WELCOME
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TICKETING INFORMATION
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FESTIVAL-LONG EVENTS
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NATIONAL WRITERS’ CONFERENCE
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WRITERS’ NIGHT SCHOOLS
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MASTERCLASSES
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INTENSIVES
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WRITING LIVE
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SPEAKEASY
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PERFORMANCE EVENTS
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FREE PERFORMANCE EVENTS
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TRANSLATION NATION
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FESTIVAL EVENTS
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TALES OF MANY CITIES
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THE EARLY WORDS
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LUNCHTIME LIT
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LATE NIGHT LIT
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FESTIVAL PARTNERS
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ABOUT EWF
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Language is powerful, and it’s always doing something. Stories shape our world, and how we relate to one another. They mark the mythologies that bind our communities together. Words matter. So too do those who craft narratives for our enjoyment, education and enrichment. You’ll find within these pages a guide to some of the most exciting and vital new voices around. Our aim with this program is to provide a bird’s eye view of at least some of the staggering creativity, care and critical rigour that’s happening here in this moment. Each year, the Emerging Writers’ Festival creates a temporary community over eleven days of parties, panels and professional development. The crux of what we do is centering, celebrating and supporting emerging storytellers of all kinds. I hope you’ll feel at home in this space, that you’ll help build it with us, and keep some of the connections, ideas and inspiration you find long after the festival is over. This year, we’ve exceeded our boundaries and you’ll find us in new spaces – in the dark, in a chapel, in a backyard, on a boat, and in our new daytime hub at State Library Victoria. Whether you’re here to work on your craft, find your people, or hear from tomorrow’s voices – you’ve come to the right place.
Izzy Roberts-Orr, Artistic Director
WELCOME
OPENING NIGHT
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Study
with Monash Arts
Unlike other programs our creative writing courses give you the chance to delve into research while working on practical creative work. You’ll learn from and be supervised by academics who are experts in their field and widely published. And our overseas partnerships open up unique opportunities to study all over the globe. Creative Writing degrees @ Monash: • PhD in Creative Writing (3-4 years FT) • Master of Arts - Creative Writing (2 yrs FT)
PhD Program: There are three components to the PhD program; 1. Practical (creative work) For this component, you can create one or more of the following: • a novel; • a group of short stories; • a work of creative non-fiction; • a play or group of plays; • a sequence of poems (book length, approximately 100 pages); or • a portfolio of works of various genres.
2. Research and exegesis Based on the creative work, an accompanying critical component is completed either as scholarly exegesis or an independent but complimentary work of scholarly research. 3. Professional Development Throughout your studies you can take advantage of our excellent professional development program designed to prepare you with the skills and capabilities sought by employers, giving you a competitive edge in an ever evolving market.
MESSAGE FROM THE MINISTER FOR CREATIVE INDUSTRIES
OPENING NIGHT: NEW GOLD STANDARD
New ideas are the lifeblood of our creative state.
DATE Tuesday 19 June, 7pm
The Emerging Writers’ Festival is all about celebrating fresh talent, and ensuring their voices are heard. The festival puts the spotlight on new writing in all its forms, and provides opportunities for writers to hone their craft and connect with readers and audiences. The Victorian Government is proud to support this festival, we’re proud to support our writers and independent voices, and we’re proud to back our creative state.
VENUE Deakin Edge, Fed Square PRICE FREE (bookings essential)
Stirring up the dust from history’s tomes and reflecting upon our storytelling inheritances, we’ll inhabit, question and critique our literary canon. To launch the 2018 Emerging Writers’ Festival, some of today and tomorrow’s most exciting and celebrated voices will examine our histories and imagine the stories of the future. Includes the announcement of the recipients of the Monash Undergraduate Prize for Creative Writing.
Master of Arts (Creative Writing) Program:
Martin Foley Minister for Creative Industries
The Master of Arts (Creative Writing) provides specialised training in the practice of creative writing consisting of a research component with thesis and a creative piece of writing.
MESSAGE FROM THE CITY OF MELBOURNE
With Timmah Ball, Tony Birch and Neil Morris
Lovers of literature: get ready to immerse yourself in a world of words at the 2018 Emerging Writers’ Festival.
OPENING NIGHT AFTER-PARTY
For more information on our Creative Writing degress visit us at: PhD in Creative Writing: arts.monash.edu/graduate-research/practicebased-phds/creative-writing/ Master of Arts (Creative Writing): monash.edu/pubs/2018handbooks/ courses/2695.html
With more than 70 events and almost 300 artists, festival highlights include masterclasses, night schools and the National Writers’ Conference. It’s also a wonderful way for up-and-coming creatives to showcase their talents. As a UNESCO City of Literature, the City of Melbourne is proud to support the 15th Emerging Writers’ Festival.
Master Course Code: 2695 CRICOS Code: 038571G | PhD Course Code: 3940 CRICOS Code: 069109F | CRICOS Provider: Monash University 00008C
Presented in partnership with the Wheeler Centre and Fed Square
Stick around at Fed Square after the official proceedings finish, have a drink and plan your next 11 days with beats by Sovereign Trax. OPENING NIGHT
CREATIVE WRITING
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FESTIVAL-LONG EVENTS
TICKETING INFORMATION Tickets can be booked online at www.emergingwritersfestival.org.au. EWF is a paper-free festival – no need to print your tickets! TICKET PACKAGES
The Golden Ticket is your passport to EWF18, including entry to the National Writers’ Conference, every masterclass and over 70 festival events.
Want to make a day of it? Check www.emergingwritersfestival.org.au/ ticketing for discounted packages to multiple events, including:
For the low price of $210, a Golden Ticket is a fantastic way for individuals or organisations to get the most out of this year’s Emerging Writers’ Festival.
3x Performance Pass $50 full/$45 concession 5x Performance Pass $80 full/$70 concession National Writers’ Conference Weekend Pass & Queer Icons Party $110 full/$95 concession Masterclass & Performance $100 full/$85 concession 3x Speakeasy Pass $100 full concession
Only 30 Golden Tickets are available so don’t miss out!
ACCESS
TICKETING INFORMATION
The Emerging Writers’ Festival is committed to making the festival an accessible and welcoming event for all. We provide a range of services and facilities to make our festival accessible to everyone. When booking tickets, please enter any access requirements (including if you’d like an
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AUSLAN interpreter for your event) when prompted at checkout. Please see emergingwritersfestival.org.au/access for more information. indicates wheelchair accessible venue indicates event with Auslan interpreters
SUPPORT TOMORROW’S VOICES, BECOME A PEN PAL TODAY For us, a little goes a long way. Celebrating creativity and innovation, nurturing new talent and providing a platform for diverse voices from across Australia is at the heart of what we do here at EWF.
From as little as $20, you’ll receive exclusive merchandise, an invite to the artist party to mingle with your new favourite writers and the warm fuzzy feeling that you’re playing an active part in supporting tomorrow’s voices.
Help us support the next generation of incredible storytellers and become an EWF Pen Pal today.
All donations over $2 are tax deductible. Donate today at emergingwritersfestival. org.au/donate
FESTIVAL EXHIBITION
THE GAZETTE
VENUE The Atrium, Fed Square
Free to pick up at select EWF venues
Experimedia, State Library Victoria TIMES See website for details Members of the Australian Book Designers Association have created a series of typographic and textual experiments inspired by the shortlisted entries to the Monash Undergraduate Prize for Creative Writing. See the full series of street posters on display in two locations, and out and about Melbourne’s CBD. Presented in partnership with the Australian Book Designers Association, State Library Victoria and Fed Square
READING ROOM VENUE Experimedia, State Library Victoria TIMES See website for details
Lunchtimes are for lounging around with some new lit. Come and check out our curated collection of lit mags, books by festival artists and more at our new festival hub in the State Library. Presented in partnership with State Library Victoria
Featuring criticism, interviews, opinion and profiles of EWF and its artists, The Gazette is a dynamic daily newspaper produced, published and distributed around Melbourne. Presented in partnership with RMIT University, non/fictionLab and Bowen Street Press
WHAT’S YOUR STORY MELBOURNE? VENUE The Nook, Fed Square TIMES See website for details
What’s Your Story Melbourne collects stories of Melbourne and Melbournians as ‘everyday literature’. The project features the diverse experiences and voices of the people who inhabit our city, highlights the wisdom and poetry in the stories of people we encounter in daily life, with the belief that every story matters. Resident writers Enza Gandolfo, Sukhjit Kaur Khalsa and Tobias McCorkell will interview Melbourne folks in and around Federation Square’s ‘Nook’ and create audio stories that will air on All Our Stories (PBS 106.7 FM), facilitated by Anne Harris and Stacy Holman-Jones. Presented in partnership with Fed Square Supported by the City of Melbourne
FESTIVAL-LONG EVENTS
GOLDEN TICKETS
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TIMETABLE — Saturday 23 June THE NEST
THE COCOON
Creating a World
Workshop: Writing for Online Audiences
DATE Saturday 23 June and Sunday 24 June
Two Wit
On Mentorship
PRICE Weekend pass $95 full/$80 concession
10 — 11am 5x5 Rules of Writng 11am — 12pm Show Me The Money 12 — 12.45pm
Faber Academy Case Study
VENUE State Library Victoria Conference Centre
Day pass $60 full/$50 concession
12.45 — 1.30pm LUNCH 1.30 — 2.30pm Rewriting Country
Writing the Personal
Ask Me Anything: Isobelle Carmody
2.30 — 3.30pm What Publishers Wish You Knew
Literature as Reclamation
Ask Me Anything: Melissa Lucashenko
Pitch it! Book Publishers
Workshop: Finding Your Voice
3.30 — 3.45pm AFTERNOON TEA 3.45 — 4.30pm A Writing Life 4.30 — 5pm A Creative Career 5 — 6pm Fail Better
10 — 11am Feedback Loops 11am — 12pm #Winning 12 — 12.45pm
Writing & Research
THE NEST
THE COCOON
Talkies Debut Works
Ask Me Anything: Michael Mohammed Ahmad
Beyond Text: Performance Writing
Self-Publishing Pathways
National Writers' Conference
1.30 — 2.30pm Poetics & Power
Subverting Genre
Ask Me Anything: Stuart Grant
2.30 — 3.30pm What Editors Want
Art, Money, Labour
Ask Me Anything: Ellen van Neerven
Pitch it! Magazine Editors
Workshop: Short Story Writing
3.30 — 3.45pm AFTERNOON TEA
4.30 — 5pm Literary Selfies 5 — 6pm Sweatshop Showcase
PITCH IT!
