Victoria&rsquo\;s newest literature festiv al\, Q-Lit\, aims \;to amplify and celebrate queer voices\, books and stories\, especially in regional and rural Victoria.
\nQ -Lit has been developed by Scratch Arts and Kate Hall\, author and academi c\, and funded by Victoria&rsquo\;s Pride/Midsumma and the Victorian Gover nment&rsquo\;s Department of Families\, Fairness and Housing.
\n\n\n10.15am-10.30a m - Welcome to Country
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10.30am-11.30pm - Workshop (kids) with Leigh Hobbs \; \;&nbs p\; \; \; \; \; \; \; \; \; \; \;& nbsp\; \; \; \; \; \; \; \; \; \; \; \; \; \; \; \; \; \; \; \; \;&n bsp\; \; \; \; \; \; \;
\nCreating your own characters in pictures
\nI n this hands-on workshop\, renowned children&rsquo\;s author and illustrat or Leigh Hobbs will show kids and their grown-up companions how to create memorable characters through illustration. Be inspired by the multi-award winning creator of Old Tom\, Horrible Harriet and Mr Chicken\, among other s. Suitable for ages five and up.
\nLeigh Hobbs works across a w ide range of artistic mediums\, but is best known for his children's books featuring Old Tom\, Horrible Harriet\, Fiona the Pig\, the Freaks in 4F\, Mr Badger and Mr Chicken. \;Old Tom \;is also a popular TV series \, and Leigh has won every major Australian children's choice award. \ ;Mr Chicken Goes to Paris \;was shortlisted for the Prime Minister's L iterary Awards\, is a bestseller at Paris's Louvre Bookshop\, was adapted for the stage by NIDA\, and was shortlisted for the CBCA Awards - as were& nbsp\;Horrible Harriet \;and \;Old Tom's Holiday. Leigh was Austra lian Children&rsquo\;s Laureate 2016/2017. In 2019\, Leigh received one of five Australian Legends of Children's Literature awards from Australia Po st and was featured on a stamp.
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10.30am-11.3 0am - Workshop (YA/Adults) with Achala Green
\nYou Can&rsquo\;t Write a Bad Poem: A Generative Writing Works hop
\nA poetry workshop for all ages and all levels of poet. You will be guided through a number of writing exercises that aim to not only get you writing - but to help defeat your inner critic.
\nAchala Green is a non-binary cryptid birthed from the depths of the Sy dney poetry scene. They won the first slam they entered\, Caravan Slam\, a nd have not yet recovered from their success. They ran Spoken\, an open mi c poetry night at Newtown Lentil As Anything for three years\, and are cur rently helping to run To the Ends of the Verse. Their musings and poetic p rophecy can be found on Instagram at @riotmeds. \;
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12pm-12.45pm - In-convo: You&rsquo\ ;ll be a Wonderful Parent with Jasper Peach\, Roz Bellamy and Katia Ariel< /p>\n
Making Rainbows: Writing as a Queer Parent
\nJoin authors and parents Jasper Peach\, Roz Bellamy and Katia Ar iel for a conversation about rainbow parenting\, the connections between c reativity and queer identities\, and the joys of chosen families.
\nJasper Peach is a trans\, non-binary and disabled writer and editor. T hey are passionate about equitable access and inclusion\, focused around t he dismantling of misplaced shame via storytelling. Their first book\, a c ollection of advice and encouragement for new and prospective queer parent s\, will be released in March 2023 by Hardie Grant.
\nKatia Ariel (she/her) is an author\, book editor and educator from Melbourne/Na arm. She was born in Odessa\, Ukraine. Her memoir\, The Swift Dark Tide\, chronicles the discovery of queerness later in life\, as well as the histo ry of desire and rebellion in her female line. The book is forthcoming wit h Gazebo Books in April of this year.
