Bryan Brown, Shaun Micallef and Sarah Wilson among 2026 Margaret River Readers & Writers Festival line-up

The much-loved Margaret River Readers & Writers Festival is set to return this May, with organisers announcing a slate of headline events ahead of the full program release next month. The festival opens on Friday, May 15 at Nala Bardip Mia - Margaret River HEART with guest author, David Szalay, A.C. Grayling, Sarah Wilson, Antoinette Lattouf and Bob Brown exploring the theme of “When Words Change Us”. Each author will present a 10-minute reading, drawing from their own work or pieces by writers that have resonated with them. On May 16, Voyager Estate Winery will host an evening with Australian actor Bryan Brown who will appear in conversation with ABC Radio Perth Afternoons show presenter Jo Trilling. Brown, whose screen career surpasses 50 years in Australian and international film and TV, will share captivating stories from his career on screen and the inspiration behind his acclaimed books, Sweet Jimmy, The Drowning and his latest, The Hidden. Also scheduled for May 16 is sister event the Busselton Book Festival, bringing booklovers together for a three-course dinner with Australian comedian, writer and actor Shaun Micallef at Shelter Brewing Co Busselton. Micallef will take the audience through his new novel Death Takes a Holiday, his acclaimed Slivers, Shards and Skerricks, and a career spanning television, books and satire. Festival-goers can stay in Busselton for Breakfast with Bob Brown on Sunday, May 17, at the Busselton Hub, Shelter Brewing Co. The former Greens leader will share stories from his decades of activism, from conservation battles to global climate efforts. Also set for May 17 is an In Conversation event with Sarah Wilson at Shelter, exploring her titles such as First, We Make the Beast Beautiful: A New Story about Anxiety, and This One Wild and Precious Life: The Path Back to Connection in a Fractured World. The full Margaret River Readers & Writers Festival program will be released on March 16 at mrrwfestival.com.