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

Conference & Online

Jennifer Down: Why Write?

Must a work be political? Should it serve some higher moral purpose? Is aesthetic virtue enough? Author Jennifer Down doesn’t have the answers, but she has spent some time thinking about what it means to write for an audience versus writing for yourself. In her keynote address, she explores the tension between labor and life, the inherent weirdness of sharing your work, and what it means to keep putting one foot in front of the other as a working writer.

Accessibility

Why Write? is part of the National Writers’ Conference, a one-day online gathering of emerging writers on Zoom.  

Check out the full Conference program here.  

To ensure the online event stays private, ticket holders will be emailed the relevant Zoom links 30 minutes prior to the Conference start time. Please check your email on the day of the event (including that pesky junk email folder). Ticket bookings will cease 1 hour before the Conference starts.  

You can download Zoom for free here. Read more about how to set up Zoom’s automatic transcription feature here. 

If you have any difficulty connecting to the event, please email us at [email protected] 

Saturday 18 June
12.30-1.30pm AEST

Access this session with a National Writers’ Conference ticket

Browse events by accessibility options

Online, via Zoom

Featuring...

Jennifer Down

Jennifer Down is the acclaimed author of Bodies of Light (2021), Pulse Points (2017) and Our Magic Hour (2016), published by Text.

You might also like...

Saturday 18 June
3pm AEST

Yassmin Abdel-Magied: What is the Role of the Writer?

Join Yassmin Abdel-Magied as she considers the role of the writer through the lens of her wide-ranging and thrillingly varied career.

Learn More

Saturday 18 June
12.30-1.30pm AEST

Knowing Me, Knowing U: How to Interview

Find out from some of the best in the business how interviews can help inform a wider piece of work, how to listen and ask the right questions, and how to craft a thoughtful, engaging profile or portrait of a person.

Learn More

Saturday 18 June
4.15pm-5.15pm AEST

Hot Off The (Small) Press

A discussion on how they did it and what they’re doing from some of our favourite indie publishers.

Learn More

Saturday 18 June
1.45-2.45pm AEST

Pitch Perfect

Find out the must-haves for delivering a great pitch and the pitfalls to avoid.

Learn More
All Events

Major Supporters