Emerging Writers’ Festival is happening across eight days this September.
The apostrophe in the festival name reveals exactly what sort of event this is – not only are its organisers and participants serious about the minutiae of writing, but EWF is a festival for writers, by writers.
The 2025 festival program includes 70 events and over 200 writers and artists. The program is divided into eleven event categories, including the imaginatively named estuaries, alcoves, open air, salons and ethers, as well as performances, workshops, hub events, EWF X and the National Writers’ Conference.
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Estuaries are events connecting literary arts with other creative forms. “I wanted to have really interesting collaborations with other arts organisations and spaces that our city really loves,” says Jess Zanoni, EWF’s artistic director and co-CEO.
One example is the EWF takeover of Social Sanctuary at the Northcote Social Club on Monday 15 September. The lineup includes sound artist Hand Clap, spoken word poet Antonio Montaine and art-pop musician ROMÆO.
“Being inspired by other art forms is just a really interesting way for people to create new bodies of work and new pieces of writing,” Zanoni says.
Along with the Social Sanctuary link-up, the EWF program includes collaborations with Melbourne Cinémathèque, Pink Ember Studios, BLINDSIDE Gallery, Triple R 102.7 FM, and Collingwood floristry experts, XFLOS.
The alcoves stream includes panels, roundtables, and drop-in sessions designed to offer cosy, creative nourishment. “People are really keen to spend time with other writers and form those networks and communities and relationships,” Zanoni says. “I view our festival as a sanctuary for those sorts of relationships to occur.”
Ethers is the festival’s online component, which lets people outside of Melbourne/Naarm get involved. “That’s a great way that we can amplify artists who are based interstate,” Zanoni says.
The open air events aim to inspire writers in novel environments, taking them away from screens and artificial lights. One example is From the Chrysalis, a poetry reading at the Butterfly House at Melbourne Zoo on Saturday 13 September.
“It’s the 40th anniversary of the butterfly enclosure at Melbourne Zoo this year, so it’s a nice way to celebrate that offering at the zoo, along with our emerging poets,” Zanoni says.
The festival’s launch event, Finding Your Way, is hosted by guest curator, Gunditjimara woman Coral Reeve. On Thursday 11 September, Reeve will take guests along a traditional songline at Fitzroy Gardens. “Different storytellers will be stationed along the way reading out stories from the past as well as their own works,” says Zanoni.
The EWF workshops, hosted by a range of established writers and industry figures, will zero in on significant topics for professional and creative development, such as how to approach self-promotion and how to get your novel’s chapter ready for submission.
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There’ll also be several performances across the eight-day festival, including live readings and panel discussions interrogating the rise of AI and the sluggishness of the Australian publishing industry.
Embrace the Cringe, happening at Hope St Radio on Tuesday 16 September, invites writers such as Samantha Byres, Gabrielle Fallen and Kimberly Lovegrove to read out a piece of their early writing that they’re not particularly proud of.
“[It’s] to help audience members accept that cringe-writing and being embarrassed about your writing at the start is part of the journey,” Zanoni says.
The salon sessions will provide a space for literary discussion and creative connection, while the hub events will be situated at the Emerging Writers’ Festival’s brand new festival hub, located on the ground level of the Wheeler Centre.
Open every day of the festival, the EWF hub is a place to read, work on your writing, or grab a cup of tea and socialise with other writers and literary geeks.
“It’s there so that people have space to meet each other and form those relationships,” Zanoni says. “So many people are feeling very isolated at the moment, very fatigued from screen time, and that connection with other people is really vital to our audience.”
The festival will conclude with the Blue Hour Litfair on Thursday 18 September. Taking place at Abbotsford Convent, it’s an evening market where artists will be selling zines, books, and other DIY literary objects.
“Guests can stroll around and check out what people are selling and get involved in some activities,” Zanoni says.
The Blue Hour Litfair, like everything else on the EWF program, is all about connection.
This article was made in partnership with Emerging Writers’ Festival.
