MELBOURNE WRITER'S FESTIVAL 2026
MWF26
"The 2026 Melbourne Writers Festival for schools showcased a wonderful variety of authors. From mystery to vampires to space potatoes, it was an action-packed day full of excitement and inspiration for students who love to read, write, and speak.
The first author to speak was writer and editor Karen Comer. Karen started off her speech by talking about fate. Her questions puzzled the audience. “Can we determine our own fate?” She referred to her new book - ‘Once Upon Tomorrow’ – as an expansive verse novel about the parallel journeys of 3 girls carving out their own histories – and each other’s....
The second speaker we heard from, Amy Doak, spoke not only about the challenges of writing mystery novels, but also about the beauty and complexity of approaching them as if it were a puzzle....
After the MESC students had lunch, came back into the library for the author talk with Tigest Girma and Jasmine McGaughey. From the beginning we were hooked. As they were asked questions, they shared processes of writing and formulating ideas, as well as inspirations. They also shared stories of the editing and publishing process...
Finally, we heard from award-winning Australian cartoonist Andrew Marlton, also known as First Dog on the Moon. He talked all about his newest book, Revenge of the Toxic Space Potato, which is a humorous novel that features the ‘EnviroTeens’ who must stop the evil Baron from stealing all of earth’s water....
All in all, the festival was a lot of fun, and everyone enjoyed listening and talking to the authors as they shared their stories and wisdom. It was an inspiring day for many young authors or readers looking to pursue their passion." - you can read the full report from Matteo, Ava Lily, Emily & Marlow (Year 9 EPP) below
Karen Comer - MWF26
"As part of our English EPP (Enhanced Performance Program) subject, we were lucky enough to have the opportunity to listen and learn from many high achieving local authors at the Melbourne Writers Festival. When we first arrived at the State Library, which the event was held at, there were many schools who had come far and near to experience this incredible day. There was one author who really caught our eye and drew us into their book and speech immediately, it was Karan Comer. Karan shared interesting information about her books titled ‘Once Upon Tomorrow’ and ‘Sunshine on Vinegar Street’. She elaborated on how she got her books published and where these ideas came from.... " - you can read more from Alannah and Raya (Year 8 EPP) below
MWF26
"On May 7th, a group of students went to the State Library of Victoria to hear from 5 successful authors as part of Melbourne Writers Festival.
We heard from Karen Comer, Amy Doak, Tigest Girma, Jasmin McGaughey, and First Dog On The Moon (Andrew Marlton). The authors were spread across various genres, and each spoke about their books and writing processes. They all had interesting things to say, and I learnt that for authors it can take many years to publish a book. It took Karen Comer almost 13 years before someone agreed to publish one of her books. Amy Doak told us about her writing processes and how she named the main character in her series after her friend's child. In between sessions we could buy books and get them signed by the authors. We also had time to stop by Melbourne central to buy some lunch. Overall, it was a fun opportunity to learn new things."
by Lucy (Year 7 EPP)
