Margaret River Readers and Writers Festival: Day One

As I woke in the dark to the sounds of my son stirring on the baby monitor on Friday morning, a small smile spread across my lips.

On Saturday, I’d be waking in a hotel room all of my own. Even if I woke and it was still dark, I wouldn’t have to do anything or answer to anyone, and I could finally have some me time.

Yes, in a couple of hours, I’d be off to the Margaret River Readers and Writers Festival with my book club friends. A whole weekend to myself to talk about books and writing.

But first, I had to be a Mum. I got my son up and endured an hour of extreme tantrums. A moment of doubt hit me, and I thought I shouldn’t be going. I should stay home and help my husband with our son.

But I eventually did get out the door and to the train station, where I would start my first leg of the journey.

As I stood at the train platform on the cold, rainy morning, I stared at a dead bird carcass on the tracks, and a sense of foreboding washed over me.

Maybe I should stay home? I have a son to take care of.

However, I did manage to get on the train, and I met my friend at the other end, who was driving me. Of course, I nearly slipped in a puddle walking to her car, and that feeling washed over me again.

Should I really be doing this?

It took me a while to relax, but by the time we stopped for lunch and the city was far behind me, a weight lifted from my shoulders. I started to feel like I did deserve a break and that what I was doing was okay.

We finally arrived in Margaret River, and I checked into my hotel. I had a cute, little top-floor room in a guesthouse that smelled like aged wood. It reminded me of going to church as a child.

I quickly slipped into the festivities with some wine and nibbles, and some more wine.

After dinner, it was time to attend the first event:

When Words Change Us.

Ten Minutes. Five Voices. Infinite Possibilities.

They welcomed five of their guest authors for the weekend, and each one had 10 minutes to do a reading.

Now I’ll be honest, I’m very uncultured and hadn’t heard of any of these authors before that night. But the whole point of these events is to experience new things, and maybe become a little cultured, right?

The first speaker was Professor A.C. Grayling, author of over 30 books. I wish I could tell you more about his reading, but his words went right over my head. Not his fault, probably just the result of a long day of travel, battling mum guilt and too much wine. Sadly, this wasn’t the kind of event where you could take notes, so I had to rely on my memory when I got back to the hotel.

Next up was Sarah Wilson. Sarah was an editor of Cosmopolitan magazine in the early 2000s. She then went on to write the I Quit Sugar books and has recently published I Eat the Stars: How to Live Fully and Beautifully in a Collapsing World.

She read a chapter from her new book. The chapter was titled We (must) create art in the apocalypse! She explained why we must continue creating art, and yes, that also means us writers, even in these uncertain times. She said some people viewed art as an indulgence, but she believed it also created “Islands of Sanity.”

In Sara’s book, she explores some very confronting ideas about society collapsing. She discusses how we can continue to live through this collapse and learn to function in a new way that doesn’t rely so heavily on the technology we will eventually lose if the future unfolds as she has predicted.

Next up was David Szalay, author of his new book Flesh, winner of the 2025 Booker Prize.

He read a chapter from Flesh where the main character, István, is waking from a night of drinking. I later discovered his main character has an alcohol addiction, and although he woke each morning planning to quit, he would be drinking again by the following evening.

I found David’s reading voice amazing. He had a fantastic speaking style and read and wrote in sharp, short sentences.

Antoinette Lattouf was the standout for the night for me.

Antoinette Lattouf is a journalist who was removed from a casual presenting role on ABC Radio back in 2023 after sharing an Instagram post from Human Rights Watch accusing Israel of using starvation as a weapon of war in Gaza.

Following a lengthy court battle, it was found that the ABC had unlawfully terminated her employment for reasons including her political opinions opposing Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.

She began to read a piece she had written about a woman carrying children to a hospital for medical treatment during the war. She had been transporting twins, which she later discovered had already died by the time she got to the hospital, and she felt guilty that she had wasted her time on them when she could be saving other children.

At one moment, the woman collapsed at the door of the hospital from grief and exhaustion. The hospital staff didn’t have the capacity to comfort her and told her to go away if she couldn’t help because there was no time for people to feel sorry for themselves.

Further into the piece, we discover this woman was her mother, a Lebanese immigrant who fled civil war-torn Lebanon in the 1970s.

As she explains this, Antoinette’s voice begins to waver, and she has to pause for a moment as she wipes her tears away. Through the silence of the crowd, someone shouted, “We love you Antoinette!” Then, the audience started clapping. I found myself wiping a single tear away from my eye and joining in on the applause for this woman I had never heard of before that night.

And finally, Bob Brown, former politician and environmentalist, came onto the stage. Once again, I can’t tell you much about him, but he did end by saying, “It’s a good time to be alive.” I thought it was the perfect way to end the night, especially after hearing such heavy topics throughout the session.

I got back to my hotel and removed my contact lenses that were sticky from the long day of travel. I never drink tea, but in the spirit of things, I made a chamomile and spearmint tea, compliments of the hotel.

I once again took in the moment.

I could just sit here and do what I want, uninterrupted… so I chose to write, obviously.

This is a little reel I made of day one.