Whether it’s a dress-up day, sharing a favourite story with classmates or drilling down into the nitty gritty of sentence structure and the role of human storytelling in the age of artificial intelligence (AI), Newington’s 12^th biennial LitFest has something for everyone. 

With thanks to the Stanmore Parents & Friends Association, LitFest 2025 will run from Tuesday 6 May to Thursday 8 May across three campuses (Stanmore 7–12, Wyvern House Stanmore K–6 and Lindfield Prep K–6). LitFest 2025 will feature an impressive lineup of renowned storytellers including authors, illustrators, performers and journalists. The event gives students and our community an opportunity to attend sessions with literary experts, exploring the written, spoken and visual word.  

‘LitFest always creates a bit of a buzz around the College, knowing that we have a bunch of published authors in our midst,’ says Mr Jeremy Green, LitFest Coordinator at the Stanmore 7–12 campus. 

‘The best thing about this event is that we’ve got an author in the room with 20 kids, so they can workshop ideas and be creative; it’s not just the writer presenting their own work to a large audience.  

‘If you talk to students two years after their LitFest experience, they still clearly remember which author they worked with and what they learned, so it makes a lasting impact.’  

This year, 24 professional writers and illustrators will be imparting a wealth of knowledge and skills to students, with some sharing their time among both Senior and Prep students. 

Prep students will enjoy a comprehensive timetable of writing workshops and discussions assembled by Mrs Aleca Bradshaw, LitFest Coordinator Preparatory K–6. They will hear from authors, illustrators and artists such as Nathan Luff (author of The Nerd Herd series), Mark Greenwood (West Australian Premier’s Award winner for titles The Legend of Lasseter’s Reef and The Legend of Moondyne Joe), Charmaine Ledden Lewis (artist and illustrator), Deborah Abela (author of children’s books including Wolfie and Bear in Space), Matthew Lin (graphic designer and illustrator) and Dub Leffler (Australia’s Premier Indigenous illustrator of children’s books).  

‘LitFest always creates a bit of a buzz around the College, knowing that we have a bunch of published authors in our midst,’

Meanwhile Senior students will benefit from a revolving roster of noted literary experts throughout the three-day festival, including Kirli Saunders OAM (an award-winning artist, writer and singer-songwriter), Will Kostakis (ON 2006 and author of novels such as Loathing Lola and The First Third), Martin Chatterton (shortlisted for the 2018 Lollies Award in the UK and for an ARIA in 2016) and Kirsty Eagar (award-winning author of young adult novels including Summer Skin and Raw Blue). 

This year, interested members of the public are also warmly invited to attend a panel discussion about The Role of Human Storytelling in an Age of AI, to be held in the Old Boys Lecture Theatre at the Stanmore campus on Wednesday 7 May at 6.30pm. Acclaimed authors Joel McKerrow, Jack Heath, Rawah Arja and Sue Whiting will be on the panel, which will be hosted by two student MCs, sparking what promises to be a lively discussion around a very pertinent topic. 

‘We are very much looking forward to hearing what these authors have to say about the impact of AI on creativity and what it means for the future of storytelling,’ says Mr Green. 

‘It is a very topical issue in today’s world and the panel discussion is shaping up to be a fantastic event.’ 

Also garnering much interest this year is the LitFest writing competition. Attracting around 80 entries across the Prep campuses and a further 80 submissions from the Seniors, this year Newington students have used writing prompts to create brand new worlds accessed by magical portals,  imagined stories from the perspective of a Wyvern, and authored their own characters whose past deeds are finally catching up with them. 

First, second and third placegetters will be selected from across all the writing categories (Kindergarten & Year 1, Years 2 & 3, Years 4, 5 & 6, Years 7 & 8, Years 9 & 10 and Years 11 & 12), with these students receiving a book voucher prize. Senior first place winners within each category will also have the opportunity to workshop their stories with eminent author Susanne Gervay OAM (writer of the I Am Jack series, among many other titles for younger readers) or Jeremy Lachlan (award-winning author of The Jane Doe Chronicles). 

‘The LitFest writing competition is a wonderful opportunity for our students to express themselves and expand their writing abilities,’ says Mr Green.  

‘Having the chance to sit down with someone like Susanne Gervay or Jeremy Lachlan is a real bonus too.’ 

For more information about the LitFest Speaker Panel, or to book your ticket, click here: https://events.humanitix.com/litfest-2025-speaker-panel.  

If you are a member of the Newington community you can read more about LitFest on New Spaces.