Iceland, lighthouses and belonging – chatting with author Hannah Kent at Byron Writers Festival
The last two days of Byron Writers Festival may have been prematurely cancelled due to Byron Bay’s temperamental weather, but we managed to catch a few of the authors present on Friday for a chat. One of those authors was Hannah Kent, the Australian writer behind the works Burial Rites, Devotion, The Good People and most recently, her first memoir, Always Home, Always Homesick. As the rains began to fall on Bangalow Showgrounds, we found shelter and sat down with Hannah to discuss finding herself in literature, Byron Bay Lighthouse, and naming her characters after herself.
Hannah first arrived in Iceland as a seventeen-year-old Australian exchange student, an experience that inspired her first novel Burial Rites and changed her life irreversibly. Now, Hannah’s newest work and first memoir is an exploration of the conflicting sense of belonging and being constantly split between her two homes, Australia and Iceland. The memoir’s title captures this sentiment succinctly – when more than one place feels like home, you’re always a little bit homesick.
“No matter where I am, there is always a feeling of yearning and of longing for the other place. It’s kind of about being held in this stasis, or forever of being on the cusp of being truly home,” she says.
It seems fitting then that, when asked if she writes for readers or herself, Hannah defends the latter. She tells us she gets too in her head when she tries to write for others, and that she even prefers the organic voice of first person, honouring the age-old adage of ‘write what you know’.
This newest work isn’t the first time that Hannah has put herself in the shoes of her protagonists. She shares with us that the character of her creation that she identifies with most is Devotion heroine, Hanne, a name choice that she insists wasn’t planned. Hanne is considered an outcast in her village for her introverted manner, distinct otherness and secret queerness, traits that were inspired by Hannah’s own experiences. It’s because of these reasons that Hannah’s most memorable interaction with a reader is when a festival volunteer shared their Devotion-inspired painting.
“That was a lovely moment for me because I could see how much the book had touched her, and then to be touched in response to the painting – it was a lovely sort of circuitous moment,” Hannah says.
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The Queer Stories panel Hannah was scheduled to join on Sunday afternoon was cancelled due to the weather, but luckily, we had the foresight to ask her about her favourite queer novels. As someone who turns to literature to find themselves, Hannah credited authors Radclyffe Hall, Sarah Waters and Beverley Farmer (specifically her novel, Alone) with providing much needed representation and queer joy when she was discovering her own sexuality.
But when asked about the other writers present at Byron Writers Festival, Hannah can’t pick her favourites. With so many incredible and influential writers to choose from, Hannah compares the choice to picking favourite children – impossible.
Speaking of children, we got curious about how many unfinished manuscripts the award-winning author harbours, hoping for a new work on the horizon. While she doesn’t share details, Hannah shares that she has only a small number of “good” manuscripts in the works and a few short stories, which she usually farms for lines and concepts to incorporate into larger works.
As a successful author with over 12 years of experience in the publishing industry, we enquired if there was anything Hannah would change about the way the industry functions. She explains that there are some misconceptions about the industry, that it isn’t a creative versus corporation situation as most would assume. Hannah has observed that most people who work in publishing are there because they’re just as passionate about stories as the writers are. Rather, Hannah would rather see changes in the government’s support of publishing and literature, as it is one of the least funded arts industries in Australia. If she had her way, Hannah would see greater support for emerging and mid-career writers, more funding and perhaps a universal price for books.
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“My greatest criticism of publishing as an industry is related to the government’s attitude towards it, but they do a lot of good, don’t get me wrong,” Hannah says.
Such as writers festivals like this one. We learned during our time on the grounds how beloved Byron Writers Festival is to many authors, giving them the opportunity to do what they love in a stunning location.
Hannah Kent is particularly fond of Byron Lighthouse, along with many locals and tourists alike. The Adelaide writer is acclimated to the forests of Peramangk country, so always enjoys the chance to appreciate the views of Byron.
“There’s something quite cleansing and novel to be standing at a place like [Cape Byron] and have such an incredible vista. I’ve often seen whales there as well which is always a real show,” Hannah says.
A MESSAGE FROM BYRON WRITERS FESTIVAL
Byron Writers Festival wants to thank everyone who made this year’s event possible as they recover from the devastating cancellation of two days of on-site programming. While they don’t know just yet what 2026 will look like, BWF is looking forward to welcoming everyone back to celebrate its 30th year. If you would like to support the festival and help keep the arts and literary culture thriving in the Northern Rivers, you can make a tax-deductible donation here.