About the Event
The Mandurah Readers’ and Writers’ Festival is an annual adult literature event presented by City of Mandurah Library Services. The aim of the festival is to foster a love of reading and literature and encourage creativity in our community.
In 2026 the festival will be held from 8 - 10 January at Seashells Mandurah, bringing together an array of established and emerging storytellers from across Western Australia. This three-day festival includes author talks, and panel discussions.
Day ticket – Entry to all four events
What to Expect:
9.30am: Emily Tsokos Purtill – Matia
11.00am: Shaedon Berry - Down the Rabbit Hole
2.00pm: Marcia Van Zeller - Be a Good Girl, Valerie
4.00pm: Geoff Hutchison - How NOT to become a Grumpy Old Bugger
5.00pm: Drinks and nibbles
All day tickets $15 per day (Non-Refundable), Book Here!
Emily Tsokos Purtill
Emily Tsokos Purtill is a Western Australian writer of Greek heritage. She lives in Perth / Boorloo, in Western Australia, on the lands of the Whadjuk Nyoongar people. Emily studied at the University of Western Australia and the University of British Columbia, Canada and has worked as a lawyer in Perth and Paris.
Emily is a 2024 winner of the Griffith Review Emerging Voices Competition for her essay, Know Thyself, a meditation on genetic inheritance and mythology. Her debut novel Matia (UWA Publishing) was released in October 2024 and won the 2025 Western Australian Premier’s Book Award for an Emerging Writer.
Shaeden Berry
Shaeden Berry is the author of two crime novels, Down the Rabbit Hole (2024) and At Cafe 64 (2025), published with Echo Publishing. She holds both a bachelor's degree and a Master in Creative Writing.
Shaeden’s short stories have featured in numerous anthologies, including Kill Your Darlings' New Australian Fiction 2023. She lives in Boorloo with her partner and their two cats, Frumpkin and George.
Marcia Van Zeller
Born in Canada, Marcia van Zeller completed a BA at the University of Toronto before landing a job in television production. Marcia arrived in Perth, Western Australia in the 1980s to embark on a long career in journalism and professional writing.
After many years spent composing words to the specifications of others, Marcia decided she had a story or two of her own to tell. She completed her first novel as part of her PhD thesis through Curtin University’s School of Media, Creative Arts and Social Inquiry.
Marcia continues to work as a freelance editor and is a professional member of the Institute of Professional Editors WA.
Geoff Hutchison
In 2022, Geoff Hutchison hung up his headphones after a long career as an ABC broadcaster. Before that, he was a journalist on the 7.30 Report and a one-time Foreign Correspondent.
Geoff is intensely curious and has seldom worked a day in his life. It has been one of great privilege: talking to people, witnessing extraordinary moments and coming to the understanding that the things we share are far more significant than those that divide us.
Facilitators
Kathy Heys
Kathy Heys graduated from UWA with a degree in English Literature and a Graduate Diploma of Education and embarked on a career teaching in public schools. Recently retired from her role as Head of English at Coodanup College, after 18 years at the school, she is completing a creative writing and professional writing course at Curtin University. Kathy is looking forward to having more time to devote to developing her creative skills, while also working for Curtin University supervising beginning teachers as they embark on their internships.
Teena Miller
Teena Miller is Coordinator Library Services for the City of Mandurah. In addition to her Bachelor of Arts degree, Teena also has a Graduate Diploma in Library and Information Studies and recently completed a Master of Business Administration (MBA).
Teena has what some might consider an unnatural enthusiasm for crime, which stems from her undergraduate degree in Sociology / Anthropology, not her family history (although rumour has it, she does come from convict stock).
An avid reader, Teena has a particular fondness for Australian crime, both true and fictional and also loves dinosaurs and primates. But that’s a whole other story!
Tea and coffee provided.
Festival bookseller is Dymocks Busselton.
Places are limited. Bookings required.