\nRoz Bellamy (they/t hem) is a writer\, editor and researcher. Their debut memoir\, Mood\, whic h explores the intersection of identity and mental illness\, is forthcomin g with Wakefield Press in mid-2023. Roz is the Editor in Chief of Archer M agazine.
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12pm-12.45pm - In-convo: Dmetri Kakmi and Kate Hall
\nWriting Processes and Pathways to Publication
\nAuthors Dmetri Kakmi and Kate Hall invite you to join them fo r a conversation about writing practice and the long and winding road to p ublication. Dmetri has over thirty years experience as a fiction editor in publishing\, plus fifteen years as a senior editor at Penguin Books. He i s a mentor and writing teacher and the editor of the literary journal Kall iope X. Kate is an author and academic\, and the Creative Director of Q-Li t.
\nDmetri Kakmi was born in Turkey to Greek parents. He is the author of The Door and Other Uncanny Tales and The Dictionary of a Gadfly (under the pseudonym The Sozzled Scribbler). His fictionalized memoir Mot her Land was shortlisted for the New South Wales Premier&rsquo\;s Literary Awards in Australia\; and is published in England and Turkey. He also edi ted the children&rsquo\;s anthology When We Were Young. His personal essay s and gothic short stories appear in anthologies. He lives in Melbourne\, Australia.
\nKate Hall (she/her) lives\, surfs and writes o n Wadawurrung Country. She is the award-winning author of From Darkness (D uet Books\, New York\, 2020)\, a sapphic romance set in the Otways and the classical underworld. Kate is also the Creative Director of Q-Lit: Queer Victorian Festival of Words.
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12.45-1.30 - LUNCH/BOOK SIGNINGS and scr eenings of two trailers from Geelong Pride Film Festival: In Her Words: 20 th Century Lesbian Fiction and Esther Newton Made Me Gay
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img src="https://events.grlc.vic.gov.au/frontend-images/editor/grlc/Yves_R
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1. 30-2.30pm Workshop/discussion (YA/Adults) with Yves Rees and Sam Elkin
\nNothing to Hide: Own Voices Writing Workshop
\nJoin co-editors Sam Elkin and Yves Rees of the anthology Nothin g to Hide: Voices of Trans and Gender Diverse Australia for a workshop and discussion about LGBTIQA+ #ownvoices writing.
\nDr Yves Rees (t hey/them) is a writer and historian based on unceded Wurundjeri land. They are a Lecturer in History at La Trobe University\, the co-host of Archive Fever history podcast\, and the author of \;All About Yves: Notes fro m a Transition \;(Allen &\; Unwin\, 2021). They are also co-editor of Nothing to Hide: Voices of Trans and Gender Diverse Australia (Allen &a mp\; Unwin\, 2022). Rees was awarded the 2020 ABR Calibre Essay Prize and a 2021 Varuna Residential Fellowship. Their writing has featured in the&nb sp\;Guardian\, \;The Age\, \;Sydney Review of Books\, \;Austra lian Book Review\, \;Meanjin\, the Griffith Review \;and \;Ove rland\, among other publications. \;
\nSam Elkin is a w riter and host of the 3RRR radio show Queer View Mirror. Born in England a nd raised on Noongar land\, Sam now lives on unceded Wurundjeri land. Sam& rsquo\;s essays have been published in the Griffith Review\, Overland and Kill Your Darlings. Sam is a co-editor of Nothing to Hide: Voices of Trans and Gender Diverse Australia and host of the ABC History Listen series Cr ossing Time: A History of Trangender Australia.
\n< img src="https://events.grlc.vic.gov.au/frontend-images/editor/grlc/Jonath an_Butler_Author_Portrait_1_-min_edited.jpg" alt="Jonathan Butler" title=" Jonathan Butler" width="108" height="150" />
\n1.30-2.30 Worksh op (YA/adults) with Jonathan Butler\, \; &lsquo\;Writing family histor ies&rsquo\; and The Boy in the Dress \;
\nRes earching and Telling a Historical Family Story
\nWe all have that one fascinating story in our family that needs to be told. But where to begin? Where to look? Who to speak to? Join the author of The Boy in the Dress and hear all the tricks he discovered while researching and writing about the 1944 murder of his ancestor Warwick Meale. The workshop will provide a brief overview of the book before diving into actionable ad vice on how to pick a story (and how it may not be the most obvious one)\; helpful Australian archives and resources to check out\; a deep dive into true crime research\; how to build a portrait of your ancestor and their world\; and managing living family relationships. To set you on your way\, Jonathan will also share some templates to help with your own research.\n
Jonathan Butler (he/him) is a queer writer and content producer living in Naarm/Melbourne\, Australia. His debut book\, THE BOY IN THE DR ESS\, was published by Affirm Press in February 2022 and was shortlisted f or The Age Book of the Year 2022 (non-fiction). Researching his ancestor&r squo\;s story ignited his passion for queer history. His work has appeared in the Guardian\, ArtsHub and Meanjin.
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2.30-3.15pm In Convo: The Drama Student and Esc hatology with Autumn Royal and John Bartlett
\n\nThrough exploring each other's recent work John Bartlett and Autu mn Royal will discuss the importance of cross-generational friendships\, w hat poetry means to them and how poetry allows us to celebrate and mourn l ife experiences and form meaningful connections.
\nAutumn Royal is a poet living on unceded Wurundjeri land. Autumn is the interviews edit or for Cordite Poetry Review and author of the poetry collections She Woke &\; Rose\, Liquidation and The Drama Student.
\nJohn Ba rtlett \;is the author of nine books -fiction\, non-fiction and poetry . \; \;In 2019 \;his first Chapbook \;The Arms of Men \;was published by Melbourne Poets Union and in 2020 his poetry pamphlet\, \;Songs of the Godforsaken \;was published by Picaro Poets as wel l as his full collection\, \;Awake at 3am \;by Ginninderra Press. In 2022 his poetry pamphlet \;Eschatology \;was released by Pocket Poets and poems were \;included in recent Australian anthologies incl uding \;Poetry for the Planet\, \;the \;Ros Spencer Poetry Con test \;Anthology \;and \;Poetry of Encounter.
\nHe was the winner of the 2020 Ada Cambridge Poetry Prize and \;Highly Commended in the 2021 Mundaring Poetry Competition. \;In 2023 Ginnin derra Press will release his second full collection \;Excitations of E ntanglement.
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3.15pm-4.00pm In-Convo: The Swift Dark Tide with Yves Rees and Katia Ariel
\nWrit ing the self: A conversation About Memoir
\nJoin author s Yves Rees and Katia Ariel for a discussion about life writing\, transfor mations of selfhood and identity and the importance of listening to the wi se voice within.
\nDr Yves Rees (they/them) is a writer and hist orian based on unceded Wurundjeri land. They are a Lecturer in History at La Trobe University\, the co-host of Archive Fever history podcast\, and t he author of \;All About Yves: Notes from a Transition \;(Allen &a mp\; Unwin\, 2021). They are also co-editor of Nothing to Hide: Voices of Trans and Gender Diverse Australia (Allen &\; Unwin\, 2022). Rees was a warded the 2020 ABR Calibre Essay Prize and a 2021 Varuna Residential Fell owship. Their writing has featured in the \;Guardian\, \;The Age\, \;Sydney Review of Books\, \;Australian Book Review\, \;Meanj in\, the Griffith Review \;and \;Overland\, among other publicatio ns. \;
\nKatia Ariel (she/her) is an author\, book edit or and educator from Melbourne/Naarm. She was born in Odessa\, Ukraine. He r memoir\, The Swift Dark Tide\, chronicles the discovery of queerness lat er in life\, as well as the history of desire and rebellion in her female line. The book is forthcoming with Gazebo Books in April of this year.
\n4.15pm - Close
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