The Town Hall program is the beating heart of the Emerging Writers’ Festival…
Dates: Saturday 29 & Sunday 30 May, 9am – 5.30pm
Featuring a range of panels, interviews and conversations, the Town Hall program dissects and discusses the art, the craft and the business of being a writer. All the questions you may have about moving forward with your writing career will be answered by the emerging and the emerged. Covers all styles of writing, from prose fiction, to song writing, theatre, video games, copywriting, poetry, comedy and more!
Introducing the Ambassadors
Panel Sessions
From Here To There
The Embassy
Download a Town Hall Program timetable (pdf)
Venue: Melbourne Town Hall, Cnr Swanston and Collins St
Prices: Weekend pass $45 full / $30 concession, day pass $35 full / $25 concession
Tickets: Book here
Introducing the Ambassadors
Back by popular demand, our Ambassadors are on hand throughout the Town Hall program to offer support, inspiration and advice. Our Ambassadors are experienced writers, each with a different area of expertise. They will be presenting throughout the festival as an advocate for their style of writing, and available in the coffee room and the Festival Hub for a quiet chat about their work – or yours.
The 2010 Ambassadors are: Guy Blackman, Natasha Campo, Jill Jones, Sean Riley and Julian Shaw.
Panel Sessions
A range of conversations about writing, discussed by the emerging and the emerged.
Seven Enviable Lines
Our Ambassadors share the seven secrets they wish they had been told at the start of their careers. A revealing and inspirational start to the festival.
With – Guy Blackman, Natasha Campo, Jill Jones, Sean Riley and Julian Shaw.
The gentle art of persuasion
Case studies, life stories, getting quotes, being inspired … No matter what your genre, interviewing is an important skill for a writer. But what makes a good interview, and what to do if it all goes horribly wrong? And how do you turn the content of an interview into a finished product?
With — Tait Ischia, Barbara Lemon, Hoa Pham and Brian Thacker. Hosted by Dion Kagan.
Taking it online
Blogs, twitter novels, mobile phone stories, online op-eds … The internet is a vast writing space. How different is writing for an online audience, and why would you choose the medium? Will it ever be considered ‘real’ writing, and how lucrative is it financially?
With — Max Barry, Mel Campbell, Rachael Kendrick and Philip Thiel. Hosted by Jeremy Balius.
Never surrender
Writing isn’t all about success stories! Join our writers as they speak candidly about rejection, creative risk-taking and projects that took ten years from creation to publication. Why do they stick with it, and is it all worth it in the end?
With — Paul Callaghan, Elizabeth Campbell, Sean Condon and Dee White. Hosted by Stu Hatton.
Mining the personal
Sure they say write what you know, but whether you’re writing fiction or memoir, it isn’t always easy drawing material from your own life. These writers discuss how they feel when people read their words, and how they deal with the fallout of their confessions. And what happens when people mistake your characters for you?
With — Jon Bauer, Samone Bos, Benjamin Law and Lou Sanz. Hosted by Caro Cooper.
A short note on process
Early mornings Vs late nights Vs quit your day job and just go at it. Are post it notes essential, should first drafts be longhand, and must a writer write daily? These writers talk about their creative processes: how and when they write, and what routines they have in place for working.
With — Myke Bartlett, Steph Bowe, Chris Downes and Mischa Merz. Hosted by Tiggy Johnson.
Going to a dark place
How do writers deal with themes of doom and darkness – both real and imagined? These authors talk about their personal relationships with death, destruction and fear: how it influences their work, and how they cope when their writing gets heavy.
With — Nathan Curnow, Anna Dusk, Joel Magarey and Jeff Sparrow. Hosted by Allison Browning.
You want me to do WHAT?
So you’re published and now you’re expected to give readings, go on radio, appear in public, sign books and talk about your work. But you’re a WRITER! These writers talk about the promotional side to their work – tips they have picked up about speaking in public, how to perform your work well and the art of the soundbite.
With — Natasha Campo, Katherine Charles, Declan Fay and Sean M. Whelan. Hosted by Daniel Ducrou.
