Melbourne Writers Festival

At the festival this year, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Viet Thanh Nguyen (The Sympathizer) discussed his highly original and savagely funny memoir A Man of Two Faces with host André Dao.

This triumphant and hugely entertaining memoir takes readers from his success as a writer, to migrating to California as a young refugee from the Vietnam War. A Man of Two Faces reckons with the ghosts of imperialism, family, memory and identity.

🎧 Listen now on all major podcast platforms or via the link below

The United States Consulate Melbourne supported the appearances of US authors at MWF.

This event was supported by ARA.

Hachette Australia Books

Viet Thanh Nguyen: A Man of Two Faces - Melbourne Writers Festival With scorching wit and formal inventiveness, Viet Thanh Nguyen rewinds the story of his life in A Man of Two Faces, in conversation with André Dao.  This triumphant and hugely entertaining memoir takes readers from his success as the author of novels including the Pulitzer Prize-winning The Sympa...

Why have public conversations become so fraught? We seem to have lost the art not just of civil discourse but of having any semblance of a robust and nuanced debate.

Over a career spanning nearly 40 years, journalist Laura Tingle has been in the unusual position of being both a reporter and a commentator. In the 2024 John Button Oration, she examines the quality of our national debate.

🎧 You can listen now on all major podcast platforms or via the link below

Supported by the Melbourne School of Government and the Faculty of Arts, University of Melbourne.

John Button Oration: Off-course Discourse with Laura Tingle - Melbourne Writers Festival Why have public conversations become so fraught? We seem to have lost the art not just of civil discourse but of having any semblance of a robust and nuanced debate. Over a career spanning nearly 40 years, journalist Laura Tingle has been in the unusual position of being both a reporter and a commen...

This year we watched award-winning storytellers Christos Tsiolkas (The In-Between) and Bryan Washington (Family Meal) join Maeve Marsden for an insightful conversation about putting romance to the page and love’s power to change us (for better or worse).

🎧 You can listen now on all major podcast platforms or via the link below

Supported by the Faculty of Arts, University of Melbourne.

Christos Tsiolkas and Bryan Washington: Ghosted - Melbourne Writers Festival Award-winning storytellers Christos Tsiolkas (The In-Between) and Bryan Washington (Family Meal) have each penned acclaimed new novels that tenderly depict the triumphs and obstacles of love. They join Maeve Marsden for an insightful conversation about putting romance to the page and love’s power ...

How does a writer bring colour to the silence, contemplation, pleasure and melancholy of solitude?

Live at the 2024 festival, bestselling American author Lauren Groff (The Vaster Wilds) and acclaimed Australian writer Charlotte Wood (Stone Yard Devotional) joined Ailsa Piper to discuss their stories of solitude.

🎧 Listen now on all major podcast platforms or via the link below

The United States Consulate Melbourne supported the appearances of US authors at MWF. This event was proudly supported by ARA.

Lauren Groff and Charlotte Wood: Silence is Golden - Melbourne Writers Festival In a special meeting of literary minds, bestselling American author Lauren Groff (The Vaster Wilds) and acclaimed Australian writer Charlotte Wood (Stone Yard Devotional) join Ailsa Piper to discuss their stories of solitude. How does a writer bring colour to the silence, contemplation, pleasure and...

Wik and South Sea Islander rapper and MWF 2024 Guest Curator Ziggy Ramo recently visited Geelong Grammar School, one of MWF’s Education Partners.

Ziggy spoke to the students about writing across a variety of forms, including his electrifying debut memoir and historical reckoning, Human?, and joined the student choir to perform ‘From Little Things Big Things Grow’ at assembly.

Huge thanks to Ziggy for sharing his time and his creative vision so generously.

"We need big stories for this big time we’re in and what we’re approaching. There are so many things happening and we need big epochal stories to match that... there's no point in dumbing down literature." – Alexis Wright

The MWF podcast returns with globally acclaimed, 2024 Miles Franklin and Stella Prize-winning novelist Alexis Wright (Carpentaria, The Swan Book). Together with 2024 Festival Curator Mykaela Saunders, Wright discusses her influential body of work and latest masterwork, Praiseworthy.

🎧 Listen now on all major podcast platforms or via the link below

This event was proudly supported by the Copyright Agency’s Cultural Fund.

