7:00pm – 8:30pm

Opening Night Address 2026

$40 

Sit in for an evening of stirring words from five of our country’s finest thinkers at the 2026 Words on the Waves Writers Festival Opening Address.

Reflecting on the 2026 festival theme Take the Time, this exciting event will be hosted by: Yvette Poshoglian

• Former leader of the Australian Greens, trailblazing environmentalist Bob Brown,
• Multi-New York Times and Amazon best-selling writer Sarah Wilson,
• Booker-shortlisted author of A Fraction of the Whole, Steve Toltz,
• Indigenous knowledge leader and founder of the Firesticks Alliance, Victor Steffensen, and;
• Viral social media sensation, Jack Toohey.

Don’t miss this inspiring event, which also launches the festival’s sixth celebratory year here on the Central Coast.

Doors 6:30pm for a 7pm SHARP start.

There is a bar onsite with drinks and nibbles available for purchase

Local bookseller, BOOKFACE, will be on site on the evening to sell copies of authors’ books for signing after the event.

Please note: Ticket sales made via our Program Partner, The Art House Wyong. You will be taken to their website to finalise your booking. Their refund policies apply.

Bob Brown

Bob Brown is an environmental and social justice campaigner and former senator. A founding member of the Wilderness Society, from 1978 he led the successful campaign against the construction of the Franklin Dam. He served in Tasmanian state parliament for a decade, was leader of the Australian Greens, and in 1996 was elected to the federal Senate. His latest book is Defiance: Stories from Nature and Its Defenders (Black Inc.). After retiring from the Senate in 2012, he established the Bob Brown Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation supporting environmental causes.

Sarah Wilson

Sarah Wilson is a multi–New York Times and Amazon best-selling author, journalist, podcaster, social philosopher and thought leader. Her New York Times bestseller First, We Make the Beast Beautiful was described by Mark Manson as “the best book on living with anxiety that I’ve ever read” and was named Book of the Year on NBC’s Today Show. Her more recent book about the climate crisis, This One Wild & Precious Life, won the 2021 US Gold Nautilus Award.

Steve Toltz

Steve Toltz was born in Sydney, Australia in 1972. His first novel, A Fraction of the Whole, was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize and the Guardian First Book Award. His second novel, Quicksand, won the 2017 Russell Prize for Humour.

Victor Steffensen

Victor Steffensen is an author, filmmaker, musician and a traditional knowledge practitioner. He is a descendant of the Tagalaka people from North Queensland and respectfully acknowledges the European connections within his family tree. Much of Victor’s work is based on artistically reviving practical traditional knowledge values, particularly Aboriginal fire management, with Aboriginal and non-indigenous communities. He is the author of the book Fire Country and his new upcoming non-fiction called The Knowledge. He also has published children’s books, Looking After Country With Fire, The Trees and Animals On Country.

Jack Toohey

Jack Toohey is a Sydney-based writer and creative director focused on systems literacy, social inequality and climate justice. Previously a creative agency founder, he redirected his skills towards distilling complex issues into clear, compelling content-rising to prominence in 2023 with a viral video examining housing affordability. In 2025, he released his debut non-fiction Better Things Are Possible, which explores the interconnectedness of climate, housing, gender issues and mental health and served as creative lead on Teach Us Consent’s Promoting Consent Initiative.

Yvette Poshoglian – Host

Yvette Poshoglian is the the bestselling author of over 80 books for young people. Also an English teacher, Yvette consults widely on the power of wide reading, literacy and innovation.

The Art House

The Art House is the centre of arts on the Central Coast. Since opening in 2016, it has become a venue of national significance and was awarded Performing Arts Centre of the Year in 2022, whilst also providing a state-of-the-art performance space for the local community.

BOOKFACE

Festival bookseller BOOKFACE is a small group of local, independent bookstores whose first store opened its doors in November 2014. Head to their award-winning store in Erina Fair and immerse yourself in a world of books and stories.