Vulnerable and fierce, hilarious and heartbreaking, Queerstories celebrates the culture and creativity of the LGBTQI+ community, one true story at a time. Hosted by Festival director Maeve Marsden, who has curated this national storytelling project for more than ten years, listen to unexpected stories from some of our greatest LGBTQI+ authors: tales of pride, prejudice, resilience and resistance.
Queerstories is a beloved favourite of the Festival circuit, and has brought more than 700 writers to the stage, from Brisbane to Byron Bay, Mudgee to Murwillumba, Adelaide to Albury, the Blue Mountains and beyond.
Bob Brown is an acclaimed author, philosopher and environmental activist. His earlier books include Wild Rivers, Lake Pedder, Tarkine Trails, The Greens, Memo for a Saner World, Earth, In Balfour St., Optimism, Green Nomads (1 and 2), Four Days on Islay and Thera. Bob's latest book, Defiance, Stories From Nature and its Defenders was released in October 2025.
George Kemp's critically acclaimed debut novel Soft Serve was published in February by UQP. George has had a successful career as an actor and his award-winning play, Shack, has been performed frequently around the country and internationally.
Chloe Mills is a Magandjin based arts worker, poet, essayist and former festival manager. Her poetry and essays have been published widely and she is the mother of two sons.
Bobuq Sayed is an organiser, theatremaker, and author of the Afghan diaspora. They co-edited the anthology Nothing to Hide: Voices from Trans and Gender Diverse Australia, and they wrote the chapbook of essays A Brief History of Australian Terror, and the novel No God but Us.
Zoe Terakes has worked extensively as an actor on screen and stage. Their first book, Eros, is a collection of Greek Myths retold through a Queer lens. Zoe's first play, Hermaphroditus, premiered at the Trans Theatre Festival in 2026 and is also being adapted as a feature film.
Maeve Marsden is the Creative Director of Varuna, the National Writers’ House and the Blue Mountains Writers’ Festival.
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Tickets to main program events are included in weekend and day passes. Single tickets may be available from September 8, subject to availability.
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This venue is wheelchair accessible, and AUSLAN interpreters are available upon request. Please email hello@bluemountainswritersfestival.com.au if you have any accessibility requests or wish to book an AUSLAN interpreter. More info about accessibility can be found on our Accessibility page.