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.

Enter site

Open Air

(Anti) Literary

Writing circles can feel like exclusive clubs—hard to crack and harder to belong.

Hear emerging writers share their struggles to access these spaces and the exhausting gymnastics of fitting in. Unite in dissecting the rat race of performative wine-and-cheese readings, curated bios, and the tension between art and capitalism.

Tuesday 16 September, 1PM-2PM

Pay-What-You-Wish


Say Cheese, Trocadero Arcade
Shop 6/119 Hopkins St, Footscray VIC 3011

Featuring...

Ronia Ibrahim

Ronia Ibrahim is a writer, artist and designer residing in Melbourne. Her work is interested in exploring modes of storytelling across poetry, non fiction and performance. She has had her work featured across Australia and New Zealand, including Overland, Cordite, Australian Poetry Journal, Starling, Bankstown Art Centre, Pantograph Punch and the Te Papa Chinese Languages […]

Suri Matondkar

Suri Matondkar is a writer and doctoral student interested in language and identity. She was a 2024 Hot Desk Fellow at the Wheeler Centre and was awarded the 2025 Eric Dark Flagship fellowship by Varuna, The National Writers’ House. Her work has been shortlisted for the Island Nonfiction Prize and the Catalyse Nonfiction Prize and […]

Mabel Gibson

Mabel Gibson is a twenty five year old yamitji writer. Mabel grew up in boorloo (Perth), kinjarling (Albany), and jambinu (Geraldton) – three vastly different locations, whose landscapes and climates all play an important role in Mabel’s story. Crybaby is Mabel’s debut book, a collection of micro memoirs, that follows her through all the seasons […]

Imogen Lenore Williams

Imogen Lenore Williams is a writer and all round busy bee living in Melbourne, on land of the Boonwurrung and Wurundjeri people. Imogen is completing her final undergraduate year at Swinburne University, studying Creative Writing, Marketing and History, while working as Social Media Marketer for Glen Eira Cheltenham Art Group and as an English Tutor. […]