The Emerging Writers’ Festival work, learn and play largely on the land of the Kulin nation, and pay our respects to their Elders, past and present.

EWF celebrates the history and creativity of the world’s oldest living culture.

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Saturday 7 September, 11AM-5PM

Sunday 8 September, 11AM-5PM

National Writers’ Conference

In 2024, The National Writers’ Conference returns to The Wheeler Centre for a weekend of professional and creative development, connection-forging and wisdom sharing.

Saturday 7 September, 11:00AM

Pitch Perfect

Find out the must-haves for delivering a great pitch and the pitfalls to avoid. This session will provide the guidance of a publishing industry leader to help whip your pitch into perfect shape.

Saturday 7 September, 3PM

Queer Zines

Join accomplished comics artist and writer Mia Nie for an inspiring Queer Zine Making Workshop. Experiment with visual language and expression, share stories, and form new connections in a fun, supportive environment. Learn new zine-making techniques, from content creation to layout design.

Saturday 7 September, 4:15PM

Changing Pace: Words Beyond the City

Launch into travel and experiential-based storytelling with three of EWF’s favourite emerging, regional-based writers. Discover what life beyond the city brings to their practices, and how attending writers’ festivals is shaping their careers.

Thursday 1 August, 6:30PM

Program Launch: Divinations

Celebrate the launch of the 2024 Emerging Writers’ Festival, as well as our debut as a springtime affair.

Thursday 5 September, 7PM

Opening Night: LIB[ERA]TION

To mark the opening EWF24, Guest Curator Mackenzie Lee asks: What does an Era of Liberation look like, and how is writing both a tool and an act of liberation, for the self and the collective?

Thursday 8 August, 6PM

Texting Images: BLINDSIDE & EWF Ekphrastic Workshop

As part of Blindside and the Emerging Writers Festival’s 2024 Ekphrastic Writing Program, Naarm-based poet and critic Dr Autumn Royal will reveal the history of ekphrasis to illuminate the relationship between literary and visual realms.

Thursday 5 September – Sunday 15 September

Chapters: A Workshop Series

Across four sessions, unblock your creative energy, scope out new writerly connections, establish a pleasurable reliable routine, and have the chance to perform new work.

Friday 6 September, 6:30PM

Chapter One: Unblocking Creativity

The first of four Chapters, this workshop is all about establishing a writing practice.

Friday 6 September, 7:30PM

Make It Up Club: EWF Edition

Enjoy an evening of readings from debut authors and performances that play on the threshold of music and literature.

Friday 6 September, 6:30PM

elegy

What does it mean to write in honour of the dead? Who is elegy for, and what are the ethical considerations and implications of such writing?

Friday 6 September, 8PM

Do You Think I’m Sexy?

From sensual dreams, to awkward encounters, fan fiction to personal fantasies, this night will be a veritable feast of words and wonder.

Saturday 7 September, 3:15PM

Channelling Reality

Writing about the self, whether it be through the lens of memoir, or in fiction, holds endless scope for possibility, experimentation, and discovery. It also goes hand in hand with myriad ethical considerations and creative challenges.

Saturday 7 September, 12PM

Building Worlds

From real places to fantasy lands, these writers have mastered the art of immersing their readers in a time and place.

Saturday 7 September, 1:15pm

Editing Essentials

Enjoy a mini workshop to inject some hands-on energy into the day. Take a stab at finessing your own work with the guidance of a seasoned editor.

Saturday 7 September, 2:15PM

Research & Archive Use

Hear how these research virtuosos go about archive fossicking. Learn tips on how to keep track and organise your research, and questions to ask yourself throughout your investigations.

Sunday 8 September, 11AM

Beyond the Mainstream

Learn what is involved in self-publishing, the pros and cons of working with a publisher, and what to expect on the road less travelled.

Sunday 8 September, 2:15PM

Editing Unveiled

In reality, most writing is really editing – and few can do it alone! Hear from book and journal editors, publishers, and literary industry experts about the editor-writer relationship, the purpose and ethics of editing, and everything that goes into revising your writing with rigour.

Sunday 8 September, 1:15PM

Like & Subscribe

Marketing yourself is a new, crucial component of getting your work out there. In this micro-workshop, brush up on the basics of existing online as a writer.

Tuesday 10 September, 6:30PM

Writing Short Stories

The first in our Writers’ Toolbox series. Learn what makes a great short story by analysing your own favourites.

