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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The Emerging Writers’ Festival Board

EWF is governed by a volunteer Board, made up of six to twelve members. The EWF Board meets monthly with our co-CEOs to oversee business operations, and ensure best practice governance.

As all roles are with EWF; our Board roles are developmental – perfect for first-time board members and emerging arts leaders interested in governance and passionate about Australian storytelling and art.

LATOYAH FORSYTH, Chair

Latoyah is an experienced arts administrator, marketer and leader with 15 years’ experience working in the arts, culture, entertainment and music sector. She holds a Bachelor of Arts (Cultural Studies and Creative Writing) and a Master of Communications and Media Studies. In 2023, Latoyah is a Betty Amsden Arts Leadership Award and Scholarship recipient, which supports the development of strong young leaders in arts based NFPs or in NFPs utilising the arts to achieve social outcomes. Latoyah is passionate about creative communications and engagement, measured experimentation, value creation and building strong, meaningful relationships with a broad range of stakeholders to better business and community.

PHIL JONES, Treasurer

With over 30 years of executive experience in corporate, credit and assurance roles Phil Jones has led high performance teams in big name organisations such as ANZ Bank, Telstra, National Australia Bank, KPMG and Touche Ross. Jones’ job as a leader was to create space for his team and colleagues to be brilliant. Currently, Phil is leveraging his extensive experience, formal training through the AICD and skills as a Director to better lead and build resiliency within the organisations, both cultural and not, that he is passionate about and dedicates his time to.

GABRIELLE RYAN, Deputy Chair & Deputy Treasurer

Gabrielle Ryan is an experienced arts leader. She has held roles such as General Manager at the Substation Contemporary Arts Space, Head of Production and Relationships at the Wheeler Centre for Books, Writing and Ideas as well as short term contract roles at the Stella Prize, Blak and Bright First Nations Literary Festival, RMIT Culture and Melbourne Writers Festival. She has a PhD in Creative Writing, a Masters in Creative Writing, Publishing and Editing and a Masters of Business (Arts and Cultural Management). 

JADE MOORE, Secretary

Jade is a seasoned data and customer solutions specialist with over 16 years of experience in the Australian Arts Industry, holding positions at The Australian Ballet, Melbourne Recital Centre, and Arts Centre Melbourne. In 2024, Jade took a business leap of faith and launched her own consulting business, Moore Insights, assisting organisations focus on the growth of audience development within the ever-evolving arts landscape, embrace the opportunity to see how data can illuminate trends, enhance customer experiences, and drive engagement.
Jade is dedicated to making a significant impact in the arts community by marrying her love for data with her passion for the arts, helping organisations harness the power of insights to thrive in a dynamic environment.

JULIA CARLOMAGNO

Julia Carlomagno is publisher & director at Monash University Publishing. During her time in publishing she has been lucky to work with some of the country’s best writers, including at Penguin, Macmillan, Scribe and Black Inc. She has won two national editing awards and taught at RMIT University. 

JAMILA DJAFAR KHODJA

Jamila Djafar Khodja is an events and program producer of British and Algerian background, and is currently the Senior Manager, Outreach and Development at Human Rights Watch. She completed her tertiary studies at the University of Melbourne in Development and Gender Studies, followed by a post-graduate qualification in Publishing and Communications. Most recently, she was the Senior Programming Manager at The Wheeler Centre for Books Writing and Ideas and, prior to this, worked in the Australian publishing industry. Jamila is also a board member of the Emerging Writers Festival and sits on the Perinatal Anxiety and Depression Australia Lived Experience Advisory Group. She is a mother and a passionate advocate for perinatal rights and social justice.

Jamila lives and works on the unceded Sovereign lands of the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung people of the Kulin nation.

GUY EDWARDS

Guy Edwards is an experienced strategy consultant and project manager. His experience includes commercial life science, pharmaceuticals, healthcare, public sector research & development, and higher education.

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