Each year, EWF invites five ambassadors to participate in the National Writers’ Conference and share their experience, insight and knowledge with the next generation of writers.
Book publishers: Saturday 3.45pm Magazine editors: Sunday 3.45pm
Get up close and personal with this year’s ambassadors in our unique Ask Me Anything sessions – they bring the experience, you bring the questions. The ambassador program is supported by Monash University Faculty of the Arts
FAIL BETTER
12.45 — 1.30pm LUNCH
3.45 — 4.30pm Hachette Case Study
EWF AMBASSADORS
This year’s ambassadors represent an extraordinary range of talents and expertise. They are Michael Mohammed Ahmad, Isobelle Carmody, Stuart Grant, Melissa Lucashenko and Ellen van Neerven.
TIMETABLE — Sunday 24 June THE HIVE
Australia’s largest gathering of emerging writers returns again to State Library Victoria. A perfect mix of emerging and established speakers, this two-day conference covers craft, industry insights and networking for writers of all genres and forms.
DATE Saturday 23 June 5pm
Entry with weekend passes only As Beckett said, “Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter.” Writer, editor and EWF alumni Elizabeth Flux shares insight about learning from failure and building resilience, followed by drinks and nibbles where you can meet your new mates. Supported by The Story Wines
Put what you’ve learned into practice and sign up to deliver a five-minute pitch oneon-one with an industry professional. These publishers, editors and literary agents are always on the lookout for new and exciting voices, so here’s your chance to pitch them yours. Pitching slots are limited, and will be on a first-come, first-served basis. See website for more information
SWEATSHOP SHOWCASE DATE Sunday 24 June 5pm
Free for all to attend Sweatshop is a literacy movement based in Western Sydney which is devoted to empowering groups and individuals from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds through training and employment in creative and critical writing narratives. Stick around after the conference ends and hear the latest works in development from six members of the collective. With Evelyn Araluen, Maryam Azam, Winnie Dunn, Shirley Le, Stephen Pham and Peter Polites. Hosted by Michael Mohammed Ahmad
National Writers' Conference
THE HIVE
NATIONAL WRITERS’ CONFERENCE
With Elizabeth Flux
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Some events are too good not to share. A full conference pass gets you to every session, but if you can’t make the whole weekend then you can purchase tickets to these events individually.
5x5 RULES OF WRITING
POETICS AND POWER
SHOW ME THE MONEY
DATE Saturday 23 June, 10 — 11am
DATE Sunday 24 June, 1.30 — 2.30pm
TIME 11am — 12pm
PRICE $19 full/$17 concession. Free with a Weekend or
PRICE $19 full/$17 concession. Free with a Weekend or
Saturday conference pass Accessibility:
Sunday conference pass
Kicking off the conference, our five festival ambassadors share their five rules for writing. Whether you’re emerging, emerged or somewhere in between, these gems of advice are bound to get you inspired. With Michael Mohammed Ahmad, Isobelle Carmody, Stuart Grant, Melissa Lucashenko and Ellen van Neerven. Hosted by Izzy Roberts-Orr
REWRITING COUNTRY DATE Saturday 23 June, 1.30 — 2.30pm PRICE $19 full/$17 concession. Free with a Weekend or
National Writers' Conference
Saturday conference pass
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NATIONAL WRITERS’ CONFERENCE – SATURDAY
How do we ensure we don’t continue to colonise country through writing? A discussion about writing against the colonial lens, considering land and place from First Nations perspectives, providing powerful insight into the relationship between history, country and culture. With Hannah Donnelly, Jeanine Leane and Melissa Lucashenko
How can poetics be a mode to resist, subvert and remake authoritative narratives? How can the ambiguities of poetic language offer a counter-narrative to dominant ways of knowing and being in the world? A discussion on the relationship between poetry, storytelling, activism and resistance. With Evelyn Araluen, Natalie Harkin, Ellen O’Brien and Ellen van Neerven
Buzzing with energy and ideas, hear from industry insiders in the Village Roadshow Theatrette.
The Hive
Whether you’re talking stacks of cash, or even just a grant to get your work out there, how do you sustainably fund your practice? Staff from Australia Council, Creative Victoria, Copyright Agency and Creative Partnerships Australia explore what makes for a successful grant application, as well as what the future of arts funding might look like.
FABER WRITING ACADEMY CASE STUDY TIME 12 — 12.45pm
WHAT PUBLISHERS WISH YOU KNEW TIME 2.30 — 3.30pm
You’ve done the hard yards and finished a manuscript – but how do you approach a publisher? Get insight about what publishers are looking for, how best to present your manuscript and how to structure the perfect pitch. With Cate Blake, Cosima McGrath, Arwen Summers, and Robert Watkins
A WRITING LIFE TIME 3.45 — 4.30pm
The pathway to publication can be a bumpy road indeed. Get some gems of advice on starting out and how to stay motivated from Faber Writing Academy tutor Paddy O’Reilly in conversation with Rob McDonald, a graduate of the program who was highly commended for the 2017 VPLA Unpublished Manuscript Award.
What defines the existence of a writer? What is the value and worth of literary creation in today’s day and age, and what does it mean to pursue writing as a vocation? Tony Birch and Roanna Gonsalves discuss where the writer sits within our national and cultural landscape, and why literature matters.
Presented in partnership with Faber Writing Academy
A CREATIVE CAREER TIME 4.30 — 5pm
The nuts and bolts of carving out a space for yourself in the creative industries is one thing, but how do you ensure that you’re nourishing yourself and your craft? Rajith Savanadasa explores the pleasures and pitfalls of sustaining a rewarding creative practice.
National Writers' Conference
NATIONAL WRITERS’ CONFERENCE – SPECIAL EVENTS
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National Writers' Conference
The Nest
CREATING A WORLD
WRITING THE PERSONAL
TIME 11am — 12pm
TIME 1.30 — 2.30pm
Crafting other worlds takes work – and research. From picturing parallel universes, to rewriting history and imagining the future, learn how to construct authentic imagined worlds and believable characters to inhabit them.
What are the lines between fiction and non-fiction? What is your responsibility to your reader and your subject when you’re toying with truth? From the personal essay to fictional memoir and ‘true’ fiction, this is your guide to writing about (un)real life right.
With Isobelle Carmody, C.S. Pacat and Marlee Jane Ward
With Eda Gunaydin, Stephen Pham and Khalid Warsame
TWO WIT
LITERATURE AS RECLAMATION
TIME 12 — 12.45pm
TIME 2.30 — 3.30pm
More than just a good belly laugh, satire can often be a tool or a weapon that cuts straight to the heart of contemporary issues. Ironic, sarcastic, ridiculous and always critically engaged, hear from two emerging satirical writers about the craft of popular parody.
In the words of bell hooks, “moving from silence into speech is a revolutionary gesture”. How can storytelling be a tool of resistance, affirmation and reclamation for individuals and communities? What is the relationship between literature and activism? Four rapidfire presentations on ethics, representation and responsibility in storytelling.
With Shirley Le and Nikki Tran
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Head upstairs and nestle in for detailed discussion about the art of crafting beautiful narratives.
With Maryam Azam, Winnie Dunn, Rafeif Ismail and Saf Ovacik
NATIONAL WRITERS’ CONFERENCE – SATURDAY
Get cosy and build your skills in this intimate ideas incubator.
The Cocoon
WORKSHOP: WRITING FOR ONLINE AUDIENCES
ASK ME ANYTHING: ISOBELLE CARMODY
TIME 11am — 12pm
TIME 1.30 — 2.30pm
Is there some kind of special magic to online writing, or are the same principles still applicable? Gain practical insight with Tim Fisher (Broadsheet, ABC RN) on how to approach lifestyle and commercial feature writing for digital outlets, plus some quick and dirty tips about how to write well for an online audience.
Isobelle Carmody is one of Australia’s most highly acclaimed authors of fantasy. At fourteen, she began Obernewtyn, the first book in her much-loved Obernewtyn Chronicles, and has since written many works in this genre. She has also written several picture books as well as collections of short stories for children, young adults and adults.
