Melbourne Writers Festival announce their Schools' Program

Melbourne Writers Festival (MWF) have announced their Schools’ Program, which will run from Monday 29 August to Thursday 1 September.

(Spoiler: It looks amazing!)


We are SO excited about this year’s School’s Program for MWF.

Students will have the chance to hear from the likes of performer Magda Szubanski (whose memoir, Reckoning, just won Book of the Year at the ABIA Awards), our recently-appointed Children’s Laureate Leigh Hobbs (the brains behind such delightful creations as Old Tom, Mr Chicken and Horrible Harriet), and a host of other terrific Australian talent.

There are so many great books being discussed in this year’s program – including Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff’s breakout OzYA bestseller of last year, Illuminae, which our reviewer described as ‘truly original and inspiring’. (Don’t forget that the sequel is due later this year.)

The program also features Ambelin Kwaymullina, whose sci-fi trilogy The Tribe draws from the spiritual beliefs and cultural heritage of the Palyku people of the Pilbara region of Australia to ’reimagine Australia’; Ellie Marney, who wrote the Sherlock Holmes-inspired YA detective trilogy that kicks off with Every Breath; and Leanne Hall, whose recent surreal mystery for middle grade readers won the hearts of many a bookseller earlier this year.

The lineup of guests also features three international YA superstars.

David Levithan is a powerhouse YA author, known for writing nuanced, emotionally-rich stories with memorable characters. Meg Rosoff won the Astrid Lindgren memorial award this year for her varied and empathetic body of work – which includes the bestselling How I Live Now. And Rainbow Rowell has long been beloved here at Readings. For the uninitiated, here’s a beginner’s guide to her work. (Sadly this guide pre-dates her latest novel, Carry On – happily, here’s a rave review to help you out.)

We’re also happy to hear that this year’s School’s Program has been designed with input from students themselves. Festival Director Lisa Dempster said, “For the first time Melbourne Writers Festival has formed Youth Programming Committees including students from Footscray City College and Wesley College to test ideas and gather feedback on books, authors and events that most appeal to school audiences.”


Readings is the official bookseller of the Melbourne Writers Festival. You can browse their full Schools’ Program here.