Primary School took a trip to the Sydney Writers Festival
22 May 2026
Today, students from Years 3 to 6 continued the wonderful tradition that we have to attend the Primary School event of the Sydney Writers Festival that was held at Sydney Town Hall.
This annual event brings together celebrated children’s authors aiming to ignite imagination and foster a lifelong love of books. Our students joined schools from across Sydney in a day dedicated to exploring the magic of words, meeting their favourite writers, and discovering new worlds through literature.
The Sydney Writers Festival Primary School program is specially designed for younger audiences, featuring interactive sessions with award-winning authors and illustrators.
This year’s line-up featured several well-known children’s authors whose books are beloved in classrooms and homes across the country. Our authors today included:
Mick Elliott who is an author, illustrator, TV producer, screenwriter and professional mischief-maker. He is the author of the new graphic novel series Uranus FC. Mick Elliott acted as our MC for the day and introduced each of the other authors as well as having the students up and dancing like a goal keeper and using enormous beachballs to race up and down the student crowd.
Another highlight was the session by Yxavel Magno Diño, a former student attendee who is now a published author. Yxavel’s journey illustrated the power of following one’s passion and the importance of literary events in nurturing young talent. Her presentation was interesting, as she shared how she blended the virtual world of Minecraft—a game familiar to many in the audience—with the rich tapestry of classic Filipino mythology to create her new book, Mythcraft: Legends Reborn. This unique combination captivated students, showing how modern interests can be woven with traditional stories to create something new and exciting.
Another engaging discussion centred around child-friendly adaptations of Homer’s “Odyssey” by R.A. Spratt. She explored how classic tales can be retold for today’s audiences, making ancient adventures accessible and meaningful without losing their spirit.
A highlight of the afternoon was the incredibly popular author Dav Pilkey, author and illustrator of Captain Underpants and the Dogman series. Dav spoke of overcoming difficulties as a child and how some of the tough moments in life have inspired characters in his stories. During his presentation we had some technical difficulties and Dav showed how good a communicator he is by adapting and changing his presentation. He shared with us some of his drawings from when he was 8 years old and how his inability to read and write well led him to tell his stories through cartoons and drawings. His big message was the value of practice and some lucky students in the audience walked away with signed illustrations done during his presentation.
Hosting the festival at Sydney Town Hall added to the sense of occasion. Walking through its marble halls and sitting beside the timber wall panelling and beside the timber carved column’s, beneath its soaring ceilings allowed students to connect not just with stories, but also with a piece of Australia’s heritage.
Throughout the day, our students were fully engaged—listening intently, laughing along with the authors, and for a few lining up for book purchases and signings. Many shared that meeting “real” writers made them feel that their own stories and ideas mattered.
Today’s Sydney Writers Festival Primary School event left a lasting impression on our students. It showed the power of storytelling to bring people together, foster empathy, and inspire creativity.
Peter Slattery
Director of Junior School
