The Emerging Writers’ Festival is being held entirely online until the 26 June, so there’s still plenty of time to catch amazing discussions, performances and workshops. You can view the full program here, with ticketing information available on each individual event listing.

Here are five excellent events we think you simply must attend in the second week of the festival.

Lunchtime Literature: Writing For Children

Writers for children are responsible for arming their readers with the tools for making the future a better place. Join Denise Chapman, H. Hayek (Huda and Me) and Julianne Negri (The Secret Library of Hummingbird House) as they discuss the ways to empower young readers through storytelling, the importance of creating fictional worlds that are inclusive and representative, and what it means to diversify children’s literature.

When: Wednesday 23 June, 12.30-1.30pm AEST, Free

A Writer’s Notebook

How many brilliant stories started as scribbled sentences in a journal or a memory fragment in a note-taking app? In this workshop, you will learn how to harness a magpie-like tendency to collect ideas, creativity, and full worlds on a page. Hear from award-winning author and prolific notebook-keeper Jennifer Down (Pulse Points; Our Magic Hour) on how to become a better observer and recorder of yourself and the world around you – followed by some guided prompts to get you filling up your own notebook.

When: Wednesday 23 June, 6-8pm AEST

Late Night Literature: Imagining Abolitionist Futures

As more attention is being paid to policing and prisons both here and across the world, there are greater calls than ever for their abolition. Yet too often, the voices of those who know the effects of carceral systems most intimately are left out. How can we imagine what a world without police or prisons could really look and feel like? Perhaps listening to the experts is a good place to start.

Hosted by Nayuka and Witt Gorrie, this evening of powerful storytelling will feature artists – who all have lived experiences of incarceration – sharing their dreams of abolitionist futures and visions of how we might actually get there. Our hosts will also read stories submitted by women currently in prison, on their behalf.

When: Thursday 24 June, 8.30-9.30pm AEST, Free

In Conversation: On Craft

Get inside the nitty-gritty of writing in this one-on-one conversation between two highly acclaimed authors. Sofie Laguna (Infinite Splendours) speaks with Nicolas Brasch about her process and experience as a professional writer, giving attendees insight into her craft.

When: Friday 25 June, 12.30-1.30pm AEST, Free

Closing Night: Be Kind, Rewind

Break out the butterfly clips, trucker caps and jelly bracelets, because it’s time to party like it’s 2003. EWF invites you to commemorate our 18th birthday with a stunning line-up of artists and friends, old and new, hosted by Mama Alto. Listen as our wise writers share what they wish they knew when they came of age. Writers include: Evelyn Araluen, Adalya Nash Hussein, Elijah Money, Michael Sun and more.

When: Saturday 26 June, 7pm-late AEST