Walyalup/Fremantle is getting ready to host a totally lit new festival and we’re excited to be involved. Inspired by place, culture, community and story, Totally Lit – Adventures in the Port City will activate Freo with a program of live literature events and original, immersive experiences for audiences of all ages.
From 26 Sept to 10 Oct, Totally Lit will disrupt familiar expectations in relation to what a literary festival can be by providing bespoke opportunities to engage with writers, writing and storytelling. For the full program and to book tickets, head to the Totally Lit website.
Plus, you can also become a Totally Lit Friend to enjoy fantastic year-round discounts at New Edition and other Freo bookshops, as well as priority booking opportunities and discounts for Totally Lit events. More on that here.
Meet us in Walyalup Koort for Totally Lit Festival’s Big Book Market!
The Big Book Market is an opportunity for book lovers of all interests to discover new titles and great bargains, including the best books West Australia has to offer. Local booksellers, publishers and authors are all coming together on the day to celebrate literature in the heart of Walyalup/Fremantle and help you find your next great read.
For more information, head here.
Join us for a fabulous celebration of community and inclusivity in the heart of Fremantle as we celebrate the return of Freo Pride Fest!
This free, non-alcoholic, all-ages event brings together live music, art, market stalls, pottery, screen printing, face painting and more. We are proud to be back hosting our own stall to platform some of our favourite LGBTQIA+ authors.
Head to the Freo Pride Fest website for all the details on this and other events celebrating pride month in Fremantle.
Join us at Freo Library as we welcome West Australian novelist Holden Sheppard to discuss his latest book, King of Dirt.
Holden’s debut young adult novel, Invisible Boys, won multiple accolades including the 2019 Western Australian Premier’s Book Award and was adapted as a 2025 television series of the same name. King of Dirt is his third novel and his first aimed at adults. It’s a gritty and heartfelt gay coming-of-age story set in the world of FIFO workers and tradies in Western Australia.
Holden will be interviewed by writer, journalist and former ABC broadcaster Gillian O’Shaughnessy. Light refreshments provided and books available for purchase and signing. Get your free ticket here.
Celebrate west coast poets and poetry at the annual WA Poetry Month Showcase. Grab a glass and a snack, and get cosy with a lineup featuring champions of the stage and page representing some of the best Western Australian poetry has to offer.
Featuring sets by Australian Poetry Slam Champion and local legend Jo Giles, poet on the airwaves and regular slam emcee Joni Boyd, author of Serenity Wargada (Red River Press, 2024) Megan Ugle, author of G-d, Sleep, and Chaos (Gazebo Books, 2024) Alan Fyfe, author of The Hum Hearers (UWAP, 2025) Shey Marque and more soon to be announced.
This unforgettable night will wrap with a musical set by WAM Awards nominee for ‘Best Vocalist’ and ‘Best Folk/Singer-Songwriter Act’ Anna Schneider. Hosted by 2x State Slam Finalist and author of We Need to Talk (Red River Press) Manveen Kohli.
Get your free ticket here.
Presented in partnership with Fremantle Library and Red Room Poetry as part of Poetry Month.
Strange Editions is back! We are thrilled to again be invited to collaborate with Strange Company for a series of winter evenings celebrating local wine and local books. The July session will feature Josh Kemp in conversation about his latest novel, Jasper Cliff.
When Toby Bowman vanishes, his brother Lachlan retraces a road trip to the last place Toby phoned from – a remote northern town called Jasper Cliff. There, Lachlan finds himself marooned at the dying town’s pub, and soon learns that his brother is just one of many to have gone missing in recent years. Like his brother, Lachlan becomes obsessed with finding the Rift, a deep hole in a ravine somewhere in the hills. But what will Lachlan learn, and what will he see, if he stares into the Rift, too?
Josh Kemp is an acclaimed local author of Australian gothic and crime fiction. His debut novel, Banjawarn, was the winner of the 2021 Dorothy Hewett Award, the 2022 Ned Kelly Award for Best Debut Crime Fiction, and the 2023 Western Australian Premier’s Prize for Best Emerging Writing. Jasper Cliff is his second novel and was recently shortlisted for the Aurealis Award for Best Horror Novel. He lives in the south west of WA but finds himself drawn, over and over again, to the red dirt of the state’s north.
This is a free event, however as places are limited RSVP is essential. Secure your spot at the bar or by heading here.
Join us and Fremantle Press in celebrating Nock Loose, the debut novel of lifelong Fremantle local, Patrick Marlborough.
Joy is a gifted archer, a retired Olympian and a former stuntwoman on a cult Japanese tokusatsu show. Raised by a feckless grifter, her home is Bodkins Point. For 150 years, this small town has hosted an annual ultra-violent medieval festival called ‘Agincourt’. During the festival, Bodkins Point transforms – assuming a parallel identity that plays tug-of-war with the way its townsfolk live for the rest of the year.
In the aftermath of a terrible fire, Joy’s past and the town’s dark history are set on a collision course as she takes the furious road to revenge.