ON MENTORSHIP
ASK ME ANYTHING: MELISSA LUCASHENKO
TIME 12 — 12.45pm
Mentorships can be rewarding and illuminating for both the mentee and the mentor, but how do you go about structuring this relationship? Former writer-in-residence at Overland, Laniyuk Garcon, and her mentor Ellen van Neerven reflect on their dynamic mentor/mentee relationship and the evolution of their writing practice. Presented by Overland
TIME 2.30 — 3.30pm
Melissa Lucashenko is a Bundjalung novelist, essayist and poet who lives between Brisbane and Ocean Shores. Her most recent novel, Mullumbimby, won the QLD Literary Prize, the Victorian Premier’s Award for Indigenous Writing, and was longlisted for the Miles Franklin and Stella Awards.
WORKSHOP: FINDING YOUR VOICE TIME 3.45 — 5pm
Say it in a shout, or say it in a whisper – this workshop will have you performance-ready and vocalising like a true virtuoso in no time. Performer, poet and broadcaster Sister Zai Zanda shares her hot tips for reading your work to an audience.
National Writers' Conference
NATIONAL WRITERS’ CONFERENCE – SATURDAY
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Buzzing with energy, conversation and ideas, hear from industry insiders in the Village Roadshow Theatrette.
The Hive
National Writers' Conference
Head upstairs and nestle in for detailed discussion about the art of crafting beautiful narratives.
The Nest
FEEDBACK LOOPS
WHAT EDITORS WANT
TALKIES
SUBVERTING GENRE
TIME 10 — 11am
TIME 2.30 — 3.30pm
TIME 10 — 11am
TIME 1.30 — 2.30pm
Critical engagement with your work, and the work of others, is a vital aspect of a sustainable writing practice and robust creative ecology. Learn how to give and get constructive feedback on your writing, and how to handle criticism.
Get the inside scoop on what to do and what not to do when pitching to your favourite lit mags. Find out about upcoming submission rounds, what these editors are looking for, and how to structure your pitch.
Everyone seems to be making a podcast! From criticism to long-form journalism, audio storytelling can be a great way to get your message across. Get the inside scoop on everything audio from three podcasting aficionadas.
Romance. Gothic Literature. Queer YA. Literary Thrillers. Dip your toes into four 15-minute talks about subverting genre tropes and creating new archetypes in fiction.
With Michael Mohammed Ahmad, Peter Polites, Omar Sakr and Khalid Warsame
With Annabel Brady-Brown, Amaryllis Gacioppo, Anupama Pilbrow, Alan Vaarwerk and Jacinda Woodhead
#WINNING
HACHETTE CASE STUDY
DEBUT WORKS
TIME 11am — 12pm
TIME 3.45 — 4.30pm
TIME 11am — 12pm
What can writing competitions do for your career? What publishing opportunities might winning or placing in a competition lead to? Get some hints and tips for submitting to writing competitions from those who’ve written, judged and published award winning writing.
Find out about the ins and outs of getting your work published and into the world, and hear firsthand from author of The Lebs, Michael Mohammed Ahmad and his publisher Robert Watkins.
Delivering your first book into the world requires you to walk into unmapped terrain, and the journey can feel treacherous as well as joyous. These debut writers share the challenges, highlights and learning curves involved in writing and publishing their first books.
If you’re thinking about a career in the creative industries, there are many things to consider. Do you need to work for free to get a foot in the door? How do you negotiate for fair pay? A discussion about the pitfalls of ‘doing what you love’, and how we might better advocate for the value of creative labour.
With Melanie Cheng, Annaleese Jochems, Odette Kelada and Jamie Marina Lau
With Timmah Ball, Creatrix Tiara, Samantha Forge and Sarah Gory
With Lur Alghurabi, Jane Pearson, Robert Watkins and Christian White
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NATIONAL WRITERS’ CONFERENCE – SUNDAY
WRITING AND RESEARCH TIME 12 — 12.45pm
Whether you prefer the library’s hush or the busy din of a cafe to work in, research is a vital part of good writing. Learn where to begin using the tried and tested research methods of State Library Creative Fellows Kelly Gardiner and Lili Wilkinson. Presented in partnership with State Library Victoria
LITERARY SELFIES TIME 4.30 — 5pm
“Literature as selfie manifests the ideas of ‘presencing’, of agency and of the literary retweet,” Roanna Gonsalves writes in her essay for Overland. Hear her discuss the ‘literary selfie’ as a way of reading, writing and foregrounding self-representation in literature.
With Bethany Atkinson-Quinton, Leona Hameed and Areej Nur
BEYOND TEXT: PERFORMANCE WRITING TIME 12 — 12.45pm
Theatre draws from some of our most ancient modes of storytelling, and yet we continue to remake and rewrite traditional theatrical forms. Stuart Grant and Fleur Kilpatrick explore experimental modes and approaches to performance making.
With Alison Evans, Calvin Fung, Alli Sinclair and Rhydian Thomas
ART, MONEY, LABOUR TIME 2.30 — 3.30pm
National Writers' Conference
NATIONAL WRITERS’ CONFERENCE – SUNDAY
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NATIONAL WRITERS’ CONFERENCE – SUNDAY
Get cosy and build your skills in this intimate ideas incubator.
The Cocoon
WRITERS’ NIGHT SCHOOLS
Really want some of that one-on-one writer attention? Book yourself into one of our intimate Writers’ Night Schools. In these limited capacity workshops, let the experts impart their wisdom as you spend the night learning the tips and tricks to refine your work – whatever your specialty. VENUE The Wheeler Centre Workshop Space TICKETS $35 full/$30 concession per event
ASK ME ANYTHING: MICHAEL MOHAMMED AHMAD
ASK ME ANYTHING: STUART GRANT
TIME 11am — 12pm
TIME 1.30 — 2.30pm
Michael Mohammed Ahmad is the founder and director of Sweatshop: Western Sydney Literacy Movement. His debut novel The Tribe received the 2015 Sydney Morning Herald Best Young Novelists of the Year Award. His latest novel is The Lebs, published by Hachette in early 2018.
Stuart Grant is a lecturer in Performance Studies at Monash University. He has published extensively on performance philosophy, phenomenology and site-specific performance. Stuart is also lead singer, guitarist, and main composer with punk/ noise-hop band the Primitive Calculators.
SELF-PUBLISHING PATHWAYS
ASK ME ANYTHING: ELLEN VAN NEERVEN
National Writers' Conference
You have a great idea, you may have commenced writing and you may even be nearing completion. But not everyone manages to score that elusive contract – so what are your options? In this session Debbie Lee and Louise Merrington will explore the world of self-publishing and discuss how print-on-demand technology and global distribution have democratised the publishing market.
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Presented by IngramSpark
TIME 2.30 — 3.30pm
Ellen van Neerven is Mununjali from the Yugambeh language group of South East Queensland, and the award-winning author of Comfort Food and Heat and Light. Ellen was named as a Sydney Morning Herald‘s Best Young Australian Novelist in 2015.
WORKSHOP: SHORT STORY WRITING
ROMANCE WRITING
DATE Wednesday 20 June, 6.30 — 8pm
DATE Tuesday 26 June, 6.30 — 8pm
Learn how to craft characters and worlds that will draw your audience in, and hear about the pleasures and pitfalls of dealing with dark themes for a younger audience.
Beyond bodice-ripping, what does it take to make your romance riveting? Learn about plotting, crafting memorable characters and creating scenes that sizzle in this workshop full of hot tips for writing your own romance fiction.
With Steph Bowe
WRITING FOR WEB SERIES DATE Thursday 21 June, 6.30 — 8pm
In this introductory workshop, learn about the narrative possibilities of episodic story structures, and how to approach all aspects of writing and creating a web series. With Hayley Adams
With Alli Sinclair
LITERARY CRIME WRITING DATE Wednesday 27 June, 6.30 — 8pm
Australian audiences are a bloodthirsty lot, with the Australia Council’s latest stats on reading demonstrating an insatiable appetite for crime writing. Get the skinny on writing gripping literary crime fiction with awardwinning author of Wimmera, Mark Brandi.
TIME 3.45 — 5pm
Short and sweet, or as salty as they come, learn how to craft short fiction that hits the spot. Get an insight into story construction, editing, and tips and tricks to beat writer’s block in this practical workshop with Laura Elizabeth Woollett.
WRITERS’ NIGHT SCHOOLS
TIME 12 — 12.45pm
WRITING FOR YOUNG ADULTS
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MASTERCLASSES
Our masterclasses are informative and enriching full-day programs packed with panels, keynotes and workshops. Perfect if you’re just starting out, or wanting to connect with a community of likeminded word nerds to reinspire your practice.
MASTERCLASS: THE BORING BITS
We’ve brought together professional writers and industry insiders to make all the boring bits fun, taking the hard work out of the grunt work in sustaining a writing career. This masterclass will provide all the useful, practical information you need to know to be able to do what you love, pay the bills, and avoid burnout. DATE Thursday 21 June, 10am — 4pm VENUE The Wheeler Centre Performance Space
Presented in partnership with Pantera Press DATE Wednesday 20 June, 10am — 4pm VENUE The Wheeler Centre Performance Space PRICE $90 full/$75 concession
10am Keynote: Compass Point
1.15pm Beyond Human
A mud map for starting out in speculative fiction, covering top tips for honing your writing techniques and navigating publication. Gain insight and advice from best-selling speculative fiction writer C.S. Pacat, author of the Captive Prince trilogy and Fence comic book series.
Cyborgs, AI and fembots are common features of speculative fiction narratives that can shed light on the human condition. However, our world still influences the construction of these imagined characters. How can you craft believable characters that are beyond human?
