Melbourne Writers Festival Digital 2021

Overview

If lockdown's seen you devouring books faster than ever, you might be looking for some fresh literary inspiration right about now. And one place you're guaranteed to find it is among Melbourne Writers Festival's 2021 program, which is now set to be reimagined as an all-virtual lineup.

The festival's IRL events have been scrapped due to Melbourne's latest lockdown, but in good news — the extended digital program will run from Friday, September 3–Wednesday, September 15. It'll shine a spotlight on some of today's most engaging international literary voices, through a series of conversations, readings, author chats and panel discussions, all streamed online.

Among them, Rumaan Alam unpacks his eerily-pertinent dystopian tale Leave the World Behind; Pulitzer Prize-winner Jhumpa Lahiri speaks about the literary construction of Whereabouts; Natasha Brown explores the issues of race and class stirred up in her lauded new novel Assembly; renowned philosopher AC Grayling ponders the great paradox of human inquiry while chatting about his release Frontiers of Knowledge; and the tales of a cast of young creatives come alive as Brandon Taylor shares insight into his short story collection Filthy Animals.

Plus, on September 3, a specially commissioned short documentary series Writers on Film invites audiences on a guided tour into the lives and worlds of local authors Jennifer Down, Sophie Cunningham and Tony Birch.

Natasha Brown, author of 'Assembly'

Top images: Jhumpa Lahiri, author of 'Whereabouts' and Rumaan Alam, author of 'Leave the World Behind.