Patrick is a neurodivergent nonbinary writer, comedian, journalist, critic and musician. They were shortlisted for the Fremantle Press Fogarty Award in 2021. The launch will feature live music from Nika Mo and New Nausea, as well as tunes from DJ Sliding Doors. Books available for purchase and signing on the night. For more information head to the Facebook event page here.
Join us with Fremantle Press to launch Boom Town Snap, the latest book from local author Jay Martin.
When Georgie’s boss-turned-lover, Nico, offers her a high-stakes job in Canada, she wants to say no. But burdened by debt and swayed by Nico’s promises that the gig will be quick and lucrative, Georgie feels she has no choice – even though it means leaving behind the people she loves the most.
Swapping an Australian mining town for the rugged Albertan oilfields, Georgie’s finally getting her life back on track. But as the stakes rise at work and at home, Georgie discovers the real reason she got the job – and just what she stands to lose.
Books will be available for purchase and signing with light refreshments provided. This is a free event but registration is essential. Confirm your place here. We helped launch Jay’s first book, Vodka and Apple Juice, back in 2018 and look forward to celebrating with her again.
Join us to celebrate Australian author Jane Caro as she launches her pulsating new thriller, Lyrebird.
Lyrebirds are brilliant mimics, so if they mimic a woman screaming in terror and begging for her life, they have witnessed a crime. But how does a young, hungover PhD student and a wet behind the ears new detective, convince anyone that a native bird can be a reliable witness to a murder—especially when there is no body and no missing person?
And what happens when they turn out to be right?
Jane Caro AM is an award-winning Australian columnist, author, novelist, feminist, public education activist and social commentator. Jane will be in-conversation with local author Leigh Straw. Light food provided and drinks available at the bar. Tickets are $5.00 and available here.
Join us to celebrate awarding-winning Australian author Hannah Kent as she launches Always Home, Always Homesick, a remarkable literary memoir and love letter to her muse, Iceland.
In 2003, seventeen-year-old Australian exchange student Hannah Kent arrives at Keflavík Airport in the middle of the Icelandic winter.
That night she sleeps off her jet lag and bewilderment in the National Archives of Iceland, unaware that, years later, she will return to the same building to write Burial Rites, the haunting story of Agnes Magnúsdóttir, the last woman executed in Iceland. The novel will go on to launch the author’s stellar literary career and capture the hearts of readers across the globe.
Always Home, Always Homesick is Hannah Kent’s exquisite love letter to a land that has forged a nation of storytellers, her ode to the transcendent power of creativity, and her invitation to us all to join her in the realms of mystery, spirit and wonder.
Hannah will be in-conversation with local journalist Ali Colvin. Light food will be provided, with drinks available from the bar. Tickets are $5.00 and available here.
Get ready for a fun-filled celebration of imagination, rivalry and unexpected friendship! Join us for the highly anticipated launch of Bigfoot vs Yeti: A Love Story by local illustrator James Foley.
The Bigfoot and Yeti clans have been enemies for as long as anyone can remember. The Bigfoots say it started when a Yeti threw a snowball across the rift. The Yetis say it started when a Bigfoot threw some fruit across the rift. Who could say for sure?
One night, a young Bigfoot and Yeti decide to find the end of the rift so they can finish the feud – once and for all. Things are about to get hairy …
This dynamic launch promises an unforgettable day of interactive activities (like a snowball fight!), engaging readings and exciting opportunities to meet the creator behind this whimsical tale. This is a free event but registration is essential. Confirm your place here.
Join local legend Holden Sheppard, bestselling author of Invisible Boys, as he celebrates the release of the book’s TV tie-in edition. This new edition coincides with the premiere of Invisible Boys, now a Stan Original series.
In a small town, everyone thinks they know you: Charlie is a hardcore rocker, who’s not as tough as he looks. Hammer is a footy jock with big AFL dreams, and an even bigger ego. Zeke is a shy over-achiever, never macho enough for his family. But all three boys hide who they really are. When the truth is revealed, will it set them free or blow them apart?
Holden will reflect on the novel that launched his career in a conversation with journalist Ben O’Shea at the Fremantle Library, a venue that holds sentimental value as the site of the book’s original 2019 launch.
Books will be available for purchase and signing. Light refreshments will be provided. This is a free event but booking is essential. Confirm your place here.
Join us for an exciting evening with beloved gardening expert Sabrina Hahn as she unveils the secrets from her new book, How To Do It in the Garden.
Channelling over three decades of knowledge as a horticultural and garden design expert, Sabrina Hahn knows how to get Australians ‘doing it’ in the garden when it comes to creating and maintaining your green space.
From getting down and dirty preparing your soil to doing it organically with edibles (like nuts, herbs, fruit and veg) to learning how to corral the suckers and chewers in your life (bugs and other pests – what did you think we meant?), you’ll discover just how seductive nature can be.
Books will be available for purchase on the night. After the talk, stick around for a chance to chat with Sabrina and have her sign your copy of How to Do It in the Garden. Purchase your ticket here.
Thanks to Fremantle Press and Cockburn Libraries for inviting us to be part of this local author event.
Join us for a special evening celebrating the launch of How to Fall in Love with Humanity, the powerful new book from leading Australian relationship communication coach, James ‘Fish’ Gill.
How to Fall in Love with Humanity is a personal development guide that delivers the balm every relationship eventually needs: a practical roadmap for authentic repair. Fish Gill draws on his extensive experience to offer a guide for mending and strengthening our relationships with family, friends, partners, or ourselves.
This book explores how conflicts and misunderstandings arise naturally, and provides practical tools to repair and transform these inevitable ruptures. It’s a guide for navigating life’s inevitable relational challenges and, most importantly, for returning to love when it feels lost.
This launch will be an interactive event, as Fish will walk you through some of the book’s exercises and share practical tools for relationship repair. Books will be available for purchase and signing on the night. Tickets include nibbles and a drink on arrival. For more information and to purchase your ticket, head here.
Join us to launch Health by Shawana Andrews, Sandra Eades and Fiona Stanley, the eighth book in the critically acclaimed First Knowledges series.
For thousands of generations the wellbeing of Australia’s First Peoples was grounded in the sacred lands of Mother Earth. Good health occurred naturally because lifestyle and diet were connected to Country and culture. Colonisation damaged this connection, but much is being done to rebuild it.
Health explores concepts that are not tied to Western practices, as it delves into birthing, end-of-life care and other Indigenous cultural rituals. The authors highlight the role of Aboriginal leadership and Eldership in decision making about health care and explore the strength of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander resistance and resilience.
The book will be launched by Professor Fiona Stanley AC & Professor Rhonda Marriott AM, as part of Murdoch University’s Philosophy and Indigenous Knowledges colloquium. It will be followed by a public lecture from Clint Bracknell titled ‘Mayakeniny (singing and dancing) as philosophy’. Bracknell is a Noongar song-maker, composer, and Professor of Music at the University of Western Australia.
This is a free event but registration is essential. To secure your spot, head here.
Join us for an evening with Gina Chick as she discusses her new book, We Are The Stars.
Gina survived alone in the Tasmanian wilderness for 67 days, as 5.4 million people watched on in awe. Her connection with the natural world, realness and honesty set the screen alight. In We Are the Stars, Gina tells her remarkable story with that same authenticity, humour and emotional intelligence, sharing the formative moments of her life and the lessons that shaped her.
Gina will be in conversation with local journalist and writer Gillian O’Shaughnessy.
Light refreshments provided and books available for purchase on the night. This is a free event but registration is essential. Confirm your place here.
This event is presented by New Edition Bookshop and Fremantle Library.
Join us for a fabulous celebration of community and inclusivity in the heart of Fremantle as we celebrate the first ever Freo Pride Fest!
Freo Pride Fest will be an afternoon filled with stallholders, live music, art activities and more, including a special talk from local author Holden Shepard at 2:00pm.
We are proud to be hosting our own stall to platform some of our favourite LGBTQIA+ authors.
For more information, head here.
Join us to celebrate local author David Whish-Wilson as he launches Cutler, a remarkable new novel based on years of research and true stories from the high seas.
Paul Cutler is a former undercover operative, now working off the books for his handler, Malik Khalil. When Cutler is tasked with investigating the disappearance of an Australian marine scientist on a Taiwanese distant water fishing vessel, Cutler realises that the apparent murder he’s investigating points to a slew of much darker crimes. Onboard, Cutler discovers that the vessel’s crew members are kept as slaves, subject to brutal punishment and forced to work long hours with little rest. And when he learns of the recent massacre of the crew of an Indonesian fishing vessel in the same waters, he realises his quest for the truth will be meaningless if he cannot escape with his life.
Fremantle Press fiction publisher, Georgia Richter, will host an in-conversation with David. Book sales and signings will be available. This is a free event but registration is essential. Confirm your place here.
Join us for a special screening of the new film Runt, based on the book of the same name by local author Craig Silvey.
Runt is the heartfelt and hilarious tale of eleven-year-old Annie Shearer and her best friend Runt, an adopted stray dog with remarkable abilities. In a bid to save their family farm, the two aspire to compete in the Agility Course Championships at the prestigious Krumpets Dog Show in London, whilst overcoming hurdles, obstacles, and nefarious villains.
The film will be followed by an author talk from Craig, with books available for purchase and signing. Grab a ticket to the 10:30am screening at Luna on SX here.
Join us to celebrate local author David Whish-Wilson as he launches Cutler, a remarkable new novel based on years of research and true stories from the high seas.
Paul Cutler is a former undercover operative, now working off the books for his handler, Malik Khalil. When Cutler is tasked with investigating the disappearance of an Australian marine scientist on a Taiwanese distant water fishing vessel, Cutler realises that the apparent murder he’s investigating points to a slew of much darker crimes. Onboard, Cutler discovers that the vessel’s crew members are kept as slaves, subject to brutal punishment and forced to work long hours with little rest. And when he learns of the recent massacre of the crew of an Indonesian fishing vessel in the same waters, he realises his quest for the truth will be meaningless if he cannot escape with his life.
This is a free event. Book sales and signings will be available on the night. We hope to see you there!