Sunday 8 September, 12PM

Insider Information

Submitting work to literary prizes, residencies and journals can be daunting, but it doesn’t need to be.

Sunday 8 September, 4:15PM

Richell Prize Showcase

We can’t believe it’s already been ten years since the Richell Prize began. To mark this milestone, we’re holding a showcase with our friends at Hachette, celebrating the stellar alumni of the past and anticipating the incredible writers to come.

Monday 9 September, 10AM

Masterclass: Arts Writing

Arts journalism is many writers’ first foray into publication. However, in 2024, there are increasingly fewer avenues to access exciting, thorough, and diverse writing about music, film, theatre, food, and more.

Monday 9 September, 10AM

Keynote: Writing People

Hear from award-winning writer, Daniel Browning, on what it means to artfully render the essence of a person.

Monday 9 September, 11:15AM

On Art

Arts writing is often the best way to start out as a writer – to have your writing published, work with editors, meet likeminded people and make a bit of a cash. But it can be hard to know what pocket to start out in and how to sustain.

Monday 9 September, 12:30PM

Niche Journalism

From interview technique, through to the opening article line, learn about key aspects of the craft for writers working across topics and forms.

Monday 9 September, 9AM

Sinister Wisdom: Panel

Join this panel from Sinister Wisdom, the world’s longest-running lesbian literary magazine coming to Australia.

Monday 9 September, 6:30PM

Chapter Two: Creative Connections

Chapter Two of our Chapters workshop series is a relaxed round-table discussion about collaboration, sharing work, and forging reciprocal creative relationships.

Monday 9 September, 6:30PM

Writers’ Salon: Poetic Resistance

Join poet, writer, and educator Hasib Hourani for an evening of poetry, and its power to preserve culture, provoke change, and speak truth to power.

Tuesday 10 September, 12:30PM

LUNCH/BREAK: Fresh Eyes with EWF

Writing is often viewed as a solitary act, but a fresh set of eyes on your work can make a world of difference. Bring along a work-in-progress piece and join us for a hands-on workshop session.

Tuesday 10 September, 8:30AM

Morning Pages: Embodied Writing

Start the morning with an intuitive walk around Melbourne followed by a writing session. Walking can allow the mind to process information and shake new ideas loose. Likewise, exploration and observation of built and natural environments can inspire thought and help us create new connections for our writing.

Tuesday 10 September, 8PM

Trick of Light

Join us for an evening of multimodal performances and visual treats as writers and artists come together to revel in the light, after dark.

Wednesday 11 September, 8:30AM

Morning Pages: No Typewriters / No Talking

Indulge in one hour of shared sustained silence, in a simple ritual to concentrate on the thing we want to do — but so often find many reasons not to — write.

Wednesday 11 September, 12:30PM

LUNCH/BREAK: Moodboarding & Collage

Join us for a relaxed collage and moodboarding session, perfect for writers seeking fresh and dynamic ways to develop their stories.

Wednesday 11 September, 6:30PM

Chapter Three: Where to from here?

Part of our Chapters series. This penultimate chapter will equip you with advice and wisdom about sustaining enthusiasm, building resilience, and how to keep writing long-term, even through the inevitable lows and highs.

Wednesday 11 September, 6:30PM

Writers’ Salon: Writing to the edge of reality

In this intimate evening workshop, surrealist writer Raeden Richardson will traverse writing that defies easy categorisation to help you develop a new vocabulary for writing to the edge of reality.

Thursday 12 September, 10AM

Masterclass: Creative Living

How can we bring artistry into our daily lives, beyond our writing practice? From slowing down and surrendering to the process, to imbuing our rituals and routines with beauty and curiosity.

Thursday 12 September, 10AM

Keynote: Ritual & Risk

Hear from writer, artist and producer Madison Griffiths about how she integrates risk, ritual and passion into her creative practice, to make for a fulfilling and sustainable career in the arts.

Monday 9 September

Next Big Thing

Celebrate new works and fresh writing talent in this special EWF24 edition of The Wheeler Centre’s much-loved Next Big Thing readings series.

Sunday 8 September, 3:15PM

Between Chapters

Hear from these celebrated writers, about the precarity, challenges and strengths of the mid-career phase.

Thursday 12 September, 6:30PM

Writers’ Salon: Invoking Eros

Join poet, artist and somatic facilitator Shannon May Powell in exploring how pleasure and desire can unfurl on the page to enhance your storytelling.

