an extended literary festival taking the form of occasional conversations with writers
We hold our events on the lands of the Jinabara and Gubbi Gubbi Peoples. We acknowledge their elders past and present.
They are the keepers of the ancient stories of this place.
Welcome to our 2025 program.
We aim to host six events throughout the year.
Our first event will be on April 1st with the author and screenwriter Debra Oswald, talking about her new novel, A Hundred Years of Betty. We’ll open with a conversation with Steven MinOn about his debut novel, First Name Second Name.
(Please note: this event was originally scheduled to be held on March 11, but cyclone Alfred got in the way!)
Our second event will be with author Jane Rawson, speaking about her new book Human/Nature. We’ll open with a conversation with Dr Barry Traill, discussing the state of the environment and of environmental politics.
More details on our Upcoming Events page
Outspoken presents
Debra Oswald
in conversation
Maleny Community Centre
Tuesday April 1,
6 for 6.30pm
Tickets $27.50 and $18 for students
And, Introducing
Steve MinOn
speaking about his novel
First Name Second Name
Debra is best known for being the creator/head writer for the first five series of the remarkably successful TV show Offspring. She is, however, also an award-winning novelist and playwright, a children’s author and a performer.
Her new novel, which she’ll be talking about in Maleny, is 100 Years of Betty and, as the title suggests, it is the century-long saga of a strong, witty, intelligent woman born a bit early for her time. Through its pages we make an idiosyncratic and very personal journey through her life, experiencing just some of the remarkable cultural and historical changes we have undergone.
Image: Alex Vaughn
Our introducing author will be Steve MinOn, speaking about his debut novel, First Name Second Name.
Steve was an internationally awarded advertising copywriter and a restaurateur before becoming a writer of fiction. He grew up in North Queensland and now lives in Brisbane. Steve has written often about outsiders and his family’s mixed-race ancestral history, and his articles and short stories have been published in SBS Voices, Mamamia and various anthologies.
First Name Second Name won the Glendower Award for an Emerging Queensland Writer in the 2023 Queensland Literary Awards
The story begins when a man leaves a curious note by his deathbed, asking his sisters to take his body back to North Queensland. They, however, ignore his request, so his corpse must make the journey itself, travelling at night, bringing the tales with him of his Chinese and Scottish ancestors.
More details on our Upcoming Events page
Our next event, April 24
Outspoken presents
a special event:
Jane Rawson
in conversation
Maleny Community Centre
Thursday April 24,
6 for 6.30pm
Tickets $27.50 and $18 for students
The evening will open with a conversation
with
Dr Barry Traill AM
For more details please visit our Upcoming Events page
If you want to hear about upcoming events via email, with links to booking, please visit the Sign Up page.
Outspoken acknowledges the support of the Sunshine Coast Arts Foundation
This year we held events with Rick Morton, Gina Chick, Bri Lee, Hugh Mackay and Dr Norman Swan, with introducing authors Siang Lu, Andrew Stafford, Carly-Jay Metcalfe, Simon Cleary and Marko Newman.
We’re immensely grateful to all our authors for making the journey up to Maleny, and to the publishers who help us get them here.
The podcasts of our events with Rick Morton, Gina Chick, Dr Norman Swan, Hugh Mackay and Bri Lee are now available, as are the shorter interviews with Siang Lu, Andrew Stafford, Simon Cleary, Carly-Jay Metcalfe and Marko Newman.
There is a total of 82 podcasts available free under the banner of Outspoken Maleny.
Please click on the Podcasts or find us on Apple Podcasts and Amazon Podcasts, click here to be directed to them.
Once on their podcast page click the three dots on the top right and choose ‘follow’
That way you will get regular updates of all of our episodes!
Hugh Mackay
Chris Sarra
Marko Newman
Simon Cleary
Bri Lee
Luke Stegemann
Angela O’Keeffe and Tyyni Lang
Steven and Tyyni with Hugh Mackay
Norman Swan
Alexander McCall Smith
Carly-Jay Metcalfe
Fiona Robertson
Kevin Rudd
Tony Birch
Melissa Ashley
Steven Lang
We've recently moved to an on-line booking platform. It makes it easier for you to purchase tickets, you can buy them at any time of day or night. If for some reason you have difficulties purchasing tickets over the internet a limited number of tickets are available at Rosetta Books.