Fiction Writing Melbourne

Garden Walk, Bookshop and Fitzroy Nursery Meetup

For our first ever session, we will meet at Carlton Gardens, and take a walk over to Terrain Bookshop 850 metres away - an alternative bookstore in Fitzroy specialising in books about ecology and nature - before heading further down Brunswick Street to Fitzroy Nursery. The idea is to discuss our interests in plants/ecology/nature/books/art, while checking out relevant and interesting locations and getting to know each other. Feel free to bring a camera or a book along, if you’d like to. The vibe will be welcoming, inclusive and easygoing. Neurodiverse minds are particularly welcome.

All Write!

Melbourne Central Food Hall on Level 2. Far back corner near large windows to outside. Look for the colourful piano! See below for exact instructions on finding us. IMPORTANT: Please turn up if you RSVP. Other writers are counting on you being there with them so no one sits alone!!! Currently we have part-time hosts and regulars who will turn up and sit together. EVERYONE, please keep a look out for newly arriving people in the group and make them feel welcome, especially if they say: Are you with the writing group? If you arrive first and have an A4 piece of paper, it is a good idea to write on the paper: Writing Group. This way everyone will find each other. Bring your writing tools, and anything that you have written recently (optional). Remember your earphones if you like to listen to music while you write. There are no rules :) You can write. Or you can chat and write. You can share your work. Or not share your work. (If you need silence to concentrate then headphones are a good idea considering it is in a public space.) Bring pen and paper as a backup. Melbourne Central wifi available. Who: People who write and/or want to write (more) What: An open group of writers who meetup in a stimulating space to write together, share writing and ideas and support each other’s writing goals Why: Inspiration, motivation and space to write. Where: Melbourne Central - see photo for our location. Red shaded area would be ideal if available when you arrive. Detailed instructions if you do not know the area: 1) Go to the Shot Tower (the old building inside Melbourne Central with the big cone glass roof above it). 2) Go up the the escalators (there’s only one set of up- escalators near the Shot Tower, you can’t miss it). 3) You are now on level 2, Dining Hall (there are signs to the right, just slightly, stating this). 4) Top Juice store is to your right. Turn right so you pass Top Juice and walk toward the food hall. 5) You are now in the food hall near a black piano. Go past this. Go to the seating at the far back corner where there are large windows facing outside. 6) Look for us writers. There should be a sign on the table. Call out your hosts name and ask if this is the writing group. We will say YES, here we are! Additional hosts wanted!!! Please contact Mat Clarke. Please only RSVP if you can make it. And also un-RSVP if you need to cancel. Thank You, Melbourne Writers. Great Links: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MelbWriters What we have written so far: www.worldwriterscollective.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/MelbCityWriters Blog: http://melbournewriters.wordpress.com **Help us by adding to these social pages and site**

OPEN PAGE: Active Writing & Sharing Workshop with Published Author

**Join us for a small group Writing Workshop led by a published author, where you can unleash your creativity and improve your writing skills.** NOTE: THIS IS A TICKETED EVENT Cost: $30, strictly limited to 20 seats Your ticket includes $20 food & drinks credit $10 goes to the venue the help cover costs. [CLICK HERE TO BOOK YOUR SEAT](https://MelbourneWriters.eventbrite.com.au) Bring your favourite pen and some paper, or a laptop if you prefer. This session is an exercise-based working session designed to improve your writing and give you (optional) feedback from your peers. RULES: This is a ticketed event due to limited seating capacity. $20 of your ticket price is offset against any bar drinks and food ordered through the venue on the day. No self-promotion allowed. GETTING THERE: We recommend you use Public transport or Rideshare. If you decide to drive and/or have a designated driver, 2-hour paid parking is available around Powlett Reserve, Darling Square, and the Fitzroy Gardens. Extended paid parking is available at Care Park at 162 Albert Street, East Melbourne or the Epworth Freemasons Car Park in Gotch Lane off Grey Street. #writers #writing #screenwriting #scriptwriting #shortstories #novels #creativewriting #critiquegroup #fiction #nonfiction #readings #authors #melbournewriters #melbournewriter #melbournetodo