Thursday 12 September

Nocturnal: Earthshattering

Words and sounds are the mediums we turn to, to channel these transformative events. Join us Melbourne Museum to hear stories and tributes to experiences that rooted these artists to the earth or led them to transcend it.

Wednesday 11 September, 8PM

What’s Your Deal?

Perfection is overrated, so settle in for a night of comedic catharsis all about embracing one’s faults, flaws, and weird special interests that no one else understands

Saturday 7 September, 2PM

Texting Images: BLINDSIDE & EWF Ekphrastic Readings

BLINDSIDE & EWF present the Ekphrastic Writing Program. This initiative invites four emerging writers to produce an ekphrastic response to an exhibition from Blindside ARI’s 20-year exhibition archive, culminating in a night of celebratory readings, where writers will share the works created, in front of the very artworks they have responded to.

Friday 13 September

Morning Pages: Sweaty Palms, Fear in Fiction

What does it feel like to face fear on the page? From embodying emotion, to revisiting the stuff of nightmares, these writers discuss what fear is, and how it can propel one’s writing.

Friday 13 September, 12:30PM

LUNCH/BREAK: Flash Fiction

Inject some spontaneity into your lunch break and try your hand at this deceptively tricky, but ultimately thrilling form. With a series of short prompts to get you going, this session is for everyone; from those that naturally gravitate to bite-sized writing, to curious newcomers.

Friday 13 September, 5:30PM

Flight of the Bats

Join us, unplugged, at Fairfield Amphitheatre to hear readings that celebrate these motifs and more, while the foxes take flight overhead. A Spring staple, with a literary twist!

Friday 13 September, 7PM

EWF X Gammin Guild

Tune into the next chapter of the Gammin Guild’s live roleplaying story as part of EWF24 .

Saturday 14 September, 7PM

Body Curious

Join these body-curious artists for a night of performances, devoted to sensorial writing and self-discovery and expression through the body.

Saturday 14 September, 4PM

Journal Crawl

You’ve heard of, and likely have ventured on a pub crawl, but how about a lit mag crawl? EWF presents our first ever journal crawl.

Saturday 14 September, 3PM

Chapter Four: The Final Chapter

Celebrate the work written during the Chapters program. Sit back and enjoy listening to your fellow Chapters participants’ exciting new work.

Sunday 15 September, 7PM

Closing Night: BANQUET

Gather beneath stained glass for the final event of EWF24: an etheral spring banquet.

Thursday 5 September – Sunday 15 September

A Feather Landing

This digital writing exhibition is an invitation into stillness. Four poets experiment with communicating the wordless, drawing upon language as an imperfect signpost towards the shimmering presence that exists beneath and beyond all things.

Thursday 5 September – Sunday 15 September

Fanfiction: Beyond the Canon

Combining case studies of fanfiction writers turned best-selling authors, publishing ecosystems across the world, and what fanfiction means to fans, these writers discuss how these thriving communities of writers and readers provide a space for emerging writers to practice and gain feedback. 

Saturday 14 September, 10AM

EWF X A Plus Market

Melbourne’s A Plus has gathered a posse of brilliant writers to reflect on their favourite writing about plus size bodies, and shine a light on the power – and sometimes, difficulty – in being visible, taking up space, and writing against shame.

Friday 13 September, 8PM

Scream Scenes

Dress up in your phantasmic finest for an evening of spine-tingling tales, from writers and ghouls alike.

Thursday 12 September

On Slowness

Led by writer Tiia Kelly, this workshop will suggest ways to apply slowness as a framework for thinking about your work, the writing process, and the wider industry.

Thursday 12 September, 11AM

Daily Devotions

Hear how these multi-disciplinarians harness daily habits and routines that flow into their artistic practice. Gain a fresh mindset, and uncover fun, practical techniques to ignite your own creative process.

Saturday 14 September, 11AM

Prose Pals

Come along to this literary speed-friending session for an opportunity to meet other emerging writers who identify as queer or gender diverse.

Sunday 15 September, 11AM

Pitch-It! sessions

Publishers are always on the lookout for new and exciting voices, so here’s your chance to show them yours. Use your 5-minute pitch as a professional development exercise that has the potential to be much, much more.

Thursday 5 September – Sunday 15 September

Frames to Fiction

Build an entire narrative around a single frame or a fragment of a screenplay. New prompts will be shared regularly on our Discord channel, inviting you to connect with fellow writers and fuel your creative fire.

