Group 54

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2026 Festival Writers

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A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Headshot of Ebony Bennett smiling down the camera against a white background.

Ebony Bennett

Ebony Bennett is the Deputy Director of The Australia Institute and host of its popular webinar series and Follow the Money podcast. Beginning her career as a journalist in the Canberra press gallery for the Sydney Morning Herald and Australian Financial Review, Ebony has worked in federal politics in a variety of roles for almost 20 years and has published research on climate change and energy, gender and street harassment. Ebony is a regular commentator and contributor across broadcast and print media, and appears regularly as a commentator on ABC and Sky News and has a fortnightly column in The Canberra Times.
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Portrait of Ed Coper standing with arms folded in front of a wall of decorative concrete blocks.

Ed Coper

Ed Coper is a pioneer of politics in the digital age. A leading political communications expert and authority on the internet and democracy, he built the global blueprints for modern advocacy. He has been behind the scenes of many of the last two decades’ most prominent social movements and has advised high-profile changemakers ranging from Malala Yousafzai to Greta Thunberg. Ed was a key strategist behind Australia’s historic ‘Teal’ movement, and is the author of the acclaimed book Facts and Other Lies. His latest book is Angertainment.
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Outdoor portrait of Edith Wright in a patterned dress.

Edith Wright

Edith Wright is of Bardi Jawi descent. With over thirty years experience, she is retired from a diverse career in education including classroom teacher, Principal at Wangkatjungka Remote Community School and District Aboriginal Education Manager. In 2000 her first book Full Circle, a focus on her family history, was published. Her first children’s book Charlie’s Swim was published by Magabala Books in 2022. As a Director on the board of Magabala Books, she is well placed to ensure First Nation’s children see their culture reflected in children’s literature. Her latest work is The Burden and the Blessing.
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Portrait of Elaine Castillo sitting on a tan sofa beside a large, long-haired German Shepherd.

Elaine Castillo

Named one of 30 of the planet’s most exciting young people by the Financial Times, Elaine Castillo was born in the San Francisco Bay Area. Castillo’s body of work recently won a 2026 Whiting Award for Fiction, and her latest novel Moderation was longlisted for the 2026 Women’s Prize in Fiction, named one of the Top Ten Books of 2025 by The Atlantic, Slate, and a Best Book of 2025 by The New Yorker, TIME Magazine, Kirkus Reviews, and more.
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Outdoor headshot of Eleri Harris wearing a black T-shirt printed with 'follow the light'.

Eleri Harris

Eleri Harris is an award-winning cartoonist and children’s author working on Ngunnawal and Ngambri Country in Australia’s national capital. Her non-fiction history, science and reportage comics have been exhibited and published all over the world. Eleri is the author of the Children’s Book Council of Australia Picture Book of the Year shortlisted, A Loo of One’s Own, and the co-author of Eisner Award shortlisted Making Nonfiction Comics with Shay Mirk. She loves drawing tiny pictures in her studio at Gorman Arts Centre and bush walking.
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Outdoor portrait of Elise Stephenson standing with one hand on a hip in front of a curved window.

Elise Stephenson

Dr Elise Stephenson is Deputy Director of the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership at The Australian National University, founded and chaired by former Prime Minister Julia Gillard. An award-winning political scientist and international relations scholar, she leads global research on gender equality in the space sector and is the author of the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs’ Landmark Studies on Gender Equality in Space. Her new book, Space XX: Gender, Power and the New Space Race, explores who benefits – and who is being left behind – in humanity’s future beyond Earth.

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Outdoor portrait of Emma Grey smiling down the camera with blurred vegetation in the background.

Emma Grey

Emma Grey is the author of seven books, including the USA Today bestsellers Start at the End, The Last Love Note, and Pictures of You, which has been optioned for television. Emma’s novels have featured in the New York Times, People, Oprah Daily, and the Washington Post. They were selected as feature titles by the Book of the Month and Target Book Clubs in the US and by Better Reading’s Top 100 in Australia and have attracted multiple translation deals.
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Portrait of Emma Pei Yin sitting in sunlight with an elbow resting on a stack of books, looking into middle distance.

Emma Pei Yin

Emma Pei Yin is an award-winning writer, editor and literary advocate. Her debut novel, When Sleeping Women Wake, has been published internationally and translated into multiple languages. Emma is the founder of yinfluence, an agency supporting PoC, queer and neurodivergent writers by connecting them with editors and mentors who understand the stakes of telling stories from the margins. She is an Author Advocate for Room to Read and an Ambassador for Chapters for Change.
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Portrait of Erin Cross sitting with hands clasped on a concrete block, smiling to the left of the camera.

Erin Cross

Erin Cross is a writer, editor and digital storyteller who has called Canberra home her entire life. As Online Editor for HerCanberra since 2021, she champions local voices and celebrates the city she loves, turning her childhood dream of telling stories into reality. A University of Canberra Journalism graduate, Erin brings professional media expertise and genuine literary passion to her festival moderator role. As an avid reader with authorial aspirations, she offers unique insights into writing craft and audience connection challenges.
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