Melbourne Writers Festival is back this May with its biggest milestone yet, marking 40 years with a city-wide program that pulls together more than 150 writers, thinkers and performers.
Running from 7 to 10 May, with an opening night on 6 May, the 2026 festival leans into the theme Visions and Revisions, exploring the stories we carry and the futures we imagine. Events will unfold across Melbourne, from intimate bar conversations to major sessions at Melbourne Town Hall.
The opening night sets the tone with original readings and performances, alongside the announcement of The Age Book of the Year Awards. From there, the program moves quickly into headline territory.
Jacinda Ardern will appear in conversation with Virginia Trioli, reflecting on leadership, crisis and public life. On the same night, novelist R. F. Kuang joins Shelley Parker-Chan to discuss her latest work and the power structures shaping academia and fiction.
The closing night belongs to Tony Birch, who will deliver an address focused on the ethics of reading and writing, and the responsibilities that come with creative freedom.
International guests feature heavily across the program. Booker Prize winner David Szalay, Life of Pi author Yann Martel and acclaimed novelist Susan Choi are all set to appear, alongside Japanese writer and filmmaker Genki Kawamura and celebrated author Mieko Kawakami.
The festival also introduces a new exchange with Canadian First Nations writers, presented in partnership with the Toronto International Festival of Authors, bringing Indigenous voices from both countries into conversation.
Local highlights cut across politics, culture and everyday life. Antoinette Lattouf appears with Grace Tame, Stephanie Alexander marks 30 years of The Cook’s Companion, and a political panel takes stock one year on from the federal election.
Beyond talks, the program expands into performances, installations and interactive events. A live book-making installation will take over the State Library forecourt, while suburban libraries host sessions to bring the festival closer to local communities.
Four decades in, the festival continues to evolve, but the core idea remains the same: bringing people together through stories, and giving Melbourne a space to think, question and imagine what comes next.
To explore the Melbourne Writers Festival 2026 program in full, visit mwf.com.au
