Sydney Writers' Festival is typically a May affair. But this year, it's lined up a springtime spin-off celebrating Australian literature. Better yet, there will be over 25 free events that you can wander into, thanks to the exciting debut of the festival's Homegrown program. Brooke Webb, CEO of Sydney Writers' Festival, says, "Homegrown is about making extraordinary literary conversations freely accessible to everyone. Whether audiences come to discover a new favourite writer, develop their own creative practice or engage with the ideas shaping contemporary Australia, Homegrown creates genuine opportunities for people to connect through books, stories and thought-provoking discussion." The brand-new Homegrown program will take over the State Library of New South Wales — Australia's oldest working library — featuring local contemporary writers over two weekends in September and October. Expect talks and workshops by celebrated authors, poets and playwrights, alongside journalists and political thought leaders. Those sniffing out a new read can sit in as Australian novelists discuss their fresh releases. Among them are Garth Nix's space opera Massif, crime writer Michael Robotham's first Australia-set thriller (Tell Me Something) and Holly Ringland's exploration of memory and belonging in The World Beneath Her. Or simply join the high-brow Novelists' Book Club led by veteran authors like Booker Prize-shortlisted Charlotte Wood and Aotearoa's Emily Perkins. Writers, prepare your pens for various hands-on workshops about everything from publishing advice to magical realism poetry. LGBTQIA+ rom-coms get the spotlight at Meet Cute and Queer on Saturday, September 19, where author and critic Madeleine Gray spotlights the sexy and irreverent genre with Joshua Hortinel and Patrick Lenton. She's also a panellist on Writing Queer Sydney, which maps on the city's LGBTQIA+ history, alongside literary heavyweights Fiona Kelly McGregor and Zoe Terakes. First Nations poets Jazz Money, Dakota Feirer and Luke Patterson will host Sword and Shield — a talk about their medium's power to express Aboriginal resistance and resilience — on Sunday, October 11. On the same day, lovers of the late David Malouf, who won the Miles Franklin and Dublin Literary Awards, will be paying tribute to his works. And Olivier Award-winning playwright Suzie Miller (Prima Facie) will mediate on the local theatre landscape with David Williamson (The Removalists). Meanwhile, Homegrown's non-fiction speakers really dig into current affairs. Pip Williams (The Dictionary of Lost Words) and The New Yorker journalist Susan Orlean discuss the power of libraries, while Bruce Pascoe discusses Dark Emu's lasting role in the cultural zeitgeist — it was even adapted for theatre — a decade later. Political junkies can sort their TBRs with political reading recommendations by leading journalists Fran Kelly, Kerry O'Brien, and Laura Tingle, or look ahead to The Future of Democracy: Australia in the 21st Century with George Megalogenis, Nick Bryant and Rosalind Dixon. There's plenty of personal stories too. Memoirists Antoun Issa and S. Shakthidharan untangle writing about their family histories in Lebanon and Sri Lanka respectively. Culture queen Myf Warhurst gets candid about ageing disgracefully in her memoir, while Angry Millennials is a space to "let her rip" about the housing crisis. Plus, the third volume of the festival's year-round program will run from Wednesday, October 7–Thursday, October 15. These events are ticketed, with highlights including chats with Booker Prize-longlisted British author Andrew O'Hagan, graphic novelist Alice Oseman (Heartstopper), former Australian Treasurer Josh Frydenberg and Filipino-American writer Elaine Castillo. Homegrown will run over two weekends: Friday, September 18–Saturday, September 19 and Friday, October 9–Sunday, October 11. Check out the full program on the SWF website. Like what you see? Subscribe to the Concrete Playground newsletter to get stories just like these straight to your inbox. Images: Supplied.