Explore the 2026 Program

Dark Materials

Writing realism from the light and dark sides of life

Florence Knapp (Photo credit Sophie Davidson)
Michael Mohammed Ahmad
David Szalay (Photo credit Jonas Matyassy)
Jacqueline Maley
Friday 22 May 2026
2-2.55pm
Event Code: 62
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The old adage – it’s not what happens but how you handle it – doesn’t hold when the damage goes deep.

In this panel discussion, writers Michael Mohammed Ahmad (Bugger), Florence Knapp (The Names) and David Szalay (Flesh) discuss the dark themes that were the impetus for their new novels. How do they thoughtfully represent abuse on the page and how do their protagonists navigate great trauma that will forever impact them?

Hear Mohammed, Florence and David as they discuss the darker side of life, with host Jacqueline Maley.
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Florence Knapp appears thanks to the support of The Salon.

Carriageworks, Bay 20
245 Wilson Street, Eveleigh, NSW, 2015