his newest novel Ghost-Eye , set in 1960s Calcutta. Explore the themes of history, post-colonialism and environmentalism behind his ongoing work, in conversation with Michael Williams. This episode was recorded live in May at the 2026 Sydney Writers’ Festival. If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and follow our channel.  Sydney Writers’ Festival podcasts are available on all major podcast platforms. After more? Follow Sydney Writers’ Festival on social media: Instagram: @sydwritersfest Facebook: @SydWritersFest TikTok: @sydwritersfest See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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  Sydney Writers' Festival

  Florence Knapp: The Names

  Jul 21, 202653 min

  [Content warning: Family violence] Instant bestseller and “best debut novel in years” ( The Sunday Times ) starts in a literal and metaphorical storm. While registering her son’s birth, Cora faces a decision that could change his life: what will she name him? Her options – Bear, Julian or Gordon – each come with their own legacies, expectations and risks. In  The Names , novelist Florence Knapp tells a powerful story of darkness and hope through three vastly different versions of a boy’s life. Explore the profound force of family with Florence, in conversation with ABC Radio National’s Claire Nichols ( The Book Show ). This episode was recorded live in May at the 2026 Sydney Writers’ Festival. If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and follow our channel.  Sydney Writers’ Festival podcasts are available on all major podcast platforms. After more? Follow Sydney Writers’ Festival on social media: Instagram: @sydwritersfest Facebook: @SydWritersFest TikTok: @sydwritersfest See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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  Sydney Writers' Festival

  David Szalay: Flesh

  Jul 15, 202655 min

  In a novel, the words on the page are our entrance into another’s mind. But sometimes it’s the space between the lines that define a character. In David Szalay’s 2025 Booker Prize–winning Flesh , István is caught between the boundaries of Hungary and England, his teenage years and adulthood, his body and sense of self and desire and indifference. With spare, propulsive prose, David paints an intimate portrait of a man slowly unravelling as he asks profound questions about the strangeness of being. Hear David trace the evolution of his singular novel and its protagonist, in conversation with Michelle de Kretser. This episode was recorded live in May at the 2026 Sydney Writers’ Festival. If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and follow our channel.  Sydney Writers’ Festival podcasts are available on all major podcast platforms. After more? Follow Sydney Writers’ Festival on social media: Instagram: @sydwritersfest Facebook: @SydWritersFest TikTok: @sydwritersfest See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Recent guests on Sydney Writers' Festival. Study who booked and why before you pitch.

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