Thursday 5 September – Sunday 15 September

Wall of Echo

Four artists from UWRF and EWF appear in this transcontinental literary sound board. Investigating UWRF’s “powers within humans” (live, speak, think), these writers are called upon to artistically represent their connection to such powers.

Thursday 5 September – Sunday 15 September

UWRF & EWF: In-Conversation

Join a cross-continental in-conversation reflecting on the evolving role of storytelling in a global context. Witness this exchange of ideas and dreams, as each writer enquires into the other’s diverse creative practice.

Wednesday 11 September

Digital Surrealisms

Is the world becoming unreal, or hyper-real? Sink into this series of audio surrealist works, from artists concerned with the obsolescence of memory, AI, and the relationship between creativity, and being chronically online.

Saturday 14 September, 11AM

Verse in Code: Creating Digital Poetry

Experience the creative potential of e-literature via this digital poetry workshop. You’ll be guided through real-time HTML, CSS and JavaScript edits—no previous experience required.

Sunday 15 September

LUNCH/BREAK Drop In: Blak & Bright Writing Club

Been inspired by everything at EWF24? For this special lunch time drop-in session, join multi-practice artist Elijah Money for a laid back writing club, where you can put it all down on paper! Bring along a work in progress, or sit down to a fresh page with new ideas, and spend some time dedicated to […]

Thursday 5 September, 6:30PM AWST

Centre for Stories: Dreams / Reality

Speculative fiction meets creative non-fiction in this night of readings at Centre for Stories. Witness writers as they trace the threshold between dreams and reality.

Wednesday 11 September, 6:30PM

Coming of Age in the Wild West

What does it mean to write the place you have lived? How do you harness the streets you have walked, and reflect back the people around you with care and consideration? In this special discussion event, these western suburbs writers come together to talk about the place, and the responsibility of writing it.

Saturday 14 September, 11AM

Poster Poems

Join poet Alison J Barton and Troppo Print Studio for a hands-on workshop all about different approaches to visual poetry. During the workshop, participants will have the chance to add to a collaborative poem, which will be turned into a paste up poster by Troppo Print Studio, to be unveiled at the end of the workshop. The workshop coincides with the ‘Future Foundations’ exhibition curated by Troppo Print Studio, which celebrates the past, present and future of printmaking and is currently showing at Counihan Gallery.

Friday 6 September, 4PM

Erasure & the Burning Haibun: Poetry Workshop 

The Burning Haibun is a poetic form that burns away at the landscape of memory to find a distilled truth within. By considering erasure in its political context, this workshop will explore the power of the Burning Haibun and what it can reveal. 

Thursday 5 September – Sunday 15 September

EWF X Sinister Wisdom: Body of Land

In interrogating how the intersection of queer and racial identity informs notions of belonging, Body of Land hopes to show the multiplicity of lesbian and queer histories. Body of Land is set for publication in 2025, with submissions opening in September. 

Thursday 5 September – Sunday 15 September

20 Minute Cities

Take a literary tour around the world, with the help of the UNESCO Cities of Literature network! Join emerging writers from Heidelberg, Jakarta, Kozhikode, Krakow, Ljubljana, Nottingham, Quebec City, Reykjavik, Tukums, Vilnius and Wroclaw as they walk you through their city, introducing you to local writers and pointing out what makes their City of Literature great. 

Thursday 12 September, 11AM

State of Emergence

In this panel discussion, writers will touch on their respective experiences in the publishing industry: from pitching articles to writing residencies, the publishing process to getting paid for their work.

Thursday 12 September, 12:30pm – 1:30pm

PEN Letter Writing Session 

PEN Melbourne brings writers together to share experiences, explore ideas and conduct public conversations about how literature transforms, influences and fosters cross-cultural exchange. In this lunch time drop-in session, attendees can get involved with PEN’s letter writing program, designed to increase international pressure and attention on the persecution of writers exercising their rights to freedom […]

Tuesday 10 September, 6.30PM

Speculate

How does fiction reflect and predict on the page, and what does it mean to speculate through literature? This discussion will dive deep into the world/s of speculative fiction, before making a very exciting announcement sure to delight emerging short fiction writers Australia wide.

Thursday 5 September – Sunday 15 September

EWF X Awesome Black: STAUNCH

An EWF edition of STAUNCH