10.30am Writing the Anthropocene
With Brianna Bullen, Else Fitzgerald, Georgia Kartas and Tegan Webb
The future is indelibly marked by the looming presence of global warming, which in turn shapes the narratives we craft. A discussion about the art, craft, science, peaks and pitfalls of writing about the end of the world as we know it. With Maddee Clark, Briohny Doyle and Stephanie Lai
Masterclasses
11.30am Sovereign Speculative
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PRICE $90 full/$75 concession
Reinvent the past or imagine the future with a full day exploring the possibilities of speculative writing.
Futures
Can we rewrite the past by imagining a different future? Hannah Donnelly and Ellen van Neerven discuss the potential speculative fiction has to craft new narratives, unearth alternative histories and speak to the present.
2.15pm Workshop: World Building Learn how to construct a believable world and characters with this workshop covering research techniques, common tropes and conventions of speculative fiction and genrespecific approaches to world-building. With Jane Rawson
2.15pm Industry Insider: Pantera
Press
So you’ve got a completed manuscript, what next? How do you approach a publisher? What’s the best way to a structure a pitch? Hear from Pantera Press Submissions Editor James Read, and ask him all your burning questions about publication.
10am Navigating the
Freelance Jungle
It’s hard out there for a freelancer. How do you maintain a steady income and a healthy wage from your work? How do you balance commercial gigs with creative freedom? From pitching to publications to negotiating with editors, hear from these freelancing pros as they share their tips, tricks and tools of the trade.
12pm Don’t Quit your Day Job It is increasingly difficult to pursue writing as a full-time vocation. How do you juggle writing with a day job? How do you manage your time, work on your craft, and also pay the bills? These writers share their experiences of balancing a writing practice while also working in a completely unrelated field. With Shu-Ling Chua, Sonia Nair and Chloe Papas
With Lindy Alexander, Matilda Dixon-Smith and Neha Kale
2pm Agents, Contracts
11am Tax, Income And Money
So you’ve finished the draft to your first manuscript. What next? Get the inside scoop from Joshua Pomare and literary agent Claire Foster about what to expect in the path to publication – from finding an agent, negotiating with publishers, settling contracts and selling international rights to your book.
How do you establish yourself as a business? What can you claim on tax? Do you need an arts accountant? From setting up invoices, keeping track of your income, and learning the basics of book-keeping, Laura Caldwell from Darkwave Consulting has got you covered on the practicals.
and Rights
3pm Burn Baby Burn Burnout is rife within the creative industries, and the writing life can be a lonely one. How do you stay motivated and manage your mental health? How do you learn to face rejection and combat writer’s block? A practical and positive look at taking care of yourself in this industry. With Madeleine Dore, Madison Griffiths and Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen
Masterclasses
MASTERCLASS: SPECULATIVE FICTION
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MASTERCLASS: NON-FICTION
The lines between truth and fiction can be slender indeed, but nonetheless the world seems to have a ravenous appetite for non-fiction writing. This jam-packed program covers life-writing, memoir, literary journalism and experimental approaches to non-fiction.
MASTERCLASS: POETRY
Poetry as a record, or a map. Poetic practice as protest. Poems as performance. Find your voice, and learn how to craft poetry with depth, clarity and concision. DATE Monday 25 June, 10am — 4.30pm VENUE The Wheeler Centre Performance Space
DATE Friday 22 June, 10am — 4pm
PRICE $90 full/$75 concession
VENUE The Wheeler Centre Performance Space PRICE $90 full/$75 concession
New Modes of Non-Fiction Contemporary non-fiction is increasingly marked by experimentation in form and genre. Hear from three non-fiction writers about the clarity that can be found in blurring the lines of form. With Quinn Eades, Ellena Savage and Maria Tumarkin
11am The Lives of Others How do you work ethically with your subjects? Hear Jon Tjhia (The Messenger) and Tresa LeClerc in conversation about the fundamentals of working responsibly with other people’s stories.
11.45am Pathway to Publication
Masterclasses
Writer Kate Rossmanith (Small Wrongs) and publisher Arwen Summers explore the rigours and discipline necessary for pursuing a long-form research project, the ethics of working with others’ truths and the process of getting a book out into the world.
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1.30pm Ethics of Memoir
10am Keynote: On Responsibility
1.15pm Academics And Poetics
When writing stories from your own life, how do you protect yourself and your loved ones? What does it mean to write from your own experience, and what are the moral implications of representing the lives of the people around you? Traversing the borders of the personal and political, this panel explores the responsibility and ethics of life writing.
With voice and freedom come responsibility. Narungga activist-poet Natalie Harkin, author of Dirty Words, speaks about the responsibility to remember and how poetry can offer new narratives of history.
Exclusionary politics often come hand in hand with literary categorisations of poetry. This discussion will explore and deconstruct the ways in which certain experiences and perspectives are denied access to these classifications.
10.30am The Poetic Gaze
With Evelyn Araluen and Jonathan Dunk
With Lur Alghurabi, Eda Gunaydin, Zoya Patel and Alice Pung
2.30pm Workshop: What to Tell What are the techniques, tools and skills needed to craft a narrative from the details of everyday life? How do you write from personal experience, and what does that entail? In this workshop, Rebecca HarkinsCross shows what to take out, what to leave in and how to create a compelling narrative from fact.
The poetic gaze can offer vast possibilities to rewrite, reinterpret and rework narratives of the world and the self. Four writers explore their influences, seeing the world through a poetic lens, and crafting new visions and modes through poetic language. With Shastra Deo, Magan Magan, Chris Tse and Saaro Umar
11.30am Adventures In Form From hybrid texts to visual narratives, encoded poetry to ekphrasis, working with poetic form can provide space for infinite variation. Poets who work in unique visual and multidisciplinary forms discuss the perplexing, exciting and experimental aspects of their work. With Louis Klee, Benjamin Laird, and Prithvi Varatharajan
2.00pm Rule Book Do you have to know the rules to break them? Learn how to harness the fluidity and flexibility of poetic form to craft poems that leave your reader wanting more. With Charlotte Guest, Melody Paloma and Gig Ryan
3pm Workshop: Poetry and Voice Slam champion Emilie Zoey Baker will whip your performance poetry into shape, looking at how to write with voice, how to perform your work, and what makes for a stage presence that will blow your audience away. Masterclasses
10am Reality Hunger:
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INTENSIVES
Intense, but in a good way. Short and sharp introductions to craft that will get you headed in the right direction.
WRITING LIVE
VENUE The Wheeler Centre Performance Space PRICE $55 full/$45 concession per event
A crash course in writing for performance. Whether you’re coming across from another storytelling discipline, or brushing up on your basics, this day is a great place to meet other creatives and get your work ready for the stage. Presented in partnership with New Working Group and Brunswick Mechanics Instititute. Supported by Rodney Seaborn Playwrights Trust. DATE Tuesday 26 June, 10am — 4.30pm VENUE Brunswick Mechanics Institute PRICE $55 full/$45 concession
PODCASTING
CRITICISM
10am New Words
2pm New Ways
DATE Wednesday 27 June, 10am — 1pm
DATE Thursday 28 June, 10am — 1pm
Podcasting can be an incredibly intimate medium, as well as allowing access to some spaces, ideas and stories that might otherwise be difficult to reach. Hear from some of our fave podcast producers and hosts about what makes a good podcast, how to approach creative audio and how to forge new pathways in new media.
The critic is dead! Long live the critic! Crafting insightful and incisive criticism is an art in its own right. Criticism can add to, interrogate and re-situate creative work in meaningful and powerful ways. Get critical and learn from some of the best in the biz.
What drives you to write plays? Once you’re doing it, how do you get them out into the world? Two writers with a marathon of experience in conversation with two writers bursting out of the emerging blocks.
Writing from lived and own experience is a powerful starting point for playwriting and performance making. In this discussion we tease out different ways to approach this process and the balance of own voice with collaboration.
10am The State of Criticism
11am New Dramaturgy
10am Keynote: Pod Power
Alison Croggon (Witness) and Mel Campbell (The Rereaders) discuss the state of arts criticism today.
Who are the people that help writers shape new work and what structures are they working with? A rapid fire cross-section of various dramaturgical approaches and frameworks including feminist and decolonising theories.
10.30am How Sound Lisa Greenaway (LAPKAT), Miyuki Jokiranta and Jon Tjhia host a listening party about crafting creative audio.
INTENSIVES
12pm Press for Success
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Honor Eastly, Christine Mwaturura and Emily Naismith get to the bottom of which ingredients make for a sustainable and successful podcast.
11am The Art of Criticism What goes into constructing nuanced, rigorous and informed responses to creative work? Annabel Brady-Brown (Fireflies) and Jana Perković (Audiostage) explore.
12pm Critical Perspectives Michelle Cahill, Maddee Clark and Nathalie Thomas discuss the social and ethical responsibility of the critic, and what it means to engage with criticism from feminist, postcolonial and queer perspectives.
