New York Times-bestselling author R. F. Kuang headlines Melbourne Writers Festival 2026, arriving in Australia to meet fans at a can't-miss event.
R. F. Kuang is coming to Melbourne, and Melbourne Writers Festival 2026 is the place to be this autumn.
Running from 7–10 May, Melbourne Writers Festival 2026 is shaping up to be another landmark edition, and this first announcement sets the bar high.
Kuang will appear in conversation with fellow author Shelley Parker-Chan at Melbourne Town Hall on 8 May, reflecting on her extraordinary rise, the weight of storytelling in an era of cultural reckoning, and why speculative fiction continues to captivate readers around the world.
Melbourne Writers Festival 2026
- When: 7–10 May 2026
- Where: Melbourne Town Hall and venues across the city
- R. F. Kuang in conversation: 8 May, Melbourne Town Hall
- Tickets: here
Stay up to date with what’s happening in and around Melbourne here.
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One of the most exciting literary voices working today, R. F. Kuang is the author behind the global phenomenon that is The Poppy War trilogy, as well as the widely acclaimed Babel and Yellowface.
Her latest, Katabasis, takes readers into the underworld with the same intellectual ferocity that has made her essential reading. Sharp, provocative, and utterly uncompromising, Kuang’s work tears into questions of power, colonialism, translation and cultural identity.
She has earned major international awards and a fiercely devoted readership across genres.
Whether you’re deep in the epic fantasy world, addicted to dark academia, or just want to spend an evening with one of the sharpest minds in contemporary fiction, this is worth your time.
This is just the first glimpse of what Melbourne Writers Festival 2026 has in store, with the full programme dropping 19 March, so keep an eye out.
For more information, head here.
