Next Big Thing: Above and Beyond
For this Spring Fling instalment of the Next Big Thing series, we’re spotlighting new and adventurous writers whose work goes above and beyond literary boundaries.
THIS EVENT IS CURRENTLY BOOKED OUT
Please contact ticketing@wheelercentre.com to join the waitlist.
About the Event
In a special Spring Fling instalment of our popular Next Big Thing series, join a line-up of debut writers who are subverting genre conventions and expectations.
Anna Kate Blair’s The Modern goes beyond the ‘millennial novel’ to examine the intricacies of desire, commitment and queerness through the eyes of an art curator in New York City.
Ava Nunan shares her poem ‘to quantify a milestone’ from the latest edition of Voiceworks magazine.
Eventually Everything Connects, Sarah Firth’s much anticipated debut graphic novel, weaves a narrative about change, desire and newness, all told in her signature bold and exciting style.
John Morrissey’s debut collection of short stories Firelight ventures into ghost stories, satire and science fiction to explore colonialism, identity and what it means to be human.
Yen-Rong Wong’s collection of memoir-essays, Me, Her, Us, investigates the weight of cultural expectations and the complexities of familial dynamics.
Finally, an emerging writer will read from the latest edition of Voiceworks magazine.
Spring evenings are made for sharing stories, so grab a drink and join us at the Moat to hear from these exciting new literary voices. Hosted by Diem Nguyen.
Tickets
Full Price $15
Concession $10
Pay What You Wish tickets are available for this event
Accessibility
Accessible toilets available
Assistive Listening
Registered Assistance Animals welcome
Wheelchair accessible
You can learn more about The Moat’s accessibility here.
Please notify us of all access requirements when booking online so we can assist you with your visit. If you require further information, please contact reception on 03 9094 7800 or ticketing@wheelercentre.com.
About the Bookseller
The bookseller for this event is Readings.
About Spring Fling
Spring Fling returns in 2023, and this year we’re going Above and Beyond.
We’re looking further, delving deeper, and asking bigger questions with outstanding thinkers who are reshaping our world and envisioning extraordinary futures.
Spring Fling is supported by the Victorian State Government.
Featuring
Anna Kate Blair is a writer from Aotearoa living in Naarm. Her short stories and essays have appeared in publications including Cordite, Slow Canoe, The Appendix, Landfall, Meanjin, Litro, Archer and Reckoning. She holds a PhD in History of Art and Architecture from the University of Cambridge. Her... Read more
Sarah Firth (she/her) is based on Wurundjeri Country, Melbourne, Australia. She’s an Eisner Award-winning and Ignatz nominated cartoonist, artist and writer, speaker and internationally renowned graphic recorder. Her work has been published by ABRAMS Books, ABC Arts, Frankie Magazine, kuš!, Graph... Read more
John Morrissey is a Melbourne writer of Kalkadoon descent. His work has been published in Overland, Voiceworks, Meanjin and the anthology This All Come Back Now. He was the winner of the 2020 Boundless Mentorship and the runner-up for the 2018 Nakata Brophy Prize.
Diem is the Wheeler Centre’s Program Coordinator. She has worked at the Emerging Writers’ Festival, Writers Victoria, and the Centre for Youth Literature at the State Library of Victoria. She holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Gender Studies and a Master of Arts and Cultural Management, both ... Read more
Ava Nunan lives and writes on unceded Wurundjeri land. She is completing her Bachelor of Arts at the University of Melbourne, where she double-majors in creative writing and cultural studies. Most recently, Ava was the resident artist of Space A in Kathmandu, Nepal. Her work has also been shortliste... Read more
Yen-Rong Wong is an arts critic and award-winning writer working between Yugambeh and Jagera and Turrbal lands. She won the Glendower Award for an Emerging Queensland Writer in 2022, and the Queensland Premier’s Young Publishers and Writers Award in 2020. She has been a Wheeler Centre Hot Desk fel... Read more
Watch, Listen, Read
Listen
Kevin Jared Hosein: Hungry Ghosts [Podcast Exclusive]
23 Sep 2023
Read
Spring Fling 2023: Programmers Picks
22 Sep 2023
Watch
Jeff Goodell: Heat
20 Sep 2023
Watch
Polly Barton: Porn
18 Sep 2023
Read
Watch, Listen, Read: Above and Beyond the Spring Fling 2023 Program
18 Sep 2023
Listen
Chloé Hayden's Lightbulb Moment
9 Sep 2023