What we're planning to see at this year's Emerging Writers' Festival
This year’s program for the Emerging Writers’ Festival has been announced! Here, our staff share their top picks.
Alan Vaarwerk recommends…
Venturing out on a wet and chilly night to the back gallery at 1000 £ Bend for Kill Your Darlings’ Nerds Gone Wild event was honestly my highlight of last year’s EWF. Since then I’ve become part of the KYD team, so our Midwinter Nocturne in collaboration with Chart Collective and Voiceworks promises to be three times the fun. I’m also excited about quite a few of the panels lined up for the festival: What Right Do I Have and The Next Big Thing both look like they’ll go to fantastic and really interesting places, as does Jess Holly Bates’ satirical poetry exploration of Pakeha New Zealand, Real Fake White Dirt.
Lian Hingee recommends…
Having spent many years working in books, I’ve always thought that it would be great to have a magic crystal ball that would tell me what was going to be the next rash of books flying off the shelves. To my recent memory, we’ve had colouring books, BDSM and teen vampire lovers. (I’m holding out for spaceships, astronomy and Chinese mythology next.) So I’m quite interested in the trend forecasting session, The Next Big Thing. I’m also no stranger to hosting dinner parties that eventually devolve into a bunch of tipsy adults laughing over cat videos on Youtube, so I’m going to try and corral a few of my meme-obsessed friends into joining me for the YouTube Party being hosted at ACMI.
Bronte Coates recommends…
At first glance of the program, Graphic Translation immediately draws my interest: emerging translators will connect Japan’s memories of war with its current nuclear power concerns by using Japanese zine culture. This premise sounds utterly fascinating to me. I’m also keen to develop my (currently non-existent) podcasting skills, so the masterclass on Podcasting is awfully tempting – as is Songs and Stories of Home, which features musicians and writers sharing stories of leaving and finding home. I’m also a big fan of Australian YA, and so I’m hoping I’ll be able to squeeze in one of the Lunchtime Lit sessions: Characters Behaving Badly. This one features authors Gabrielle Williams, Nicole Hayes and Amie Kaufman discussing whether there are lines you shouldn’t cross when writing for teenagers. They’re all fantastic writers and I think would have lots to say on the topic.
Chris Gordon
I am super keen to attend one of the Writers’ Night School sessions: Food Writing. This event will be held at the very cool, brutalist-in-style funky palace that is Supernormal and I’m looking forward to hearing about the food writing while I enjoy marvellous food and beer I’ve never heard of (but will no doubt soon be talking about). Readings is also co-hosting a couple of gigs that are intended for people writing their own books: Let’s Talk about Literary Awards – a panel of literary prize managers will frankly discuss the current landscape of literary prizes in Australia; and Writing Your Second Novel – a panel of first-time authors reflecting on their wring processes for first and second books.
Stella Charls recommends…
This year’s EWF program balances a line-up of fresh ideas, alongside repeats of some of my favourite events from the last few years. Amazing Babes is back for the third year in a row and is guaranteed to make me cry, and laugh, until I cry some more. I also love the Writers’ Night School program, which provides an opportunity to workshop particular skills in a more intimate and supporting setting. My picks for this year are the Food Writing and Painting a Portrait sessions.
I always appreciate how EWF makes sure to program in practical events that are often excluded from other festival programs. This year, I’m hoping to book into Self Care for Writers, Grant Writing, and, my personal favourite, Money, Money Money. I’m also interested to see some events in the program where you can hear from some truly emerging writers presenting work in development: Small & Loud and Spirit of Punk. Plus the festival’s partnership with City of Greater Dandenong has produced a series of workshops and readings in Dandenong and Springvale, an exciting development!
Finally, I’ll definitely be heading along to It’s Not Easy Being Green. This event features a diverse group of fantastic writers, speaking to a topic that I’m sure everyone struggles with and I’ve never seen discussed – envy. Sign me up.