The program for the 2019 Emerging Writers’ Festival has been announced. The festival will run from 19–29 June in venues across Melbourne’s CBD and surrounding suburbs. You can view the full program here, and you can find information about what special passes are available here.

Here are eight of our top picks from the program.

Amazing Babes

It’s Amazing Babes’ sixth anniversary and we’re back by popular demand. We champion and elevate the feminine forces behind these powerful writers’ lives and work. We’ll gather again to honour the babes that make our lives better, from the fictional to the familial and beyond. Includes the announcement of the Rachel Funari Prize for Fiction. With Kat Clarke, Heather Joan Day, Haneen Martin, Ayan Shirwa, Tanya Vavilova and Pauline Vetuna.

Hosted by DJ Abyss.

When: 7pm, Tuesday 25 June
Where: Melba Spiegeltent, 35 Johnston St, Collingwood VIC 3066
Bookings: $21 full price, $16 concession. Please book here.

Tell Me Like You Mean It

What does it mean to be an emerging poet? We reckon it’s something like having a voice that’s full of attitude, wit and sincerity, a voice that’s continually re-imagining what it means to be contemporary. Celebrate the publication of Volume 3 of Tell Me Like You Mean It, an e-chapbook published by Australian Poetry and Cordite Poetry Review and edited by Melody Paloma, as four fresh new poets take to the stage and show you what they’re made of. With Alex Creece, Zoe Kingsley, Neika Lehman and Prithvi Varatharajan.

Hosted by Magan Magan.

Presented in partnership with Australian Poetry

When: 7:30pm, Monday 24 June
Where: The Moat, 176 Little Lonsdale St, Melbourne VIC 3000
Bookings: Free, but please book here.

Masterclass: Cultivating Creativity

A day for artists and arts workers of all mediums to critically reflect on your practice, no matter the stage of your career. From mindfulness to project management, self-care to selling yourself and your work, sessions offer tools and tips on how to financially, spiritually and practically master the art of living a creative life. Artists include Tamsien West, Manoj Dias, Triana Hernandez, Elizabeth Flux, Creatrix Tiara, Carly Findlay and Madeleine Dore. For a full breakdown of the day click here.

When: 10–4pm, Thursday 20 June
Where: The Wheeler Centre Performance Space, 176 Little Lonsdale Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
Bookings: $90 full price, $75 concession. Please book here.

Work in Progress: Graphic Memoir

Communicating lived experience through language can be challenging, but the visual language of graphic novels and comics provides an added dimension through which to reach your audience. These award-winning storytellers discuss their approaches to crafting graphic memoir, offering practical tips and gems of advice in this session that is part performance, part panel discussion. With Rachel Ang, Eloise Grills, Mandy Ord and Fury.

When: 6pm, Thursday 27 June
Where: The Wheeler Centre Performance Space, 176 Little Lonsdale Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
Bookings: $21 full price, $16 concession. Please book here.

Masterclass: Writing Crime

Looking to learn the foundational tools of crime writing, or to sharpen existing weapons already at your disposal? This masterclass will refine your essential plot, pacing, and genre-specific techniques, and teach you how to get paid for your crimes (the fictional variety)! We discuss the responsibilities of writers in representing criminalisation and violence, and how to develop a critical and ethical approach to writing in this thrilling genre. Featured artists include Angela Savage, Mark Brandi, Anna George, Christian White, Nayuka Gorrie, Gala Vanting, Queenie Bon Bon, Lindy Cameron, Anna Snoekstra, Eileen Ormsby, Laura Elizabeth Woollett and Kat Clay. For a full breakdown of the day, click here.

When: 10–4pm, Monday 24 June
Where: The Wheeler Centre Performance Space, 176 Little Lonsdale Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
Bookings: $90 full price, $75 concession. Please book here.

Lunchtime Lit: Double Booked

Need more fiction in your Fridays? Double Booked Club is for you. For this festival special edition of Double Booked Club we’ll bring together two great local fiction authors to discuss their work. They’ll start with a chat about their latest books, before meandering off into conversation about backlists, shared themes and literary heroes. Ahead of each event, ticket holders will receive some reading material relating to the books in question – and each discussion will be live-streamed for those playing at home (or work!). Get some extra smarts with your sandwich at this new lunchtime series. With Sreedhevi Iyer and Jamie Marina Lau.

Presented in Partnership with The Wheeler Centre

When: 12:30–1:30pm, Friday 28 June
Where: The Wheeler Centre Performance Space, 176 Little Lonsdale Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
Bookings: Free, but please book here.

Intensive: Making Bank

Get your money’s worth in this comprehensive how-to, which will cover the basics of a sustainable and profitable creative practice. We’ll talk you through establishing yourself as a business, securing funding for your creative work, essential freelancing tips, and managing tax time in the arts. Featured artists include Simon Abrahams, Sam Ryan, Mel Campbell, Nayuka Gorrie, Rani Pramesti and Chloe Turner. For a full breakdown of the event click here.

When: 10–1pm, Thursday 27 June
Where: The Wheeler Centre Performance Space, 176 Little Lonsdale Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
Bookings: Full price $55, concession $45, artist $40. Please book here.

Lunchtime Lit: Bla( c )k Speculative Futures

From reinventing the past to imagining the future, the speculative genre presents remarkable scope for exploration and interrogation of issues as vast as the social contract to race relations, climate change and more. In this conversation, we discuss the unique creative and political possibilities of speculative fiction from the perspective of Bla©k writers and audiences. With Claire G. Coleman, Rafeif Ismail and Aline-Mwezi Niyonsenga.

When: 12:30pm, Monday 24 June
Where: Readings State Library, 285–321 Russell St, Melbourne VIC 3000
Bookings: Free, but please book here.