What to see at the 2026 Blak and Bright Writers’ Festival

A celebration of First Nations writers and storytellers.

Now in its fifth year, the Blak and Bright Writers’ Festival has officially launched its 2026 program. Running from September 3 to 6, it’s Australia’s largest and only gathering of First Nations writers and storytellers.

This year’s theme, ‘Every:When’, will feature conversations and stories that challenge linear notions of the past, present and future, instead centring First Nations’ understandings of time as being both continuous and relational.

For more author interviews and book recommendations, head to our Life section.

Held at locations in and around Naarm, you can attend both ticketed and free events, including panel talks, hands-on workshops, spoken word poetry and more. This year also features a stacked lineup of First Nations writers and creatives, including Evelyn Araluen, Tony Birch, Brooke Blurton and Tony Armstrong. In celebration of today’s program launch, we put together our highlights below.

Highlights from the Blak and Bright Writers’ Festival Program

September 3

The event will officially kick off on Thursday, September 3 with ‘Gathering’. Held at the Capitol Theatre, it will feature storytelling, reflections and a special performance by poet and dancer, Luke Currie-Richardson.

September 4

The following day, critically acclaimed writer Tony Birch will host a workshop at The Institute of Postcolonial Studies in North Melbourne. Free to register, you will be guided and supported through writing exercises to help you develop your own piece of creative work.

That same day, First Nations writers at all career stages are invited to pitch their manuscripts, projects and ideas at Pitch Blak. Regionally, First Nations writers Brooke Blurton, Zac James, Julie Janson and Claire G Coleman will come together in a panel at the Ballarat Library, exploring themes of memory, identity and storytelling.

That night, head to Bard’s Apothecary for ‘Spokenground’, an evening of poetry and spoken word, featuring Luke Patterson, Dakota Feirer, Laurie May, Samantha Faulkner, Ali Cobby Eckermann, Maria Van Neerven and Bebe Oliver.

To round out an exciting first day, poet Evelyn Araluen will join filmmaker Tiriki Onus at The Wheeler Centre for a special keynote and conversation.

September 5

On Saturday, writers Tony Birch, Anita Heiss, Debra Dank, Ali Cobby Eckermann and Jasmin McGaughey will come together for a free panel at The Wheeler Centre, where they will discuss why only certain stories have survived.

Later that day, you can attend ‘Her Story Now’, a free event celebrating Blak women’s voices across literature, featuring Jasmin McGaughey, Julie Janson, Samantha Faulkner, Chelsea Watego and Kirli Saunders.

September 6

Celebrate the last day of the festival by catching ‘Life in Full’, a conversation with First Nations writers and leaders Melissa Lucashenko, Nardi Simpson, Jeanine Leane, Bruce Pascoe and Melanie Saward, as they reflect on legacy, influence and the future.

For those artistically inclined, you can join illustrator and comic artist Brenton McKenna at ‘Write Way Forward: Lines’ for a hands-on workshop where you’ll have the chance to experiment with visual storytelling through drawing, character and narrative.

At The Wheeler Centre, Evelyn Araluen, Melissa Lucashenko, Chelsea Watego, Tony Armstrong and Rudi Bremer will come together for one last panel in ‘The Right to Offend’, where they will discuss urgent topics surrounding censorship, resistance and question why First Nations truth-telling provokes discomfort across institutions and media.

The festival will conclude with a final event at Camp Sovereignty, with an evening of poetry, music and live storytelling.

Tickets are now on sale for Blak and Bright Writers Festival. Find the full program here.