Monday 15 September, 6:30PM-7:30PM
Performance & Partnered Event
The Next Big Thing: EWF 2025 Edition
Join us for a vibrant evening of readings and celebration as The Wheeler Centre and Emerging Writers’ Festival join forces to spotlight five of Australia’s up-and-coming literary stars.
Crybaby is a collection of micro memoirs by Mabel Gibson. Sara Haddad’s The Sunbird is a timely and modern parable about Palestine. In Spite of You is Patrick Lenton’s wickedly funny queer romcom. Andrea Thompson’s Geraldine chronicles one woman’s journey to change a world that wants to change her. Poet Aylin Mulayim reads their work from Voiceworks #134 Vice.
Book your spot here.
The Next Big Thing series is generously supported by George and Rosa Morstyn.
The Moat
176 Little Lonsdale Street, Melbourne, VIC 3000 (Underneath The Wheeler Centre entrance)
Featuring...
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 […]
Andrea Thompson
Andrea Thompson is a writer, music journalist, artist manager and promoter. Born in the north of England in the Swinging Sixties, Andrea has worked through a range of jobs including trades assistant in the north-west of Western Australia, factory worker, teacher and public servant, but her one constant is writing. Geraldine began as a memoir, […]
Sara Haddad
Sara Haddad is an editor and writer who lives and work on Gadigal land. She has worked in publishing in Australia and overseas for over 35 years. The Sunbird is her first work of fiction.
Patrick Lenton
Patrick Lenton is an author and journalist living in Naarm. His debut novel, a queer rom-com called In Spite of You comes out in August 2025 with Pantera Press. He is also the author of the short story collections Sexy Tales of Paleontology, Uncle Hercules and Other Lies, and A Man Made Entirely of Bats. […]
Aylin Mulayim
Aylin Mulayim is a poet and writer interested in writing back to language. Her recent work has been published in Cordite Poetry Review and Voiceworks. She lives in Naarm/Melbourne, where she currently studies Literature and Creative Writing.
You might also like...
The Lifecycle of a Book with Affirm Press
An in-demand masterclass that lifts the curtain on the industry operations of a book’s publication.
Led by Affirm Press’s top publishing professionals— from agents to editors, publicists to debut authors themsleves—this half-day event offers a rare inside look at how books are acquired, shaped, and championed. Gain practical knowledge about negotiations, editorial collaboration, marketing strategies, and building an author profile. An irresistible chance to explore every phase of a book’s release.
2025 ‘Time to Write’ Paragraph Fellowship Celebration
The Time to Write Paragraph Fellowship was established to support such writers through the commercial reality they face, enabling them to carve out more time to write.
Faber Writing Academy Anthology Launch
Join us at The Wheeler Centre for the launch of the Faber Writing Academy Anthology, featuring Melbourne’s Writing a Novel students alongside students from Writing True Stories and Writing Creative Nonfiction courses.
Drawn Together: A Comic Artists’ Roundtable
Be part of a candid conversation with local comic artists as they share insights into navigating the often opaque and competitive world of comics publishing. From agents and advances to career paths and creative autonomy, this roundtable explores both the personal and systemic challenges artists face.
Subscribe to our email newsletter: