Writers Festival will run in Naarm from 3rd to 6th September 2026
Blak & Bright Writers Festival will return to Naarm from 3rd to 6th September 2026, with Tony Armstrong, Tony Birch and Brooke Blurton among the first speakers confirmed.
The festival, described by organisers as Australia’s largest and only gathering of First Nations writers and storytellers, will return under the 2026 theme EVERY.
The theme centres on First Nations understandings of time as continuous and relational. According to the supplied announcement, audiences will be able to engage with stories and conversations that challenge linear ideas of past, present and future.
The first speaker announcement includes TV presenter and former AFL player Tony Armstrong, fiction writer Tony Birch, Goorie and Koori poet, researcher and editor Evelyn Araluen, novelist and TV actress Tasma Walton, and youth worker, author and actor Brooke Blurton.
The event will focus on First Nations voices across culture, identity, storytelling and social issues. Further names and sessions are expected when the full four-day EVERY programme is announced on Thursday, 23rd July 2026.
“Storytelling is a powerful act of truth-telling and understanding,” said Bebe Oliver, Artistic Director and CEO at Blak & Bright. ”We’re proud to have assembled a lineup of inimitable writers, illustrators, thinkers and storytellers to celebrate the diversity of First Nations experiences and perspectives across communities and generations.”
Founded in 2016, Blak & Bright began with its flagship First Nations Literary Festival and has since expanded into year-round programming. The organisation works with partners across Australia and presents workshops, panels and performances involving First Nations writers at different stages of their careers.
The 2026 festival marks another major date for the organisation’s literary calendar, with the July programme launch giving audiences the first full look at the events, speakers and conversations planned for September.
Programme launch details
Date: Thursday 23 July 2026
Time: 7:00pm
Location: The Wheeler Centre, 176 Little Lonsdale St, Naarm VIC 3000
Tickets: Registration is essential via blakandbright.com.au
Cost: Free
