Join other festival goers to discuss the highlights of the day, enjoy a delicious dinner and engage with the launch of Alexandria Burnham's book - Swallow!
Places at the festival dinner are limited, so grab your spot now! You can purchase a dinner ticket when purchasing your Festival Ticket, or using the link below.
Saturday 1 November 2025 - 6.30pm - 10pm
Club Parramatta, 2 Macquarie Street, Parramatta
$70 per ticket which includes a 2 course meal
Alcohol is not included, but can be purchased on the night
Tickets to the dinner must be purchased before the festival
Enjoy the launch of Swallow by Alexandria Burnham while you dine!
Swallow is the true story of William Swallow - Australian convict and the last man tried for piracy in an English court. It is one of Australia's most romantic and untold stories. At its heart it explores our most primal urge, to be free from what seeks to cage us - whether that be chains, separation from home and family, or society’s morals that tell us who we can and cannot love.
Alexandria (Ally) Burnham is a screenwriter, novelist and WestWords content producer. She wrote the screenplay for romantic drama feature film Unsound (Apple, 2020), which has received several accolades, including nomination for best original feature at the 2020 Australian Writers’ Guild AWGIE Awards. She is also the lead writer for Metropius, a dieselpunk multimedia series that includes animations, comic books and board games.
Watch as Lauren Chater interviews Ally on Swallow and her successful, creative career. A night not to be missed!
Alexandria Burnham
Alexandria (Ally) Burnham is an AWGIE award-winning screenwriter and novelist, bets known for her feature film Ultrasound (Apple, 2020), which was nominated for best original feature at the 2020 AWGIE (Australian Writers Guild) awards. The film won best Australian feature at the 2020 Melbourne Queer Film Festival and best fiction feature film at the 2020 ATOM Awards.
Ally is the lead writer for Metropius (2021), a multi-media story told across comic books, board games, and animation, with her screenplay winning Most Outstanding Animation at the 2022 AWGIE Awards. Her debut historical fiction novel, Swallow, is slated for release November 2025.
Lauren Chater
Lauren Chater is the author of four historical novels - The Lace Weaver (2018), Gulliver's Wife (2020), The Winter Dress (2022) and The Beauties (2024), all published by Simon & Schuster.
In 2018 she was awarded a grant by the Neilma Sidney Literary Travel Fund to visit The Netherlands to research her third book. The Winter Dress and The Beauties were longlisted for the ARA Historical Novel Prize. She is currently working on her fifth novel, Rue (2026).
HISTORY UNBOUND FESTIVAL TEAM
Tel: +61 2 4319 8519
Email: HNSA@willorganise.com.au
#HistoryUnboundFestival2025
In the spirit of reconciliation, HNSA acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia, and their connections to land, sea, and community. We pay our respect to their Elders, past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.