Emerging Writers' Festival

Emerging Writers' Festival 10-18 Sept 2026

Today, our 2026 festival begins!Join us tonight for Opening Night: .RETRIBUTION., an evening of Indigenous self-determin...
10/09/2026

Today, our 2026 festival begins!

Join us tonight for Opening Night: .RETRIBUTION., an evening of Indigenous self-determination from Blak writers from across the continent.

You can also check out this year's digital exhibitions 'Nostalgic Debris' in partnership with Junkee Media, and 'EWF X Hate Mail', an exclusive digital zine available now on our website.

Check out what's on offer: https://emergingwritersfestival.org.au/festival/

We are so excited to share these next ten days with you!

Launching EWF and Blindside Gallery's 2026 Texting Images season, writers respond to 'found images' with new ekphrastic ...
09/09/2026

Launching EWF and Blindside Gallery's 2026 Texting Images season, writers respond to 'found images' with new ekphrastic writing. Led by Autumn Royal, experience new writing at Blindside Gallery.

📅 Thursday 17 September, 6-7PM
📍 Blindside Gallery, North Melbourne
🎟 Free tickets available now

Book your spot here: https://emergingwritersfestival.org.au/event/texting-images-launch/

We can't wait to see you there!

Don't miss Modern Mehfil - IT'S ALMOST SOLD OUT Part of the syncretic heritage of South Asia, a mehfil is an intimate, o...
08/09/2026

Don't miss Modern Mehfil - IT'S ALMOST SOLD OUT

Part of the syncretic heritage of South Asia, a mehfil is an intimate, often formal gathering for the performing arts. Bring your yearning words, poetry and feelings or simply swing by to hear our featured performers take you through a q***r reimagination of this affair.

📍 Studio Take Care
📅 Sunday 13 September, 8.30-10PM
🎫 Free/Pay-What-You-Wish tickets selling fast: https://emergingwritersfestival.org.au/event/modern-mehfil/

We can't wait to see you there!

What can the future of space look like beyond extractive and colonial practices that characterise much of modern space e...
08/09/2026

What can the future of space look like beyond extractive and colonial practices that characterise much of modern space exploration?

Write towards these sorts of questions at WRITING WITH SPACE, with Harriet Hurley co-founder of (Un)Common Cosmos. In this online workshop, uncover the myriad ways we imagine our place among the stars.

📍 Online, via Zoom
📅 Monday 14 September, 7.45-8.45PM
🎫 Tickets from $10

Book your tickets here: https://emergingwritersfestival.org.au/event/writing-with-space/

Explore science and speculative fiction as a world-building process, using space exploration as a canvas for our imagination. See you there!

Want to attend EWF digitally this year? We've got you covered!Check out these events that are fully online, beaming our ...
07/09/2026

Want to attend EWF digitally this year? We've got you covered!

Check out these events that are fully online, beaming our festival through cyberspace to your computer.

Curate your EWF experience by filtering our festival page to 'Ethers', and explore the full range of digital events we have on offer this year.

Check it out on our website via the link in our bio, or here: https://emergingwritersfestival.org.au/festival?_sft_eventtype=ethers

We can't wait to see you there!

Get exclusive industry insights with editors, publicists and publishing professionals from Simon & Schuster, at LIFECYCL...
07/09/2026

Get exclusive industry insights with editors, publicists and publishing professionals from Simon & Schuster, at LIFECYCLE OF A BOOK! 📚

A half-day masterclass for those looking to 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.

Book your spot here: https://emergingwritersfestival.org.au/event/lifecycle-of-a-book-simon-and-schuster/

📍 The Wheeler Centre
📅 Thursday 17 September, 9:00AM-2:15PM
🎫 Tickets from $50

Check out the event on our website for a full breakdown of the masterclass schedule. We can't wait to see you there!

Our community litfair is back!Join us 18 September at Abbotsford Convent for an evening of wandering stalls offering zin...
05/09/2026

Our community litfair is back!

Join us 18 September at Abbotsford Convent for an evening of wandering stalls offering zines, homemade wares, independent books, magazines, and more! Mingle with writers, artists, small press publishers and grassroots collectives.

CLOSING NIGHT LITFAIR
📍 Abbotsford Convent
📅 Thurs, 18 Sept, 5.30PM
🎫 Tix from $10: https://emergingwritersfestival.org.au/event/closing-night-litfair-how-long-is-forever/

We can't wait to share the evening with you!

Photos by Grace Auld

'My Cosmic Horror Coworker Introduced Me To a Board Game She Likes, and I Realised I Have No Life'Samara-Jade Sendek is ...
03/09/2026

'My Cosmic Horror Coworker Introduced Me To a Board Game She Likes, and I Realised I Have No Life'

Samara-Jade Sendek is the next EWF26 artist to speak to the nostalgic debris of our lives, as part of our digital exhibition 'Nostalgic Debris', presented in partnership with Junkee Media

Over the next few weeks, the digital exhibition will be going live on 'the junkee pov' and accessible via the event page on our website.

Check out the digital exhibition 'Nostalgic Debris' on our website: https://emergingwritersfestival.org.au/event/nostalgic-debris/

A new generation of First Nations writers is changing the shape of Australian literature.moirra. and Lay Maloney discuss...
02/09/2026

A new generation of First Nations writers is changing the shape of Australian literature.

moirra. and Lay Maloney discuss finding their voice, building a practice and writing towards futures that previous generations made possible. With Samara-Jade Sendek.

📅 Saturday 5 September
🕕 12:30pm
📍 The Wheeler Centre

Presented in partnership with Emerging Writers’ Festival.

Tickets available now: https://events.humanitix.com/bbwf26-tomorrow-rising

EWF IS HIRING 😲Our Executive Director/co-CEO role is now open for applications! This leadership role works collaborative...
01/09/2026

EWF IS HIRING 😲

Our Executive Director/co-CEO role is now open for applications! This leadership role works collaboratively with the Artistic Director/co-CEO as part of our festival's dual leadership model to implement EWF’s strategic plan, maintaining best practice processes and overall organisational compliance, while ensuring the organisation’s sustainability.

This is a rare opportunity for an emerging arts leader to develop the required skillset and further skills at an executive level while gaining experience managing one of Australia’s premier literary festivals.

Applications are open from now until 5PM AEDT 12 October 2026.

Find out more and apply here: https://emergingwritersfestival.org.au/work-with-us/

Address

176 Little Lonsdale Street
Melbourne, VIC
3000

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+61 3 9094 7877

Website

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