With Candy Bowers, Didem Caia, Jenni Medway and Rachel Perks
1pm New Visions Writing for performance is writing for bodies in space. It’s a three dimensional, multi-faceted act. This panel gets the low down from a design perspective and the key collaborative relationships between playwrights, designers and directors. With Bridget Balodis, Amelia Lever-Davidson, Eugyeene Teh and Louris van de Geer
With Jacob Boehme, Tania Cañas, Jess Knight, Michele Lee and Rajith Savanadasa
3pm New Versions Adapting text from one version to another, one form to another brings its own challenges and rewards. This short discussion will be followed by a workshop where participants get to flex their writing muscles. With Raimondo Cortese, Dan Giovannoni, Kim Ho and Mark Wilson
Writing Live: The Bake-Off DATES Wed 27 and Thurs 28 June, 10am — 4.30pm VENUE Brunswick Mechanics Institute PRICE Free via Expressions of Interest
A two-day rapid playwriting challenge to turn off your filter and experiment with your craft, based on the methodologies of US playwright Paula Vogel. No audience, no rewrites, no critiques – just the joy of writing something new. Facilitated by Amelia Evans and Mark Pritchard
WRITING LIVE
Beverley Wang, host of It’s Not a Race podcast and Radio National’s Stop Everything! on challenging the status quo.
With Emilie Collyer, Jane Harrison, Natesha Somasundaram and Jean Tong
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FREE (B) Event is free but bookings essential TUES JUNE 19
7pm
Opening Night: New Gold Standard
Deakin Edge, Fed Square
FREE (B)
p3
The Wheeler Centre
Bunjil Place Zine Workshop
FREE (B)
p32
6pm
Conversant: Creative Possibilities in Arts Writing Melbourne Recital Centre
$10
p32
6.30pm
Writers’ Night School: Writing for Young Adults
The Wheeler Centre
$35/$30 p15
6.30 & 7.45pm
Still Water
Meet at Footscray Community Arts Centre
$19/$17
7.30pm
Great Salt Lakes
Loop Project Space & Bar
FREE
p28
Late Night Lit: Art Vs Science
Loop Project Space & Bar
FREE
p37
9pm
p26
THURS 21 JUNE 10am
Masterclass: The Boring Bits
The Wheeler Centre
$90/$75 p17
10am
Collaborative Translation & Poetry Workshop
State Library Victoria
FREE (B)
p31
6pm
Big Breaks
Readings St Kilda
FREE (B)
p32
6pm
Swinburne Presents Spirit of Punk
Loop Project Space & Bar
FREE
p32
Writers’ Night School: Writing for Web Series
The Wheeler Centre
$35/$30 p15
7pm
Littlefoot & Co. Spoken Word
Bunjil Place
FREE
p28
7pm
Further from the Sun
Footscray Community Arts Centre
$19/$17
p26
Graphic Translation
Loop Project Space & Bar
FREE
p31
LNL: Melbourne/Tokyo Zine Project Launch
Loop Project Space & Bar
FREE
p31
6.30pm
7.30pm 9pm
FRI 22 JUNE
$90/$75 p19
State Library Victoria
FREE (B)
p33
The Moat
FREE (B)
p28
Northcote Town Hall
$19/$17
p26
The Moat
FREE
p28
The Wheeler Centre
FREE (B)
p35
Brunswick Mechanics Institute
$55/$45 p21
6.15pm The Next Big Thing 7.30pm
Tell Me Like You Mean It
8.30am
The Early Words: Travel Writing and Gender
TUES 26 JUNE 10am Writing Live Lunchtime Lit: Level 87 Book Club
State Library Victoria
FREE
p36
Critical Considerations
Readings Hawthorn
FREE (B)
p33
6.30pm
Writers’ Night School: Romance Writing
The Wheeler Centre
$35/$30 p15
6.30pm
Speakeasy: Money
12.30pm 6pm
Brunswick Mechanics Institute
$40
p25
7pm Subversion and Disability
The Wheeler Centre
FREE
p28
7pm 8-Bit
Bar SK
$19/$17
p26
p35
WED 27 JUNE 8.30am
The Early Words: Feminism Online
The Wheeler Centre
FREE (B)
10am Intensive: Podcasting
The Wheeler Centre
$55/$45 p20
10am Writing Live: The Bake-Off
Brunswick Mechanics Institute
FREE (B)
p21
12.30pm
Lunchtime Lit: The Art of Conversation
State Library Victoria
FREE
p36
6.30pm
Writers’ Night School: Literary Crime Writing
The Wheeler Centre
$35/$30 p15
6.30pm
Speakeasy: Sex
Brunswick Mechanics Institute
$40
p25
7pm Reading the Suburbs
Edinbugh Castle Hotel
$19/$17
p27
7pm Small and Loud
The Channel, Arts Centre Melbourne FREE
p29
7pm Pan Afrikan Poets
Loop Project Space & Bar
FREE
p29
Loop Project Space & Bar
FREE
p36
p35
Masterclass: Non Fiction
The Wheeler Centre
$90/$75 p18
Lunchtime Lit: Writing Queer Characters
State Library Victoria
FREE
p36
6.30pm
Urban Calligraphy Workshop
Dandenong Library
FREE (B)
p34
10am
National Writers’ Conference
State Library Victoria
Multiple
p7
10am
SIGNAL x LIMINAL
SIGNAL
FREE (B)
p33
Dandenong Library
FREE (B)
p34
12.30pm
Lunchtime Lit: Collectives Book Club
p34
6.30pm
Speakeasy: Death
SAT 23 JUNE
11am Emerging Writers’ Intensive 2pm FESTIVAL TIMETABLE
The Wheeler Centre
Funding One-on-Ones
12.30pm
10am
2pm
Podcasting Workshop
Dandenong Library
Comics Workshop
9pm
THURS 28 JUNE 8.30am
FREE (B)
Late Night Lit: Dial Up
The Early Words: Food Writing
The Wheeler Centre
FREE (B)
10am Intensive: Criticism
The Wheeler Centre
$55/$45 p20
10am Writing Live: The Bake-Off
Brunswick Mechanics Institute
FREE (B)
p21
State Library Victoria
FREE
p36
Brunswick Mechanics Institute
$40
p25
Loop Project Space & Bar
$19/$17
p27
Springvale Library
FREE (B)
p34
7pm Soapbox
FREE
4.30pm
Urban Calligraphy Live Performance
Dandenong Library
p34
7pm First Stage
Southbank Theatre, The Lawler
$5
p33
6.30pm
The Dandy Slam
Walker Street Gallery & Arts Centre FREE (B)
p34
7pm Imaginary Homelands
VU @ MetroWest
FREE
p29
Queer Icons
Alpha60 Chapter House
p27
9pm
Loop Project Space & Bar
FREE
p37
8pm
$20
Late Night Lit: RMIT Gazette Wrap Party
SUN 24 JUNE 10am 10.30am
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Masterclass: Poetry
11am
$90/$75 p16
4pm
Bunjil Place
10am
7pm Amazing Babes
WED JUNE 20 10am Masterclass: Speculative Fiction
MON 25 JUNE
5pm
FRI 29 JUNE
National Writers’ Conference
State Library Victoria
Multiple
p7
DIY Zines
ArtPlay
FREE
p33
7pm Confessions
Sweatshop Showcase
State Library Victoria
FREE
p7
8pm
12.30pm
Lunchtime Lit: Online Publishing Futures Closing Night Party
State Library Victoria
FREE
p36
Brunswick Mechanics Institute
$19/$17
p27
Brunswick Mechanics Institute
FREE
p37
FESTIVAL TIMETABLE
FESTIVAL TIMETABLE
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SPEAKEASY
Defy decorum and delve into delicious ideas, discussions and debates. Join us for an intimate meal with some of the sharpest commentators on these timeless dinner-table taboos: sex, death and money. Each event will feature an entrée of keynote speakers followed by an (actual) main course and roundtable discussions between dinner guests and artists. At Speakeasy, no subject is off the menu. Presented in partnership with the Wheeler Centre and Brunswick Mechanics Institute VENUE Brunswick Mechanics Institute PRICE $40 per event, including dinner. Attend all three events with a
Speakeasy Pass for $100.
Winning the prize was massive for me, not just in terms of the incredible mentorship — any unpublished author’s dream — but also probably the
Sam Coley, 2017 Winner
MONEY
DEATH
Tuesday 26 June, 6.30pm for a 7pm start
Thursday 28 June, 6.30pm for a 7pm start
Come get curious about class and currency with Esther Anatolitis, Farah Farouque and Helen Razer. How do we reconcile personal and political principles with the glib practicalities of modern life? We’ll ponder alternative economies, class and elitism in the arts, and the market price of artistic integrity and truth-telling.
A defining mystery of living, a necessary finality; death is often daunting. Joined at the table by Pia Interlandi, Hayley West and Elizabeth Flux, we’ll chew over the nature of death – and our ways of living with it. Whose deaths matter? Do we lack death literacy? Who is commemorated or erased in death? How do we ritualise grieving, healing, and celebration after death … and why?
Dinner by ASRC Catering
Dinner by Tiba’s
SEX Wednesday 27 June, 6.30pm for a 7pm start Writers since time immemorial have connected food and sex – after all, the brain is the biggest sex organ. Whet your appetites with Dani Weber, Angela Serrano and Dion Kagan as they talk erotic writing, gender, fluidity and desire. It’s going to be saucy, consensual and conversational - just the way we like it.
Speakeasy
keep going anyone with a work in progress could hope for.
Dinner by Moroccan Soup Bar
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PERFORMANCE EVENTS
Electric, edifying and always engaging, our performance events are the perfect place to discover your new favourite storytellers. You saw it here first. 3x Performance Pass $50 full/$45 concession 5x Performance Pass $80 full/$70 concession
STILL WATER
AMAZING BABES
READING THE SUBURBS
CONFESSIONS
DATE Wednesday 20 June, 6.30pm and 7.45pm
DATE Monday 25 June, 7pm
DATE Wednesday 27 June, 7pm
DATE Friday 29 June, 7pm
VENUE Meet outside Footscray Community Arts Centre
VENUE Northcote Town Hall
VENUE Meet outside the Edinburgh Castle Hotel
VENUE Brunswick Mechanics Institute
PRICE $19 full/$17 concession
PRICE $19 full/$17 concession
PRICE $19 full/$17 concession
PRICE $19 full/$17 concession
Ever-changing life-giver, uncontainable and irreplaceable. As necessary as air to sustain us, it follows no direction but its own bright grace. An intimate performance journey on the Blackbird boat along the Maribyrnong river exploring the future of our waterways.
The fifth iteration of our festival favourite, a celebration of the babes that make our lives better. This year, we’re making a new venue home, and filling the Northcote Town Hall with wonderful women of writing, performing odes to the babes in their lives that inspire and uplift them.
Milk bars, fast cars, the Maccas run, shopping trolleys up the creek, tags and plastic bags, skate parks, ovals, summer sun, slow trains, even slower buses, the walk to school and Aussie Rules, your church, your mosque, your temple, your shopping centre. Readings and performances about the ‘burbs, held in a local backyard.
What’s your deepest, darkest secret? Tragic, comic and everything in between – six writers bare all, from their worst work to confessing their writerly sins and shameful secrets, all under the anonymous cover of darkness.
With Eleanor Jackson, Lian Low, CB Mako, Omar Sakr and Sumudu Samarawickrama. Hosted by Khalid Warsame
QUEER ICONS PARTY
FURTHER FROM THE SUN DATE Thursday 21 June, 7pm
PERFORMANCE EVENTS
8-BIT
SOAPBOX
DATE Tuesday 26 June, 7pm
PRICE $19 full/$17 concession
VENUE Bar SK
DATE Thursday 28 June, 7pm
PRICE $19 full/$17 concession
VENUE Loop Project Space & Bar
With Manisha Anjali, Joey Bui, Quang Dinh, Amal Ibrahim, Lay the Mystic and Charlotte Raymond. Hosted by Leah Avene, tunes by MzRizk
Remember the sound of dial-up? The click of a joystick? MSN messenger and Myspace are gone, and your NeoPets have gone to a better place. Technology is changing at such a rapid pace these days, there’s hardly a moment to stop and collect every coin. A night of retro-nostalgia with multidisciplinary performances paying homage to our favourite obsolete technologies, gadgets and games of eras gone by. With Calvin Fung, Fury, Nathania Gilson, Nikki Tran and Tegan Webb. Hosted by Jini Maxwell
DATE Saturday 23 June June, 8pm – late VENUE Alpha60 Chapter House
VENUE Footscray Community Arts Centre
To celebrate the winter solstice, we’re hosting a big party! Depending on how you look at it, today is the shortest day of the year, or the longest night. Come light the touchpaper of renewal, and join us around the fire for a night of performance, stories, song and dance. Bring along an old piece of writing, or a note to your future self to put in the bonfire.
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With Idil Ali, Leah Avene, Kate ten Buuren, Simona Castricum, Shastra Deo, Eugenia Flynn, Soreti Kadir and Manal Younus. Hosted by Namila Benson
PRICE $19 full/$17 concession
Go on, get it all out! A night of rants about things they love or hate, from some of our favourite comedians. Sincere, compelling, and always a laugh, leave restraint at the door and prepare yourself for a night of passionate persuasion. With Andy Butler, Shaad D’Souza, Dee Fidge, Jes Layton and Nevo Zisin. Hosted by Nayuka Gorrie
PRICE $20
Come witness the miracle of us. DRAG yourself, your friends and your lovers along to this extravagant ode to our queer histories and herstories and theirstories interweaved. Bonus points if you dress to impress. With Adolfo Aranjuez, Quinn Eades, June Jones, Chris Tse and Peter Polites. Hosted by Mama Alto, tunes by Jennifer Loveless PERFORMANCE EVENTS
With Kat Clarke, Hannah Donnelly, Laniyuk Garcon, Nayuka Gorrie and Hannah MorphyWalsh
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FREE PERFORMANCE EVENTS
THE NEXT BIG THING
SUBVERSION AND DISABILITY
DATE Monday 25 June, 6.15pm
DATE Tuesday 26 June, 7pm
VENUE The Moat
VENUE The Wheeler Centre Performance Space
DATE Wednesday 27 June, 7pm
PRICE FREE
PRICE FREE (bookings essential)
PRICE FREE
VENUE Loop Project Space & Bar
The sea is rising, the ice is melting, and still we’re forging forward into a strange and terrifying territory of our own making. It’s enough to make you want to cry, but we’re all in this sinking ship together.
New and emerging writers? You can’t go past the Emerging Writers’ Festival; effectively a festival full of Next Big Things, and a fertile breeding ground for bold experiments in Australian literature. Come and celebrate the best new writers around – and hear readings from the cream of this year’s EWF crop.
What does it mean to write subversively? Five writers from Writers Victoria’s Writeability program perform and discuss new works. From writing the body, to reconceptualising disability and deafness, to dark YA fantasy and more, explore ways to subvert, defy and reimagine conventions about writing and disability.
DATE Wednesday 20 June, 7.30pm VENUE Loop Project Space & Bar
With Teaote Davies, Emma Hardy, Georgia Kartas, Reagan Maiquez and Grace Vanilau. Hosted by Declan Furber-Gillick
LITTLEFOOT & CO. SPOKEN WORD
Presented in partnership with The Wheeler Centre With Emma Marie Jones, Odette Kelada, Marjon Mossammaparast and Sumudu Samarawickrama
PRICE FREE
Littlefoot & Co. are here to shake up the stage with spoken word and performances that are straight fire. Listen in, listen up, and see Casey’s rising stars here first. Featuring a guest performance from Sukhjit Kaur Khalsa. FREE PERFORMANCE EVENTS
Presented in partnership with Bunjil Place
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PRICE FREE
The Pan Afrikan Poets Cafe is the home of new, cutting edge and classic Afrikan literature, a literary gig and performance event that brings Afrikan artists together in conversation with First Nations and Pasifika artists.
Presented in partnership with Writers Victoria
With Piriye Altraide, Indiah Money, Niasha, Pauline Vetuna and more. Hosted by Sista Zai Zanda
With Mary Borsellino, Jax Jacki Brown, Sonia Marcon, Fiona Murphy and Jess Walton
IMAGINARY HOMELANDS
DATE Thursday 21 June, 7pm VENUE Bunjil Place
SISTA ZAI PRESENTS: PAN AFRIKAN POETS
DATE Thursday 28 June, 7pm
TELL ME LIKE YOU MEAN IT
SMALL AND LOUD
DATE Monday 25 June, 7.30pm
DATE Wednesday 27 June, 7pm
VENUE The Moat
VENUE The Channel, Arts Centre Melbourne
PRICE FREE
PRICE FREE
What does it mean to be an emerging poet? We reckon it’s something like having a a voice that’s full of attitude, wit and sincerity, a voice that’s continually re-imagining what it means to be contemporary. Four fresh new poets take to the stage and show you what they’re made of.
Small and Loud is a scratch night for new live performance works in development. It’s a chance for artists to road-test their ideas in front of a receptive and switched-on audience. This edition has a special focus on solo performers who write and perform their own work, co-curated by winner of the Best Emerging Writer Award at Melbourne Fringe, Emma Mary Hall.
Presented by Australian Poetry With Charlotte Guest, Raelee Lancaster, Lachy McKenzie and Ellen O’Brien. Hosted by Melody Paloma
Supported by Arts Centre Melbourne With Roshelle Fong, Jess Knight and Bargryana Popov
VENUE VU @ MetroWest PRICE FREE
“I am a turtle, wherever I go, I carry ‘home’ on my back.” – Gloria Anzaldua. Seven artists reflect on the poetics and politics of placemaking. In the second half we invite you onto the stage. Come prepared or improvise —in any genre or style — and tell us: what does home mean to you? Presented in partnership with Victoria University With Rhea Bhagat, Kat Clarke, Mindy Gill, Marjon Mossammaparast, Sharifa Tartoussi and Manal Younus. Hosted by Natalie Kon-Yu
FREE PERFORMANCE EVENTS
GREAT SALT LAKES
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TRANSLATION NATION
question everything Become a Guardian Australia Supporter for just $10 per month and support our journalism.