Alexis Wright: Sovereignty of the Imagination - Melbourne Writers Festival Globally acclaimed, Miles Franklin–winning novelist Alexis Wright (Carpentaria, The Swan Book) discusses her influential body of work and newest masterwork, Praiseworthy, with 2024 Festival Curator Mykaela Saunders. Wright has long been recognised for the scale of her writing, which combines mythi...

📢 We're hiring! Melbourne Writers Festival is currently recruiting for two exciting senior roles:

• General Manager
• Head of Marketing and Partnerships

Applications for both roles close Monday 23 September.

Learn more via the link below.

Work With MWF Melbourne Writers Festival is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We aim to nurture a diverse and inclusive workplace, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people with disabilities, LGBTQIA+ people, and culturally and linguistically diverse people are encouraged to apply.

Melbourne Writers Festival is pleased to announce the appointment of Veronica Sullivan as its Festival Director.

Sullivan joins MWF from The Wheeler Centre, where she served as Head of Programming from 2020-2024. She is currently a board member of Overland literary journal and the Kat Muscat Fellowship.

Debra Russell, Chair of the Melbourne Writers Festival board said: "Veronica's wealth of experience in Australia's literary arts is remarkable. Her impressive background, combined with a visionary approach to programming, positions her perfectly to lead MWF into an exciting new chapter."

Learn more: https://mwf.com.au/melbourne-writers-festival-appoints-new-festival-director

Over the years, thousands of writers from all over the world have taken the stage at Melbourne Writers Festival to share their stories. And each year, something miraculous happens. Together in those darkened theatres, for that one fleeting moment, their story and ours meet. We become characters in the story of each other's lives – forever.

We can't wait for your story to meet ours this week.

See you at the festival.

Book now: https://mwf.com.au

One week to go! 👻

Come see your favourite writers as they bring their words to life. Or be haunted by missing out.

Book your tickets now before there’s only a ghost of a chance…

Image description in alt text

"It’s not just about movies, it’s about power." – Viet Thanh Nguyen

Join Pulitzer Prize–winning author Viet Thanh Nguyen (The Sympathizer) as he discusses his triumphant and hugely entertaining autobiography, A Man of Two Faces, and reckoning with the ghosts of imperialism, family, memory and identity.

Book now: https://shorturl.at/eoxT9

Read the interview:
https://www.watoday.com.au/culture/books/his-book-was-rejected-13-times-now-it-s-a-hit-tv-show-20240429-p5fnau.html

His book was rejected 13 times, now it’s a hit TV show Viet Thanh Nguyen’s novel The Sympathizer won him a Pulitzer Prize and employs cinematic tropes, but that doesn’t stop him being a fierce critic of the Hollywood machine.

"When it is done well, as it is in Andrew O’Hagan’s hefty new novel, Caledonian Road, panoramic social realism can expose the inner workings of a society." – James Ley

Join the three-time Booker-nominated author of Caledonian Road and Mayflies, Andrew O'Hagan, at Melbourne Writers Festival as he dives deep into the secrets, scandals and insecurities that haunt his work, from ghostwriting for Julian Assange to The Satoshi Affair.

🎫 Book now: https://tinyurl.com/7vm48u4k

📖 Read the review: https://tinyurl.com/p5w4vxuj

https://www.smh.com.au/culture/books/a-scathing-portrait-of-london-a-society-steeped-in-corruption-20240418-p5fkz9.html

A scathing portrait of London, a society steeped in corruption Andrew O’Hagan’s latest novel is a sprawling bit of social realism that exposes the inner workings of a society.

“When does absence become so powerful it starts to feel like presence?” – Leslie Jamison

Discover a taste of what’s to come at the festival with these four haunting essays from festival authors: Leslie Jamison, Andrew O’Hagan, Alexis Wright and Myfanwy Jones.

Long before ghosting, there were ghosts - at least that’s what the stories said This year’s Melbourne Writers Festival unleashes the spirits of characters past and stories still to be told … here’s a taste of what’s to come.

📣 It’s only two weeks until we welcome you to the 2024 Melbourne Writers Festival!

Join us in conversation with international powerhouses and local literary icons including Ann Patchett, Viet Thanh Nguyen, Ziggy Ramo, Lauren Groff, Leslie Jamison, Michael Cunningham, Grace Yee, Paul Murray, Bryan Washington, Christos Tsiolkas, Rosie Batty, Siang Lu, Andrew O’Hagan, A. C. Grayling and many (many) more.

With so many events already sold out or selling fast, book your tickets now. You don’t want to miss out on seeing some of the biggest authors and brightest minds in the best literary line-up Melbourne has ever seen.

👉 Book now: https://mwf.com.au

Which of these four inspiring events are you coming to at the festival? Thanks Time Out Melbourne 💙

Four must-see events at the Melbourne Writers Festival that will leave you inspired See talks from Ziggy Ramo and Rosie Batty.

💞 Two for one tickets 💞

Whether it’s the Connell to your Marianne, Virginia to your Vita, Marmee to your Jo, Atticus to your Scout, Jackson to your Tomas, or Piglet to your Pooh, within each of our hearts lies a love that’s changed us.

This Mother’s Day, we invite you to celebrate that love. Because after all, love takes many forms; it lies in the eyes of all those who have lent a little – or a lot – of their inspiration, hope and wisdom throughout our lives. So invite the one who has changed you to Melbourne Writers Festival on Sunday 12 May. Their ticket is on us 💘

✨ Enjoy two-for-one tickets to select event by using the promo code ‘LOVE’. This limited time offer will end midnight, Sunday 28 April (while tickets last).

👉 Learn how to claim your discount via this link: https://tinyurl.com/mkjjutsm

💙 Familiar Haunts: Paul Murray and Bryan Washington
💙 Toshikazu Kawaguchi: Before the Coffee Gets Cold
💙 Peter Steele Conversation: Grace Yee
💙 A. C. Grayling: Who Owns the Moon?
💙 An Afternoon with Andrew O’Hagan
💙 Rosie Batty: Hope
💙 Rachelle Unreich: A Brilliant Life

"10 years on you realise you have been able to navigate a life for yourself – that you couldn’t see, that you could never have imagined." – Rosie Batty

A decade since the horrific incident that shocked a country, join tireless anti-violence campaigner Rosie Batty at the festival as she shares insight into hew new memoir, Hope, and reclaiming peace in the presence of grief.

Book now: https://tinyurl.com/bdewka24

Read the article: https://tinyurl.com/2ndj7346

Rosie Batty: ‘Luke is frozen in my memory as an 11-year-old, but he’d be a handsome young man’ On the 10th anniversary of the murder of her son by his father, the anti-violence campaigner talks about irredeemable loss and the passage of time

It’s only one month until we welcome you to the 2024 Melbourne Writers Festival – and we can hardly wait.

Join us in conversation with brilliant international icons and beloved local writers including Ann Patchett, Viet Thanh Nguyen, Mykaela Saunders, Paul Murray, Leslie Jamison, Ziggy Ramo, Nam Le, Grace Yee, Bryan Washington, Rosie Batty, Andrew O’Hagan, Christos Tsiolkas, Charlotte Wood, Lauren Groff and many more. (You can see why it’s been called a roll call of the world’s best writers…👻)

With many events already sold out, get in quick to secure your tickets to the festival via this link: https://mwf.com.au/program

⏰The MWF early bird discount ends soon!

Get in quick to secure your tickets and receive 10% off almost every until 11.59pm, Thursday 28 March (some exclusions apply).

Book now: https://mwf.com.au

Mayflies is a rare book; a life-affirming novel about death, and a runaway hit that friends pressed into the hands of their loved ones.

Now, three-time Booker nominee Andrew O’Hagan returns with another remarkable feat that’s seen him heralded as ‘the Dickens of our post-Brexit pandemic age’ (Guardian). Caledonian Road is a biting portrait of British class, politics and money, and another magnificent portrayal of male friendship written by ‘one of our sharpest observers of modern masculinity’ (Douglas Stuart).

The winner of the Christopher Isherwood Prize for Mayflies and editor-at-large for the London Review of Books, O’Hagan speaks with Michael Williams about the secrets and insecurities that haunt his work.

💙 An Afternoon with Andrew O'Hagan
📆 Sun 12 May, 4.30pm | Athenaeum Theatre
🎫 Tickets via this link: https://mwf.com.au/program/an-afternoon-with-andrew-ohagan

👻 SELLING FAST

The buzziest word-of-mouth hit of the past year, The Bee Sting is the latest Booker Prize–nominated triumph by Skippy Dies author Paul Murray.

Join the Irish novelist as he introduces his tragicomic tour de force to Australia, in conversation with Michael Williams.

💙 Paul Murray: The Bee Sting
📆 Fri 10 May, 6pm | Athenaeum Theatre
🎫 Tickets via this link: https://mwf.com.au/program/paul-murray-the-bee-sting

👻 SELLING FAST

Don’t miss internationally bestselling author Ann Patchett (Tom Lake) as she appears with her friend and fellow acclaimed author Meg Mason (Sorrow and Bliss) to lift the veil on the untold stories of their writing lives.

💙 Ann Patchett: Spectres at the Feast
📆 Sun 12 May, 6.30pm | Athenaeum Threatre
🎫 Tickets via this link: https://mwf.com.au/program/ann-patchett-spectres-at-the-feast

Well, you turned up! In fact, so many bookworms turned up that our website crashed (was it all the Ann Patchett fans?).

We would like to thank you for your understanding and patience by offering you one complimentary ticket to see Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Hours, Michael Cunningham, at the festival.

To book:
1. Select this link: https://mwf.com.au/program/an-evening-with-michael-cunningham
2. Select 'Tickets'
3. Below the prices, there is a 'Code?' section, enter the validation code 'GHOSTED'
4. Select 'Validate' then 'Add to Cart', and proceed to check out

Alternatively, contact our ticketing team by calling (03) 9999 1199 or emailing [email protected] (Mondays–Fridays, 10am–4pm).

This offer will be available until midnight, this Sunday 24 March, subject to availability. One complimentary ticket per person.

We're back!

Thank you for your patience as we powered up our website to accommodate the unprecedented number of visitors.

You can now book tickets online via this link: https://mwf.com.au

We may have been ghosted by our website, but we have found a way for you to book tickets via direct links to our ticketing site.

Browse through and book tickets via the link below.

We'll update you again here once the website is up and running again.

Thank you for your patience.

Melbourne Writers Festival Program

⏳ It’s almost time…

In just under one week, we can finally reveal the full MWF 2024 line-up to you ✨

You’ve seen the preview. Now get ready for the whole show.

Visit our website at 7pm, 21 March to view the program and get your tickets.

🎫 https://mwf.com.au 🎫

“Replacing the work of seeking purity or innocence or the contaminated with the work of muddling through, I think that’s most of the work of my adult life.” – Leslie Jamison

Known for her scorching honesty and magnetic prose, Jamison has written two memoirs, two essay collections and a novel.

Which book of Leslie Jamison’s is your favourite (so far)?

As promised, we are thrilled to reveal a sneak peek of the MWF 2024 program with three special events on sale now!

📚 Michael Cunningham, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Hours, discusses his first novel in 10 years, Day, with Ailsa Piper
📚 New York Times–bestselling writer Leslie Jamison speaks with Rebecca Harkins-Cross about her blazing memoir, Splinters
📚 Booker-nominated Irish author Paul Murray joins Michael Williams to discuss his dazzling 650-page tragicomic triumph, The Bee Sting

(And these are just the international writers we can tell you about…)

🎫 Book now via the link below

Melbourne Writers Festival - Events As promised, we are thrilled to reveal a sneak peek of the MWF 2024 program with three special events on sale from Thursday 29 February!   An Evening with Michael Cunningham In a Melbourne Writers Festival exclusive, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Hours Michael Cunningham takes to the stage...

The countdown is on. It’s only one month until we share the 2024 MWF Program with you on Thursday 21 March.
Trust us, this is one you won’t want to miss. We have an extraordinary line-up coming your way.

Actually, we are so excited that we don’t think we can wait a whole month to share it with you. So, get ready because something special is coming on Thursday 29 February. If you haven’t already, subscribe to our newsletter via the link in our bio to be the first to know.

Image description: the words “ONE MONTH UNTIL LAUNCH” in front of a crowded audience at the Capitol Theatre

It’s time to pull down the calendar, grab a pen or open up your phone’s calendar because we have an important date to share with you…

🗓️ The MWF 2024 program will go on sale at 7pm, Thursday 21 March on our website. And you’ll receive a 10% discount if you book tickets before midnight, Thursday 28 March (some exclusions apply).

⏰ Last year, festival events sold out within 24 hours and we predict this year will be just the same (you won’t believe who’s coming!). So, make sure you don’t miss out on tickets and fire up the group chat now with the news.

Image description: A photo taken from behind a seated audience at the Athenaeum Theatre.