Off to the
Literary Festival
Author · 3 festivals in 2026

Kathy Lette at literary festivals

Last checked: 28 October 2026

If you want a festival conversation with humour at its centre, Kathy Lette gives you books about friendship, loyalty and women refusing the roles expected of them. Her 2026 events joined comedy to the new novel, with conversations at Hay, Edinburgh and Henley. You might come as a longtime reader or with a friend who enjoys the same sharp comic voice. The books give you plenty to discuss afterwards.

Quick facts

Best known for
Comic novels including Puberty Blues and The Revenge Club
Genre or subject
Comic fiction, satire and stories of friendship
Latest book
The Sisterhood Rules (2026)

About Kathy Lette

Lette is a comic novelist whose working life also includes satirical columns, travel writing and television writing and presenting. Puberty Blues brought early recognition and was adapted for film and television. Her publisher also credits the international one-woman show Girls Night Out. That range helps explain why a reader may first have met the voice on the page, on screen or through performance.

Her official biography describes newspaper-column work in Sydney and New York and sitcom writing for Columbia Pictures in Los Angeles. Those are different forms of comic writing, with different spaces in which a voice has to work. The novels offer readers longer to live with a situation and the people caught in it. For a festival visitor, the interest can be in that voice as much as the next plot turn.

Other books have also reached performance. Mad Cows became a film with Joanna Lumley and Anna Friel, and How to Kill Your Husband was staged by Victorian Opera. The writing itself remains a place to begin, whether you followed an adaptation to the novel or want a book that has not been shaped by your memory of a screen version.

The Sisterhood Rules is the latest novel, with its UK hardback published on 9 April 2026. Estranged twins Isabel and Verity must work together after their mother disappears, while concerns about a younger lover and her will add to the trouble. Family loyalty and betrayal give the comedy its problem. The earlier reading choices below offer other kinds of friendship, uncomfortable expectations and people trying to change the course of their lives.

Where to start with their books

Puberty Blues

Deb and Sue navigate the surf culture of Cronulla, where the boys dominate and belonging to the gang matters. This gives readers a beginning in Lette’s fiction and a different age perspective from several later novels. The film was directed by Bruce Beresford, and the story has also reached television; the book offers its own way into that world.

The Revenge Club

Friends approaching sixty encounter sexist treatment at work and decide to retaliate together. A novelist loses her publisher, a television career is threatened and an agent offers dispiriting work. Choose this if female friendship and resistance are what you want from comic fiction, with a group’s response to setbacks driving the story.

The Boy Who Fell to Earth

Lucy raises her autistic son Merlin while cautiously returning to dating. A potential partner and the return of Merlin’s father complicate the choices she faces. Try this if you prefer a family-centred story, with relationships and changing possibilities around a mother and son, to a group revenge plot.

Love Is Blind

Jane goes to the Australian outback hoping to find a husband, and her sister Anthea follows with a rescue in mind. Anthea’s own plans take a turn as well. This Quick Reads title is a shorter adult option for the journey, particularly if you want to meet the writing without beginning with a longer novel.

Festival appearances

For tickets, use the host festival’s official box office. Confirm the date, venue and access details before paying.

2026

Kathy Lette: featured events in 2026
FestivalDateEvent and venueOfficial source
Hay FestivalKathy Lette and Arabella Weir
Barrel of Laughs: Never Let a Penis Come Between Us
Meadow Stage		Official listing
Edinburgh International Book FestivalKathy Lette: The Sisterhood Rules
Spiegeltent		Official programme
Henley Literary FestivalKathy Lette & Shaparak Khorsandi
Town Hall		Official programme

What their events are like

At Hay on 31 May, she and Arabella Weir met on the Meadow Stage for a conversation about satire, sisterhood, women ageing, friendship and writing alongside the new novel. The event is in the festival’s past programme, not a current booking.

Edinburgh’s 24 August session in the Spiegeltent was chaired by Jenny Colgan, with lust, loyalty and sibling ties among the subjects. Henley followed on 7 October, where she shared the Town Hall event with Shaparak Khorsandi. For readers choosing a future comedy conversation, the speakers and the book both help shape the kind of visit to expect.

Where to see them next

No 2027 appearances announced yet. Check the festival guides for programme dates.

Plan your trip

This is a reading trip that can work well with a friend, but agree on the sort of day you both want. One talk and an unhurried meal may be enough. If you choose more events, leave space between them so the conversation afterwards is not cut short by the next queue.

The Hay stage, Edinburgh Spiegeltent and Henley Town Hall belong to different festival settings. Use the relevant guide for arrival, access and accommodation, and check the venue named on a new ticket. If you are reading the same novel, agree how far each of you has reached before discussing its surprises. For a question to the writer, a point about comedy or friendship can avoid revealing a plot resolution to the rest of the audience.

Find a room in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire ↗

Read more

Explore Kathy Lette’s official writing information and the publisher’s author page.

Authors you might also like

Sandi Toksvig in 2009

Sandi Toksvig

For another writer whose work brings comic performance and books into the same festival trip.

Meera Syal

Another choice for readers interested in comedy, fiction and a voice that also reaches the screen.

Celia Imrie

A further route into comic fiction and stories of people changing their lives.

Photo: stan_was / Flickr · CC BY 2.0

Your questions about Kathy Lette

Which Kathy Lette book should I choose first?

Puberty Blues is an early starting point, while The Revenge Club offers a group of older friends confronting sexist treatment. The reading section also includes shorter fiction and a family story. Pick the situation that interests you instead of trying to cover the whole career before a talk.

Were her 2026 events stand-up shows?

The official descriptions for Hay and Edinburgh were conversations around books, humour and relationships. A writer with a performance career can still appear in a book discussion. Read the format of the future session you choose so that it matches the evening you want.

Who joined her at Edinburgh?

Jenny Colgan chaired the session about the new novel and its family ties. The appearance table links to the official programme. That was one completed festival event; a later conversation may have a different chair and take the writing in another direction.

Is there a shorter book to read before travelling?

Love Is Blind is part of Quick Reads, written for adults looking for a shorter, accessible book. It is an option if a long novel does not fit your week. Choose it for your own enjoyment, without feeling that a festival ticket comes with a reading deadline.

Can I make a day trip around one conversation?

Yes: choose the official ticket first, then check a workable outward and return journey. Leave enough room for food and the route to the venue. If an evening connection would make the visit hurried, compare an overnight stay through the festival guide before committing to travel.

Sources