UNSW partners with SWF again, and this year it focuses on the universal themes of connectedness and being ‘in this together’.
The 2025 Sydney Writers’ Festival (SWF) runs from Monday 19 until Tuesday 27 May and features a spectacular line-up of local and international authors, including UNSW academics.
Some of our UNSW academics featuring
One of the most anticipated events on this year’s program is a session on Thursday 22 May about The Ministry of Time, a debut novel by author Kaliane Bradley. With a blend of science and historical fiction, the session delves into colonialism, desire and the ethics of time travel. Kaliane is joined in conversation by Melanie Kembrey and Associate Professor Fiona Morrison from UNSW Arts, Design & Architecture.
Interrogate the ethics of power, progress and capitalism with Scientia Professor Richard Holden from UNSW Business, during his session Business Behaving Badly on Wednesday 21 May.
Learn about the convergence of creativity and technology in Art and Science of AI also on Wednesday 21 May. This session features acclaimed author Jeanette Winterson in conversation with Professor Verity Firth AM and Scientia Professor Toby Walsh.
In a now sold-out session, Dr Adam Bayes, psychiatrist with the Black Dog Institute and social researcher and writer Dr Rebecca Huntley, discuss using MDMA to treat trauma. Hear about this contentious treatment from their perspective on Thursday 22 May.
Also on Thursday 22 May, humour and high-stakes rhetoric take centre stage at the Great Debate: True Friends Stab You in the Front. A festival highlight known for its rapid-fire wit and theatrical flair, this year’s line-up features presenter Annabel Crabb and writer and broadcaster David Marr alongside Rhys Nicholson, Jennifer Wong and Associate Professor Justine Rogers from UNSW Law & Justice. They’ll debate the legitimacy of the aphorism about friends who betray each other.
On Friday 23 May, the STEMMinist Book Club offers a lively discussion on women in STEM and the stories that inspire them, hosted by Professor Caroline Ford from UNSW Medicine & Health.
On Sunday 25 May, dive into the almost cult-like world of beauty in The Business of Beauty featuring writer and nutritionist, Dr Rebecca Reynolds from UNSW Medicine & Health.
The free UNSW x SWF Curiosity Lecture Series showcases UNSW researchers and thinkers who explore everything from grief, big data and the power of language to the invisible forces shaping our lives.
To learn more about the UNSW x SWF events and to secure your tickets visit UNSW Centre for Ideas.
About our partnership
UNSW Sydney is the exclusive university sponsor and proud Premier Partner of Sydney Writers’ Festival. This partnership brings together world-class thinkers and storytellers in events that spark meaningful conversations across literature, politics, science and culture. It’s a shared commitment to creativity, curiosity and knowledge-sharing.
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