What’s happening?
The Island Storytellers Festival will return to southern Moreton Bay, turning the archipelago into a moving literary venue.
Based at Ngudjuru, or Lamb Island, it combines floating sessions with island events. The festival celebrates words, music, history and local stories.
Federal funding through Creative Australia supports the event.
Why it matters
Artistic Director Susan Ward sees the festival as a catalyst for communication and community across the archipelago.
By taking sessions onto the water, organisers can connect communities that usually gather separately. The program also brings local voices together with leading authors and artists.
Local Impact
Festival precincts across the bay will give island communities several ways to take part.
Young readers also have a dedicated event linked to The Elsewhere Girls. Teens who have read the book can gain exclusive entry aboard Talbot.
The state-of-the-art vessel belongs to Redland Bay Marine Rescue. Attendees will meet the book’s co-authors while aboard.
By the numbers
- The festival runs for three days, from 3 to 5 October 2026, across the October long weekend.
- One special history session will run aboard MV Kurrowera on 4 October. Elizabeth Gondwe is President of Oral History Queensland. She will discuss South Sea Islanders pressed into slavery on Macleay Island.
- One floating hub will connect three festival precincts at Ngudjuru, Coochiemudlo and Minjerribah.
Zoom In
Bestselling crime novelist Chris Hammer will launch his latest book, Full Circle, on the waters of Moreton Bay.
He will join distinguished and feisty writer Jane Caro for The Thrills & Chills of Aussie Noir. Their In Conversation session will examine how both writers craft thrillers.
At Look What You Made Me Do, six writers will share what inspires their work. The speakers are Nova Weetman, Emily Gale and Sarah Thornton.
Heather Taylor-Johnson, Rachael Mead and Jane Caro will also join the session.
Dr Anna Reid heads the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. She will lead Create an Opera in an Afternoon & Perform it!
Renowned author Heather Taylor-Johnson will also lead a professional development workshop for writers.
Meanwhile, authors can pitch finished manuscripts directly to the University of Queensland Press. Festival bookshop Books @ Stones will provide books for author signings.
Zoom Out
Sealink’s MV Kurrowera will serve as the floating festival hub and host live sessions while crossing the bay.
The program uses vessels and island precincts, making the bay part of each gathering. It also connects literature with Quandamooka country and Moreton Bay’s shared histories.
What To Look For Next?
When the festival opens, audiences can follow sessions from the island precincts onto the water.
Readers can buy books from Books @ Stones and have them signed by participating authors. Writers with finished manuscripts can also prepare for direct publisher pitches.
Meanwhile, teens can read The Elsewhere Girls before the exclusive Talbot event. Get tickets HERE