30
Visit theguardian.com/au
Roaming across, over and through different disciplines and languages, a jam-packed day exploring ways of saying and ways of seeing. Presented in partnership with Monash University
COLLABORATIVE TRANSLATION & POETRY WORKSHOP
LATE NIGHT LIT: MELBOURNE/ TOKYO ZINE PROJECT LAUNCH
DATE Thursday 21 June, 10am — 1pm
VENUE Loop Project Space & Bar
VENUE Experimedia, State Library Victoria
PRICE FREE
PRICE FREE (bookings essential)
Translation isn’t just for polyglots. Get creative with ancient Chinese poetry in this collaborative, hands-on workshop. Open to writers, visual artists and poetry lovers of all linguistic backgrounds: no Mandarin required! With Jessica Griffiths, Julia Min and Alice Whitmore
DATE Thursday 21 June, 9pm — late
Five Melbourne zinesters have been hard at work putting together brand new zines that have been translated into Japanese for distribution in Tokyo. Hear readings of their new works and come along for a boogie with Japanese pop rock to boot. Presented in partnership with Sticky Institute With Rachel Ang, Gemma Flack, Bianca Martin, Ashley Ronning and Luke You
GRAPHIC TRANSLATION DATE Thursday 21 June, 7.30pm VENUE Loop Project Space & Bar PRICE FREE
Translation of graphic material from Japanese into various other languages and English, culminating in a night of performance readings accompanied by projections of the translated text and illustrations. Featuring Monash University academics and students. TRANSLATION NATION
When you answer to no one, you can
TRANSLATION NATION
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FESTIVAL EVENTS
CONVERSANT: CREATIVE POSSIBILITIES IN ARTS WRITING
SWINBURNE PRESENTS: SPIRIT OF PUNK
SIGNAL X LIMINAL
CRITICAL CONSIDERATIONS
DATE Saturday 23 June, 10am — 1pm
DATE Tuesday 26 June, 6pm
DATE Thursday 21 June, 6pm
VENUE SIGNAL
VENUE Readings Hawthorn
DATE Wednesday 20 June, 6pm
VENUE Loop Project Space & Bar
PRICE FREE (bookings essential)
VENUE Melbourne Recital Centre
PRICE FREE
Learn about visual storytelling with Adolfo Aranjuez and Leah Jing McIntosh from Liminal Magazine, an online space for the exploration, interrogation and celebration of the Asian-Australian experience.
What responsibility do critics have to the authors they write about? In this session, join Jackie Tang (editor-in-chief, Books + Publishing) and Alan Vaarwerk (editor, Kill Your Darlings) alongside Readings’ Ellen Cregan as they interrogate ethics and accountability in the world of literary criticism.
Throughout the year, three writers have been creating new pieces in response to works at the Melbourne Recital Centre. Playful, provocative, poetic – these writers strive not simply to critique, but rather to take the work they see as a leaping-off point to give us a new interpretation or another layer of meaning. Join us for a conversation about the expansive creative possibilities of arts writing.
BIG BREAKS DATE Thursday 21 June, 6pm VENUE Readings St Kilda
With Piriye Altraide, Chloe Hooper, Adalya Nash Hussein and Jini Maxwell
What’s it like developing your debut manuscript into a novel via winning a major literary prize? Join Christian White and his publisher Martin Hughes as they discuss the editorial journey from winning the Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for an Unpublished Manuscript to publishing a finished novel. Facilitated by Readings’ Sean O’Beirne.
DATE Wednesday 20 June, 4pm VENUE Bunjil Place PRICE FREE (bookings essential)
FESTIVAL EVENTS
Presented by Swinburne University
Presented in partnership with the Melbourne Recital Centre
BUNJIL PLACE ZINE WORKSHOP
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An open mic with attitude. Spirit of Punk is a wordslam / reading event that evokes the ethos of punk rock – to have a go and have your voice heard. Come prepared or improvise – any genre, any style – just no longer than a Ramones song.
PRICE FREE (bookings essential)
Presented in partnership with SIGNAL
DIY ZINES
Presented by Readings
DATES Sunday 17 June, 1 — 4pm
Sunday 24 June, 10.30am — 3.30pm VENUE ArtPlay PRICE FREE (bookings essential) Are you between 10 and 14 years old and love drawing, writing, collage or comics? The SIGNAL curators will show you ways to create your own special zine. Come back the week after and set up a stall at our very own zine fair to sell your wares, trade zines and make badges. Presented in partnership with SIGNAL and ArtPlay
Presented by Readings
Cut, paste and photocopy your very own publication! Get crafty and creative with Eloise Grills and see your ideas come to life and ready to hit the streets or the shelves with this interactive workshop.
FUNDING ONE-ON-ONES
Presented in partnership with Bunjil Place
Does the idea of writing a grant strike fear deep into your heart? Find out what staff from major funding bodies are looking for in a grant application, and chat to them one-on-one about your ideas. They won’t bite, we promise.
DATE Monday 25 June, from 11am VENUE Experimedia, State Library Victoria PRICE FREE (bookings essential)
FIRST STAGE DATE Thursday 28 June, 7pm VENUE Southbank Theatre, The Lawler PRICE $5
Four new works, four new playwrights. In this exciting new collaboration with Melbourne Theatre Company, see the work of four emerging playwrights developed over two weeks of intensive workshops with industry leaders. Presented in partnership with Melbourne Theatre Company With Timmah Ball, Yuki Iwama, Mick Klepner Roe and Eva Grace Mullaley
FESTIVAL EVENTS
PRICE $10
PRICE FREE (bookings essential)
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Kick off your storytelling practice with workshops covering the basics of creative writing, podcast production and comic creation. Listen in to performances from rising spoken word stars and engage with an interactive digital storytelling project.
THE EARLY WORDS
Supported by Gippsland Dairy, Profile Coffee and the Muesli Guys VENUE The Wheeler Centre Performance Space
Presented in partnership with the City of Greater Dandenong
EMERGING WRITERS’ INTENSIVE
THE DANDY SLAM
DATE Saturday 23 June, 11am — 1pm
VENUE Walker Street Gallery and Arts Centre
VENUE Dandenong Library
PRICE FREE (bookings essential)
PRICE FREE (bookings essential)
Through practical exercises and expert tips, Elizabeth Flux will help you develop key tools to kick-start your writing journey. This is the perfect workshop for anyone wanting to develop, explore and experiment with their writing skills and turn their ideas into words.
PODCASTING WORKSHOP DATE Saturday 23 June, 2 — 4pm VENUE Dandenong Library PRICE FREE (bookings essential)
The first in a series of workshops hosted by the City of Greater Dandenong. Lindsey Green will explore the ins and outs of making a podcast, from conceiving an idea to recording, producing and getting it out there. Bring along your voice and thoughts to get started on making your very own podcast.
Tales of Many Cities
COMICS WORKSHOP
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DATE Saturday 23 June, 2 — 4pm VENUE Springvale Library PRICE FREE (bookings essential)
Illustrate your ideas and see them come to life in this introductory session for aspiring comics artists. With Marc Pearson, you’ll learn how to plot each page, and consider how to convey meaning with a combination of writing and drawing.
The early bird gets the worm, along with free breakfast, a steaming cup of coffee and some great ideas and discussion to boot.
PRICE FREE (bookings essential)
DATE Saturday 23 June, 6.30pm
An evening of electrifying performances from spoken word artists and poets, curated by City of Greater Dandenong and EWF. From the humorous to the heartfelt and the poetic to the playful, hear the exciting literary talent of Dandenong’s rising spoken word stars. With Christian Aleman-Pineda, Salomè Argyropoulos, Katherine Jorgensen, Maroulla Radisavic, Adelina Sherifovski, Wida Tausif and Sam Waldron. Hosted by Abdul Hammoud
URBAN CALLIGRAPHY WORKSHOP & PERFORMANCE WORKSHOP Friday 22 June, 6.30 — 8.30pm PERFORMANCE Saturday 23 June, 4.30 — 6pm VENUE Dandenong Library & Harmony Square PRICE FREE (bookings essential for workshop)
Dandenong joins Berlin, Beirut and Karachi in hosting this workshop and performance that aims to give local artists and community members alike the chance to use the Harmony Square Urban Screen as a canvas for expression. Utilising the common traditional art form of many of our resident communities, in a new digital interactive experience. With Hamza Abu Ayyash
TRAVEL WRITING AND GENDER
FOOD WRITING
DATE Tuesday 26 June, 8.30 — 9.45am
DATE Thursday 28 June, 8.30 — 9.45am
In her essay Travel Writing and Gender, Susan Bassnet asks: “Is there a way in which travel writing is inherently gendered?” Three writers critique the genre through readings of their own work and a panel discussion on future perspectives.
What is food writing beyond critique? From writing the body to understanding culture and the self, how does writing about food inform our understanding and exploration of identity? Three writers discuss the art, craft and critical capabilities of food writing.
With Stephanie Lai, Rosalind McFarlane and Saaro Umar
With Gem Mahadeo, Sonia Nair and Cher Tan
FEMINISM ONLINE DATE Wednesday 27 June, 8.30 — 9.45am
What is the state of feminist activism online? Considering the contexts and communities from which we write and whose stories are told and how, three commentators explore the pitfalls and power of feminist discourse and activism in the digital age. With Carly Findlay, Carissa Lee and Sangeetha Thanapal
THE EARLY WORDS
TALES OF MANY CITIES
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Get your fill of great ideas on your lunchbreak with these creative and critical offerings.
LATE NIGHT LIT
Presented in partnership with State Library Victoria
VENUE Loop Project Space & Bar
VENUE Experimedia, State Library Victoria
PRICE FREE
PRICE FREE
WRITING QUEER CHARACTERS DATE Friday 22 June, 12.30 — 1.30pm
In a post-postal world, are we seeing ourselves? From #ownvoices to #AusQueerYA, audiences are demanding representation that reflects the full spectrum of queer experiences. Alison Evans, Kim Ho and Angela Serrano discuss the art of crafting dynamic and nuanced queer characters in different forms.
