Event #52

Luke Bateman & the Debutants

Fri 9 Oct 2026

Luke Bateman + Emily Lighezzolo + Jacob K Gallagher + Cameron Sullivan + Shailee Thompson

Parkside Marquee

Regular Program

#Performances

Fri 9 Oct 2026 - 6:30pm

Parkside Marquee

Book Now

#About the event

Duration: 60 minutes

Luke Bateman & the Debutants

Emily Lighezzolo (Life Drawing), Jacob K Gallagher (The Doubles), Cameron Sullivan (The Red Winter), Shailee Thompson (How to Kill a Guy in Ten Dates).
Chair: Luke Bateman
6:30–7:30pm, Friday 9 October, Parkside Marquee

Ever since he burst onto BookTok in 2025, NRL-star-turned-fantasy-author Luke Bateman has been using his platform to champion the work of other writers. Now, ahead of his debut novel being released in 2027, he’s doing it in person! Join Bateman as he chats with four of Australia’s most exciting new novelists – whose work runs the gamut from literary to speculative fiction and from fantasy to slasher romcom – to explore the thrills and spills of being a first-time author.

#Artists

Luke Bateman

I come with many labels, the one I like most is 'human'.

Emily Lighezzolo

Emily Lighezzolo has worked in Australian publishing for nearly a decade. Life Drawing won the Glendower Award for an Emerging Queensland Writer at the Queensland Literary Awards and is her first book. She lives in Meanjin/Brisbane.

Jacob K Gallagher

Jacob K Gallagher is a writer of speculative fiction, fantasy and science fiction, and sometimes he tries poetry. Jacob is a Kamilaroi man from Gunnedah, who grew up in Dubbo, and finally moved to Canberra for Uni, where he has lived since.

Cameron Sullivan

Cameron Sullivan was born in Perth, Western Australia. He grew up with the dark fantasy and horror icons of the 80s and went on to study classics, languages and creative writing at the University of Western Australia. The Red Winter is his first novel.

Shailee Thompson

Shailee Thompson is a USA Today bestselling author and educator based in Brisbane, Australia. She’s always had a penchant for writing women with smart mouths, soft hearts, and strong wills going up against extraordinary odds. How to Kill a Guy in Ten Dates is her debut novel.