Blak & Bright

Blak & Bright Australia’s premier organisation dedicated to showcasing and elevating First Nations literary voices. Blak & Bright is back in 2022.

Blak & Bright is a First Nations Literary Festival based in Melbourne. It's a four-day showcase celebrating the diverse expressions of First Nations writers, covering all genres, from songs to essays, oral stories to epic novels, and from plays to poetry.

A new generation of First Nations writers is changing the shape of Australian literature.moirra. and Lay Maloney discuss...
29/08/2026

A new generation of First Nations writers is changing the shape of Australian literature.

moirra. and Lay Maloney discuss finding their voice, building a practice and writing towards futures that previous generations made possible. With Jade Sendek.

📅 Saturday 5 September
🕕 12:30pm
📍 The Wheeler Centre

Presented in partnership with Emerging Writers’ Festival.

Tickets: https://events.humanitix.com/bbwf26-tomorrow-rising

Poetry describes the world as much as it changes the way we hear it.Maria van Neerven, Dakota Feirer and Luke Patterson ...
28/08/2026

Poetry describes the world as much as it changes the way we hear it.

Maria van Neerven, Dakota Feirer and Luke Patterson bring together three distinct poetic practices to explore language and performance, reflecting on how poetics continue to carry feeling, memory and connection across generations. With Laurie May.

📅 Sunday 6 September
🕕 12:30pm
📍 The Wheeler Centre

Tickets 📝: https://events.humanitix.com/bbwf26-mouth-country

Magabala and Blak & Bright are teaming up to celebrate the upcoming 2026 Blak & Bright Writers Festival and the release ...
27/08/2026

Magabala and Blak & Bright are teaming up to celebrate the upcoming 2026 Blak & Bright Writers Festival and the release of Jared Thomas' new book 'Hells Bells' with a deadly giveaway!

You can win:

👕 1 EVERY:WHEN Tee
👜 1 EVERY:WHEN Tote
🎫 2 free tickets to each of Jared Thomas' 2026 Blak & Bright sessions (What Is Left Will Stay, Who We Become and What This Could Be)
📚 1 copy of every Jared Thomas Magabala book ('Songs that sound like blood', 'Calypso Summer,' 'Uncle Xbox', 'Getting Dusty' and 'Hell's Bells')

Feel like a winner? Make sure you're following Blak & Bright, Magabala and Jared Thomas on Instagram and comment below who you'll bring if you win.

Competition closes 11:59pm (Naarm time) Wednesday 2 September.

Love is rarely centred in conversations about First Nations literature, yet it runs through so much of what we write.Ani...
26/08/2026

Love is rarely centred in conversations about First Nations literature, yet it runs through so much of what we write.

Anita Heiss, Melanie Saward, Brooke Blurton and Lenora Thaker explore romance, family, friendship and care, considering the many ways love shapes identity, community and the stories we tell about ourselves. With Charmaine Ledden-Lewis.

📅 Sunday 6 September
🕕 1:45pm
📍 The Wheeler Centre

Tickets available now: https://events.humanitix.com/bbwf26-blak-hearts

The past is never finished with us. Brooke Blurton, Zac James and Julie Janson examine the ways memory shapes identity, ...
25/08/2026

The past is never finished with us.

Brooke Blurton, Zac James and Julie Janson examine the ways memory shapes identity, relationships and belonging, considering what we inherit from previous generations and what we choose to pass on. Chaired by Claire G. Coleman.

Presented in partnership with Ballarat Library.

📅 Friday 4 September
🕕 6:30pm
📍 Ballarat Library

Tickets available: https://events.humanitix.com/bbwf26-the-memory-tense

Language breathes each time it is spoken.Marie Elena Ellis, Jeanine Leane and J M Field discuss the ongoing work of lang...
23/08/2026

Language breathes each time it is spoken.

Marie Elena Ellis, Jeanine Leane and J M Field discuss the ongoing work of language revival, maintenance and renewal, reflecting on the responsibilities, challenges and possibilities that come with keeping language strong. With Debra Dank.

📅 Saturday 5 September
🕕 3:00pm
📍 The Wheeler Centre

Tickets available now: https://events.humanitix.com/bbwf26-survival-of-the-tongue

Yes, you read that right 🤯 We’re doing D&D(&D) shaped by Blak imagination!Roll the d20, share some damper and settle in ...
23/08/2026

Yes, you read that right 🤯 We’re doing D&D(&D) shaped by Blak imagination!

Roll the d20, share some damper and settle in for an adventure built around an original story by Brenton McKenna. This live Dungeons & Dragons experience invites players of all levels to step into a world where every decision changes the journey.

If you're interested in being a player, there's no experience necessary, just bring your curiosity and your appetite.

But not only are we looking for deadly players, we're also looking for 5 Dungeon Masters so DM us if you have DM experience 😉

📅 Saturday 5 September
🕕 10am
📍 narrm ngarrgu Library and Family Services

Tickets available now: https://events.humanitix.com/bbwf26-dungeons-and-dragons-and-damper

Join us for story time with Once Upon Our Stories!Deadly storytellers Charmaine Ledden-Lewis, Jake Gablonski and Tasma W...
22/08/2026

Join us for story time with Once Upon Our Stories!

Deadly storytellers Charmaine Ledden-Lewis, Jake Gablonski and Tasma Walton invite young readers to settle in, listen closely and discover the delight of stories shared together.

📅 Saturday 5 September
🕕 10:30am, 12:30pm, 1:30pm
📍 narrm ngarrgu Library

Tickets available now on our website: https://www.blakandbright.com.au/2026-program

Not Straight But Sovereign brings our second evening of spoken word to EVERY:WHEN. Join us to celebrate the richness and...
21/08/2026

Not Straight But Sovereign brings our second evening of spoken word to EVERY:WHEN. Join us to celebrate the richness and diversity of q***r Blak experience.

Kirli Saunders, Elijah Money, Ellen van Neerven and Trinity Thompson-Browne share work that moves between humour, intimacy, politics and celebration. Hosted by Bebe Oliver.

📅 Saturday 5 September
🕕 6pm
📍 Bard's Apothecary

Tickets on sale now. Free for Mob, always: https://events.humanitix.com/bbwf26-not-straight-but-sovereign

Address

176 Little Lonsdale Street
Melbourne, VIC
3000

Telephone

+61390947897

Website

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