LEVEL 87 BOOK CLUB DATE Tuesday 26 June, 12.30 — 1.30pm
The curious critics from the Level 87 Book Club are here to guide you through their favourite books! You’re welcome to bring recommendations, fave books, school books, hated books and join in on this live podcast recording. Presented in partnership with 100 Story Building With Korik Bestrin, Elena Demosthenous and Darvey To
THE ART OF CONVERSATION
LUNCHTIME LIT
DATE Wednesday 27 June, 12.30 — 1.30pm
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From shared revelations and philosophical insight to the simple joy of feeling seen and heard by another person, great conversations provide fuel and inspiration for a fulfilling creative life. However, despite the fact that we’re more connected than ever, genuine communication between people can seem somewhat like a lost art.
Jo Walker (Editor-in-Chief of Frankie Press) in conversation with Richard Watts (SmartArts, RRR) about conversational etiquette, interview techniques and rewriting the script to find unexpected answers. Presented in partnership with The Smith Journal
COLLECTIVES BOOK CLUB DATE Thursday 28 June, 12.30 — 1.30pm
Founders of creative collectives Still Nomads, Negro Speaks of Books, Black Shell and Community Reading Room draw from the texts that inspire them, and speak to community building, creating spaces for critical consciousness, and finding comfort and strength in reading together. With Torika Bolatagici, Areej Nur, Laila Thaker and Inez Trambas
ONLINE PUBLISHING FUTURES DATE Friday 29 June, 12.30 — 1.30pm
How can online publishing platforms create new spaces and make the literary sector representative of the communities it serves? Michelle Cahill (Mascara Review), Mindy Gill (Peril Magazine) and Hella Ibrahim (Djed Press) share insight into their practice, and how they agitate for change in the literary industry.
Night owls, this is for you. Late nights with the lights down low are the perfect place to meet your new mates and see some fresh lit.
ART VS SCIENCE
RMIT GAZETTE WRAP PARTY
DATE Wednesday 20 June, 9pm — late
DATE Thursday 28 June, 9pm — late
Witness the showdown of the century as Art and Science battle it out in a live game show. Can you fix a broken leg with song and dance? Can you mend a broken heart with a defibrillator? Are science and the arts stronger apart, or stronger together? You decide.
Every day of the Emerging Writers’ Festival, RMIT Writing and Publishing students are on the ground, reporting live from late night events, whipping up creative works and running back and forth between printers and plinths to get you fresh hot daily newspapers. Come out and party with writers, designers and editors from the EWF Gazette, which is celebrating its third year of covering the festival.
With Lisa Dib, Upulie Divisikera, Adalya Nash Hussein, Fiona Murphy, Caleb Triscari and Marlee Jane Ward. Hosted by Nicole McKenzie
DIAL UP
Presented in partnership with RMIT University, non/fictionLab and Bowen Street Press
DATE Wednesday 27 June, 9pm — late
A stellar showcase of artists who have found connection – and a home – online. Celebrating electronic lit and online communities, this multidisciplinary performance will feature videos, live readings and experimental digital works. Live streamed for those who can’t make it along IRL. With Manisha Anjali (Inhabit Journal), Bad Nudes, Heather Day, Fresh and Fruity, Eloise Grills, Emma Marie Jones, and Mimo Mukii. Hosted by Miles Campisi
CLOSING NIGHT PARTY HOSTED BY STILL NOMADS DATE Friday 29 June, 8pm — late VENUE Brunswick Mechanics Institute PRICE FREE
Kick up your heels, and bring out your feels - we’ve had an incredible eleven days of discussion, development and damn fine art and it’s time to celebrate Y-O-U. The brilliant folks from Still Nomads have collectively curated and created a night to close the festival with a bang. Still Nomads is an African arts collective made up of multidisciplinary artists, filmmakers, visual artists, writers and performers, and is grounded in the establishment of community and collective creativity.
LATE NIGHT LIT
LUNCHTIME LIT
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Victorian College of the Arts
WHAT’S YOUR STORY? MASTER THE ART OF STORYTELLING FOR STAGE AND SCREEN
CRICOS 00116K
UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE DEGREES Dramaturgy | Film and Television | Screenwriting Writing for Performance ENQUIRE NOW TO STUDY IN 2019 vca.unimelb.edu.au/study
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ARE YOU READY TO GET PUBLISHED? QUIZ MORAL RIGHTS
ISBN
(a) Free use of your writing
(a) Something poets aspire to
(b) An American system allowing unlicensed use of copyright works in certain circumstances
(b) A learning experience for publishers
(a) International Scout and Book Negotiator
(c) Timesharing your books (d) An oxymoron
(c) Rights of integrity and authorship (d) Only erotic writers need to know
(b) International Standard Book Number (c) International Society of Booksellers and Namedroppers (d) International Sponsors of Books and Notebooks
PLR
ROYALTY ESCALATOR
ASA
(a) Pedantic Library Rituals
(a) Kate Middleton in a lift
Home of Australian Storytellers
(b) Promise of a Lengthy Read
b) Not interested, I’m a republican!
(c) Public Lending Right
(c) When good sales increase royalties
(d) Public Librarian Rights
(d) A contract negotiation turning sour
P: M: E: F: T:
0292111004 0457947499 asa@asauthors.org @asauthors @asauthors
4-5 correct answers - You’re ready, congratulations! Join the ASA along with thousands of other professional writers 2-3 correct answers - You’re nearly there. Join the ASA and get clued up so you know what you’re on about. 0-2 correct answers - You’re in DIRE need of us! Join the ASA or perish on the slush pile...
Quote EWF18 to waive the $25 joining fee and receive two months membership FREE!
Answers: Fair Use (b), Moral Rights (c), PLR (c), Royalty Escalator (c), ISBN (b)
FAIR USE
!
FESTIVAL PARTNERS
GOVERNMENT PARTNERS –
PROGRAM PARTNERS –
The Emerging Writers’ Festival is assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body.
PROUD RESIDENT OF –
PRINCIPAL EDUCATION PARTNER –
PRINCIPAL PUBLISHING PARTNER –
PRINCIPAL MEDIA PARTNER –
ACCOMMODATION PARTNER –
EDUCATION PARTNERS –
CULTURAL PARTNERS –
VENUE PARTNERS –
THE LIFTED
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HOSPITALITY PARTNERS –
PRINCIPAL BROADCAST PARTNER –
OFFICIAL BOOKSELLER –
TICKETING PARTNER –
FESTIVAL PARTNERS
FESTIVAL PARTNERS
BROW
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ABOUT THE EMERGING WRITERS’ FESTIVAL
The Emerging Writers’ Festival is a not-forprofit organisation whose foundations are built on supporting emerging writers. We are a place where creativity and innovation are celebrated, where new talent is nurtured and where diverse voices from across Australia are represented. Each year the Emerging Writers’ Festival brings together writers, editors, publishers and literary professionals with the reading public for a festival that is an essential part of Australia’s literary calendar.
STAFF Artistic Director Izzy Roberts-Orr General Manager Will Dawson Program Coordinator Linh Thùy Nguyên
about Emerging Writers' Festival
Marketing & Publicity Coordinator Julianna Toth
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Operations Manager Katie Wilkins Associate Producer Aisha Trambas Creative Producers Vishaka Kumar Mia McAuslan Duyen Nguyen Ruby-Rose Pivet-Marsh Christian Tsoutsouvas Events Management Intern Alexandra Milovic
EWF BOARD Design Loupe Studio loupe.com.au Illustration Freda Chiu fredachiu.com Web Development Fine Thought finethought.com.au Photography Snehargho Ghosh sneharghophotography.com
Craig Semple (Chair) Erica Chan (Secretary) Sandra Stoklossa (Treasurer) Fran Berry Cate Blake Tim Fisher Latoyah Forsyth Kirsten Freeman Andrea Spencer Cara Sputore
EWF PROGRAM ADVISORY COMMITTEE Andy Butler Jax Jacki Brown Kat Clarke Bronte Coates Hannah Donnelly Dr Melinda Harvey Khalid Warsame
VENUES
CITY
NORTH
Alpha60 Chapter House
Bar SK
ArtPlay
Brunswick Mechanics Institute
Level 2, 195 Flinders Lane, Melbourne
Birrarung Marr, Russell Street Extension, Melbourne Fed Square
Cnr Swanston & Flinders Streets, Melbourne
90 Smith St, Collingwood
270 Sydney Road, Brunswick Edinburgh Castle Hotel
681 Sydney Road, Brunswick Northcote Town Hall
189 High Street, Northcote
Loop Project Space & Bar
23 Meyers Place, Melbourne SIGNAL
Northbank, Flinders Walk, Melbourne State Library Victoria, Experimedia
328 Swanston St, Melbourne State Library Victoria, Conference Centre
179 La Trobe St, Melbourne The Moat
176 Little Lonsdale St, Melbourne The Wheeler Centre
176 Little Lonsdale St, Melbourne
SOUTH/EAST Arts Centre Melbourne, The Channel
St Kilda Road Terrace, Southbank Bunjil Place
2 Patrick Northeast Drive, Narre Warren Dandenong Library
225 Lonsdale St, Dandenong Melbourne Recital Centre
31 Sturt St, Southbank
Readings Hawthorn
701 Glenferrie Rd, Hawthorn Readings St Kilda
WEST Footscray Community Arts Centre
45 Moreland St, Footscray VU @ MetroWest
138 Nicholson St, Footscray
112 Acland St, St Kilda Southbank Theatre, The Lawler
140 Southbank Blvd, Southbank Springvale Library
411 Springvale Rd, Springvale Walker St Gallery and Arts Centre
Cnr Walker & Robinson Streets, Dandenong