FANZA's inaugural OzLit Festival took place on Sunday 18 October 2026, bringing some of Australia's most exciting literary voices to the heart of London for a day of extraordinary stories, lively discussions and thought-provoking conversations.
Readers gathered for the inaugural OzLit Festival at Foyles. Photographer: Simon Annand
Held at Foyles on Charing Cross Road, the festival brought together acclaimed writers and enthusiastic readers to celebrate contemporary Australian literature under the theme The Next Chapter.
Across six events spanning fiction, memoir, history and true crime, audiences explored everything from family secrets and haunted pasts to forgotten histories and the power of storytelling.
The day began with celebrated Australian novelist Tim Winton, who joined live from Western Australia for an exclusive conversation about his deeply personal new book, Songs from the Firefront, ahead of its UK publication on 5 November.
Tim Winton live in conversation
Fellow literary heavyweight Alexis Wright also appeared live from Australia, joining from Melbourne to discuss her remarkable life and writing with her editor, Tara Tobler.
Alexis Wright joined the festival live from Melbourne
At Foyles, historian, filmmaker and author Santilla Chingaipe explored the extraordinary stories of Black convicts whose lives have largely been erased from Australia's national history.
Her discussion, inspired by her acclaimed book Black Convicts: How Slavery Shaped Australia, was a powerful reminder of literature’s ability to challenge familiar narratives and bring overlooked stories into the light.
Chingaipe explored the extraordinary stories of Black convicts whose lives have largely been erased from Australia's national history
The afternoon continued with Bodies of Evidence, featuring writers Laura Elizabeth Woollett and Lucia Osborne-Crowley in conversation with journalist and author Molly Flatt (pictured below, L-R). Together, they examined women's experiences, the institutions that fail them and the importance of making their voices heard.
There was dark humour and plenty of family intrigue in A Family Haunting, as award-winning novelist Evie Wyld, Intan Paramaditha and the irrepressible Kathy Lette (pictured below, R-L) explored ghosts, complicated family relationships and the stories that refuse to stay buried. Interviewed on stage by Lyndel Harrison.
The final literary conversation, Out of the Shadows: Hidden Lives Illuminated, brought together international bestselling author Heather Morris and novelist Alice Jolly (pictured below, L-R) to consider how fiction can recover forgotten lives and illuminate the gaps in history.
Morris and Jolly. Photographer: Simon Annand
Beyond the stage, the festival offered an opportunity for readers, writers and book lovers to come together, discover new voices and celebrate the extraordinary breadth of Australian storytelling.
Festival-goers catch up between sessions
The day included a drinks reception, where guests continued the conversations over gimlets generously sponsored by MarGin London Dry Gin.
OzLit Festival was brought to life by producers Rina Gill, founder of Tiger Team Creative, and Vivienne Wordley, FANZA ambassador, with the support of FANZA and its partners.
A huge thank you to all the authors, interviewers, chairs and audience members who made the inaugural festival possible.
FANZA is also enormously grateful to Foyles and the Australian High Commission, including Australia House Creatives, for their support, and to MarGin London Dry Gin for sponsoring the closing reception.
OzLit Festival was a celebration of the stories and ideas that connect Australia and the UK — and an exciting new chapter for Australian literature in London.