Magabala Creators at the 2026 Blak & Bright Festival
Thursday, September 03 – Sunday, September 06, 2026
Catch these deadly Magabala creators at the 2026 Blak & Bright festival!
Julie Janson
The Memory Tense
Friday September 4
5:30PM-6:30PM
Ballarat Library
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.
Ali Cobby Eckermann
Spokenground
Friday September 4
6PM-7PM
Bard's Apothecary
Spoken word asks something different of both writer and audience. It lives in breath and presence.
Luke Patterson, Dakota Feirer, Laurie May, Samantha Faulkner, Ali Cobby Eckermann and Maria van Neerven bring poetry off the page and into the room for an evening of performance that moves between humour, grief, protest and joy.
Spokenground will be hosted by Bebe Oliver.
We Who Saw First
Saturday September 5
10AM-11AM
The Wheeler Centre
Storytelling has existed since time immemorial, passed down from generation to generation, within communities, nations and families.
Tony Birch, Anita Heiss, Debra Dank and Ali Cobby Eckermann reflect on the people who ensured those stories persisted. Chaired by Jasmin McGaughey, see these deadly storytellers speak on what it means to inherit that responsibility today.
Luke Patterson
Spokenground
Friday September 4
6PM-7PM
Bard's Apothecary
Spoken word asks something different of both writer and audience. It lives in breath and presence.
Luke Patterson, Dakota Feirer, Laurie May, Samantha Faulkner, Ali Cobby Eckermann and Maria van Neerven bring poetry off the page and into the room for an evening of performance that moves between humour, grief, protest and joy.
Spokenground will be hosted by Bebe Oliver.
Rainbow Revolution
Saturday September 5
4:15PM-5:15PM
The Wheeler Centre
Queer Blak writers are reshaping contemporary literature.
Jake Gablonski, Ellen van Neerven and Luke Patterson discuss identity, community and the freedom to write beyond expectation, exploring how queer perspectives continue to expand First Nations storytelling. With Elijah Money.
Mouth Country
Sunday September 6
12:30PM-1:30PM
The Wheeler Centre
Poetry describes the world as much as it changes the way we hear it. Dakota Feirer, Luke Patterson and Maria van Neerven 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.
Bruce Pascoe
What is Left Will Stay
Saturday September 5
11:15AM-12:15PM
The Wheeler Centre
The life of a book begins after it’s published. Where does it travel and what does it change?
Tasma Walton, Jared Thomas, Melissa Lucashenko and Bruce Pascoe consider the lives books take on after they've entered the world, exploring legacy, influence and the conversations that continue after the final page. Chaired by Rob Waters.
Life in Full
Sunday September 6
10AM-11AM
The Wheeler Centre
What does it mean to live a life that leaves something behind? Melissa Lucashenko, Nardi Simpson, Jeanine Leane and Bruce Pascoe reflect on the experiences, relationships and decisions that shape a lifetime of writing. Together they consider legacy as something built through work, generosity and the people we influence along the way.
Jared Thomas
What is Left Will Stay
Saturday September 5
11:15AM-12:15PM
The Wheeler Centre
The life of a book begins after it’s published. Where does it travel and what does it change?
Tasma Walton, Jared Thomas, Melissa Lucashenko and Bruce Pascoe consider the lives books take on after they've entered the world, exploring legacy, influence and the conversations that continue after the final page. Chaired by Rob Waters.
Who We Become
Sunday September 6
11:15AM-12:15PM
The Wheeler Centre
Young adult fiction has become one of the most influential spaces in contemporary publishing, giving readers the chance to see themselves and their futures reflected. Gary Lonesborough, Zac James and Brenton McKenna discuss writing for young audiences, creating authentic characters and the responsibility that comes with telling stories at a formative moment in people's lives. With Jared Thomas.
Once Upon Our Stories with Aunty Fay Muir
Saturday September 5
11:30AM-12:15PM
narrm ngarrgu Library
Settle in for story time with one of our most respected First Nations authors and educators.
Aunty Fay Muir welcomes children and their families into a world of language and imagination, sharing stories that celebrate culture while encouraging young readers to ask questions and see themselves reflected in the books they read.
Kirli Saunders
Her Story Now
Satuday September 5
1:45PM-2:45PM
The Wheeler Centre
Blak women have always shaped political thought, literature and culture, often without receiving the recognition they deserve.
Jasmin McGaughey, Samantha Faulkner and Chelsea Watego reflect on writing, leadership and the work of speaking with authority. With Kirli Saunders.
Not Straight But Sovereign
Saturday September 5
6PM-7:30PM
Bard's Apothecary
An evening of spoken word celebrating the richness and diversity of queer Blak experience. Kirli Saunders, Elijah Money, Ellen van Neerven, Trinity Thompson-Browne and Nardi Simpson share work that moves between humour, intimacy, politics and celebration. Hosted by Bebe Oliver.
Beneath the Sky
Sunday September 6
7:30PM-9PM
Camp Sovereignty
As the festival draws to a close, Beneath the Sky gathers audiences in the open air for an evening of poetry, music and storytelling at Camp Sovereignty. Featuring Ziggy Ramo, Luke Currie Richardson, Nardi Simpson, Ellen van Neerven, Dakota Feirer, Kirli Saunders and Tony Armstrong, this celebration reflects on everything the festival held while looking towards the stories still waiting to be told. Hosted by Evelyn Araluen.
Ellen van Neerven
Rainbow Revolution
Saturday September 5
4:15PM-5:15PM
The Wheeler Centre
Queer Blak writers are reshaping contemporary literature.
Jake Gablonski, Ellen van Neerven and Luke Patterson discuss identity, community and the freedom to write beyond expectation, exploring how queer perspectives continue to expand First Nations storytelling. With Elijah Money.
Not Straight But Sovereign
Saturday September 5
6PM-7:30PM
Bard's Apothecary
An evening of spoken word celebrating the richness and diversity of queer Blak experience. Kirli Saunders, Elijah Money, Ellen van Neerven, Trinity Thompson-Browne and Nardi Simpson share work that moves between humour, intimacy, politics and celebration. Hosted by Bebe Oliver.
Beneath the Sky
Sunday September 6
7:30PM-9PM
Camp Sovereignty
As the festival draws to a close, Beneath the Sky gathers audiences in the open air for an evening of poetry, music and storytelling at Camp Sovereignty. Featuring Ziggy Ramo, Luke Currie Richardson, Nardi Simpson, Ellen van Neerven, Dakota Feirer, Kirli Saunders and Tony Armstrong, this celebration reflects on everything the festival held while looking towards the stories still waiting to be told. Hosted by Evelyn Araluen.
Brenton McKenna
Who We Become
Sunday September 6
11:15AM-12:15PM
The Wheeler Centre
Young adult fiction has become one of the most influential spaces in contemporary publishing, giving readers the chance to see themselves and their futures reflected. Gary Lonesborough, Zac James and Brenton McKenna discuss writing for young audiences, creating authentic characters and the responsibility that comes with telling stories at a formative moment in people's lives. With Jared Thomas.
Write Way Forward: Lines
Sunday September 6
1:30PM-3:30PM
Institute of Postcolonial Studies
Comics and illustration require a different way of thinking about narrative.
In this workshop, acclaimed artist Brenton McKenna shares his approach to building stories through character and visual composition.
Participants will develop original work while exploring how images can communicate emotion, movement and meaning beyond the written word.
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