Collaboration Nation
They say writing is a lonely profession – but not for our joke writers, playwrights and comic writers, who all work in collaboration with others, even telling stories that are not their own. These writers discuss what it’s like writing for and with other people.
With — Ricci-Jane Adams, Warwick Holt, Miso and Tom Taylor. Hosted by Kelly Gardiner.
Writing about place
Our writers discuss the importance of location in their writing. Is a sense of place important, how do you capture it, and do you have a responsibility to represent places or times in certain ways? And what if the place you’re writing about doesn’t even exist …?
With — Patrick Cullen, Leanne Hall, Sean Riley and Jenny Sinclair. Hosted by Angela Meyer.
Letters to the editor
Bring your final questions and ideas to Letters to the Editor, where we bring back the panellists you can’t get enough of for an all-out discussion free-for-all!
From here to there
From Here To There is an intensive look at a writing project from inception to publication – how it was developed and where it has gone to since.
Pigeons – letter writing project
Pigeon Letters is an in-school letter writing exchange linking school students with Australian authors. Pigeons then publish pieces from the letters in a book. In discussion with Bernard Caleo.
From Sometimes Love Beth – creative non-fiction
In 2008 Beth Sometimes embarked on a daring challenge: to write a postcard to somebody (anybody) for every day of a year. In From Sometimes Love Beth, these postcards are compiled, revealing moments in time and personal reflections that create their own poetic and emotional narratives. In discussion with Christopher Currie.
Modern Odysseus – photo novel
A photo novel is a fiction story told with photographs and words, inviting readers to read it as a book or follow the through-line of the photographs. Julian Shaw talks about the creative processes behind Modern Odysseus. In discussion with Beth Martin.
Michi Girl – copywriting
Michi Girl is the world’s first semi-professional meteorologist and shopper. Chloe Quigley and Daniel Pollock discuss how they’ve been keeping Melbourne’s fashionistas up to date on fashion and the weather via their innovative Michi Girl email newsletter. In discussion with Jessica Friedmann.
A Novelty – literary treasure hunt
A Novelty is an experiment in writing in which small chapters and written fragments are hidden in an urban environment for participants to collect and collate. Stephanie Brotchie talks about her experiences creating and carrying out her interactive literary treasure hunt. In discussion with Andrew McDonald.
Coming Home – interactive online novella
Each week PD Martin writes a chapter of her crime novella online, then posts questions about the direction the story should take. She then writes the next chapter based on what the readers voted for. In discussion with Karen Andrews.
Mao’s Last Dancer – screenwriting
One of Australia’s most distinguished screenwriters, Jan Sardi, discusses his latest project: adapting the popular novel Mao’s Last Dancer for the big screen, and creating a box office smash hit along the way. In discussion with Matt Davies.
Adult Baby – songwriting
Respected indie songwriter Guy Blackman talks about the creative and collaborative processes of writing his debut solo album Adult Baby. In discussion with Jon Tjhia.
The Adventures of Kaisu and Kalle – children’s book translation
Kaisu and Kalle are the heroes of a German picture story book, written by Sandra Rudolph. Jeremy Balius discusses the process of translating this work from German to English. In discussion with Kirk Marshall.
The Embassy
Our Ambassadors and guests will take turns manning the Embassy, on hand to help and enlighten your journey as an emerging writer. So step into the Embassy to find out more about our Ambassadors and their style of writing in an intimate Q&A setting – you bring the questions, they bring the experience.
Songwriting – Guy Blackman
Music, lyrics and music criticism…
Historical non-fiction – Natasha Campo
History, non-fiction and academic-to-trade writing…
Poetry – Jill Jones
Poems, verse, poetry publishing and more…
Playwriting – Sean Riley
Writing for the stage and screen…
Storytelling – Julian Shaw
From journalism to documentary film making…
Plus special Embassy guests:
Navigating the Emergentsia – Aden Rolfe
What the hell is an emerging writer anyway?
The Reader – Dion Kagan & Aden Rolfe
Editing and publishing pow-wow, plus how to get involved in this year’s The Reader…