10 emerging writers you should know

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Declaring yourself “a writer” can be a daunting task, intensified by the isolation of the art form, payment rates undisclosed or not received, and the incessant buzz of social media broadcasting the achievements of writers you perceive as more successful than you.

As intimidating as pursuing a career in writing may seem, organisations supportive of emerging talent and festivals like the Emerging Writers’ Festival (EWF) have helped to make the road less isolated, more transparent, and create a supportive space for writers in various stages in their career.

Having worked closely with emerging writers over the last couple of years, Festival Director Sam Twyford-Moore said EWF is the ‘friendliest festival out there’, and the literary community is in a ‘really healthy place’.

‘I think writers are being supported quite well by the culture and doing really innovative stuff, thinking outside the box and really experimenting,’ he told ArtsHub.

In Melbourne, the City of Literature, the broader community is also propping up young and emerging writers through crowdfunding campaigns initiated by Melbourne Writers Festival and EWF’s Pen Pal program, which allows donors to support the place of a writer at the Emerging Writers’ Festival.

Running from Tuesday 26 May – Friday June 5, the EWF program will nurture new talent and feature diverse voices with a two-day National Writers’ Conference, professional development workshops, discussion panels, parties and performances  – which promise to have ‘elements of the Comedy Festival’, said Twyford-Moore.

For writers just starting out and seasoned professionals alike, a supportive festival environment can provide an invaluable experience to develop contacts, discuss collaborations, meet the editors and even get published.

Participating artists in EWF 2015 purposefully represent a variety of writing career stages and genres to demonstrate a broad interruption of what an ‘emerging’ writer is.