22 - 23 February 2024 | In-person festival

26 - 28 February 2024 | Virtual festival

22 - 23 February 2024 | In-person festival • 26 - 28 February 2024 | Virtual festival •

Our story

Welcome to Beyond the Book - where stories transcend pages! Formerly known as Voices on the Coast, we’re Australia’s premier youth literature festival. Capturing the essence of literary exploration, since 1996.

Meet adored authors and illustrators in person at our festival on the Sunshine Coast. Delve deeper through interactive workshops. Or journey online to connect virtually.

At Beyond the Book, we believe literature is a living, breathing adventure to explore. So dive deep, escape routine and let imagination unfurl its wings as we celebrate the power of stories together.

Just Announced Presenters

Check back as we unveil our incredible lineup & ticket sales open

  • Peter Carnavas

    AUTHOR & ILLUSTRATOR

    Peter Carnavas writes and illustrates books for children. His books have been published widely across the world and have won many awards, including a Queensland Literary Award and the Patricia Wrightson Prize for Children's Literature at the NSW Premier's Literary Awards. His new book is a novel called Leo and Ralph, about a boy who can’t let go of his imaginary alien friend. Peter also works as a teacher librarian, and he lives on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, with his wife, two daughters, a dog and a cat.

  • Levi Durbidge

    LECTURER & AUTHOR

    Levi Durbidge is a Lecturer in World Languages at UniSC and has been involved in language education for more than two decades in both Australia and Japan. His PhD thesis won the 2021 Michael Clyne Prize for the best thesis in immigrant bilingualism and language contact. Levi’s research explores the impacts that digital technology and transnational mobility have on language learning and use. His upcoming book, to be published through Multilingual Matters in 2024, uses interviews and Instagram data to explore the impact of year-long study abroad programs on the language learning and identity of high school students.

  • Katrina Nannestad

    AUTHOR

    Katrina Nannestad is a multi-award-winning Australian author. Her books include the CBCA shortlisted We Are Wolves, The Girl Who Brought Mischief, The Travelling Bookshop series, The Girl, the Dog and the Writer series, the Olive of Groves series, the Red Dirt Diaries series, the Lottie Perkins series, and the historical novels Rabbit, Soldier, Angel, Thief, and Waiting for the Storks. Her most recent novel is Silver Linings.

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