Shut Up & Write!® at Melbourne Connect

We are a multi-disciplinary group of PhDs and academic staff who write together regularly and help one another to achieve our writing goals through supportive community, focus and a structure that works. We welcome anyone who wants to get some writing done in a collegial, supportive, encouraging environment. You don’t have to be from University of Melbourne (you don’t have to be from university at all!). We use the Pomodoro method, which means we write in timed intervals of silence, then chat and catch up for 5 mins and repeat the cycle. Arrive when you like, leave when you like. The goal is to keep our writing projects progressing and reduce the isolation that can be part of the academic and/or writing life. **Session Outline:** Welcome: 9.00-9.05 (5 mins) Pomodoro 1: 9.05-9.30 (25 mins). Break: 9.30-9.35 (5 mins) Pomodoro 2: 9.35-10.00 (25 mins) Break: 10.00-10.05 (25 mins) Pomodoro 3: 10.05-10.55 (50 mins) Break: 10.55-11.05 (10 mins) Pomodoro 4: 11.05-11.30 (25 mins) **A note about the format** We don’t host critiques or readings. These events are a safe space for writers of all skill levels and genres to work on their craft, so no one will read or critique your writing. For our full event schedule, visit [https://shutupwrite.com](https://www.shutupwrite.com). **Other Important Details:** WiFi name/password: There is free public wifi available at the Melbourne Connect Superfloor (speak to the concierge for details). University of Melbourne staff and students can connect to the university wifi; staff and students from other universities can join Eduroam using their home institution's log in credentials. Travel / Parking info: Public bike parking along Swanston and Grattan Streets. Tram routes 1, 3, 3a, 5, 16. 16, 64, 67, 72 along Swanston Street (Stop 1) and 19 along Royal Parade (Stop 10). The nearest train station is Parkville Metro Station. Bus routes include 200, 207, 250, 251, 401, 402, 403, 505, 546. There is no public parking available at Melbourne Connect, however the area is well serviced by nearby public carparks, including Cardigan House Parking at 96 Grattan Street and the University of Melbourne Eastern Precinct Car Park at 375 Grattan Street. A taxi rank is located on Grattan Street.

Writers & Creatives Social

We are moving to a new platform and will be only running the new platform in 2025. please signup here: [https://www.downtomeet.com/Melbourne-Writers](https://www.downtomeet.com/Melbourne-Writers) The Wharf Hotel by the river. Southern Cross Station is closest. Ask at the bar to find us. Or call us 0403193785. Tonight's Social Evening Schedule: (Ideas welcome) 6pm to 6.45pm: Socializing​​ 6.45pm to 6.55pm: Introduction and overview of the evening by Jim including go-around introduction​​ 6.55pm to 7pm: A word from Mat our founder​​ 7pm to 7.10pm A paired connection question to get people talking with one another​​ 7.10pm to 7.30pm: Guest Topic: Lee is a very successful podcaster and has been both an interviewer and an interviewee on podcasts. He will provide an overview of the podcasting world and give advice on how to be a successful interviewee on someone's podcast. 10 mins talk. 10 mins Q&A. 7.30pm to 8.15pm: Readings section open to all to read out something from their work up to 4 minutes. Feedback optional.​​ 8.15pm to 9.30pm: Socializing. Optional. Many of us love this as a chance to connect personally in a screen-addicted culture. • Come out and meet some like-minded folks who enjoy writing and other entertainment and creative outlets. We'll hang around until at least 8.30pm, but often later. All age ranges, all writing types (and entertainment types), all the way from never writing and up to published authors. • This night is about you. So chat to people, read out your work, give feed back, get to know everyone... Or, feel free to sit back and chill. It's your night, enjoy it how you see fit. **Please only RSVP if you can make it.** **We're booking the area, so we will need you to turn up if you say you are coming.** **We have added an attendee limit, so please update your RSVP if you can not make it.** Thank you, Melbourne Writers. The Wharf Hotel food menu: https://www.wharfhotel.com.au/eat-and-drink Great Links: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MelbWriters Website: www.worldwriterscollective.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/MelbCityWriters Blog: http://melbournewriters.wordpress.com **Help us by getting in contact so you can add to these social pages and site - matclarke.author@gmail.com**

OPEN MIC: Poetry & Prose Readings "FREE-ish"

**Get ready for a heart-warming afternoon of readings in a cool, historic cellar - and guess what? It will cost you less than a cup of coffee (well, almost!)** NOTE: THIS IS A TICKETED EVENT Cost: $25, strictly limited to 25 seats Your ticket includes a $20 food and drinks credit voucher ($5 goes to the venue to support costs). [CLICK HERE TO BOOK YOUR SEAT](https://MelbournePoets.eventbrite.com.au) Budding poets, writers and lyricists join Melbourne Poets for our monthly Poetry & Prose Meetup! This is a true open mic event (usually without the need for a microphone). There'll be an opportunity to read your work (if you're brave enough) and listen to others over a drink or two. You don't need to be published; you just need to be passionate about your craft. So grab a support buddy and come along to our luxe loungeroom hidden away in the 170-year-old bluestone cellars in East Melbourne's Tribeca precinct. We've got great cocktails, back-vintage wines, craft brews, amazing food, and good vibes in a chilled and supportive safe space. RULES: This is a ticketed event due to limited seating capacity. $20 of your ticket price is offset against any bar drinks and food ordered through the venue on the day. Please ensure each piece is less than 5 minutes for those wanting to read. Depending on attendance and number of readers, there may be multiple opportunities to read. Please no "clicking" or trauma porn, and no self-promotion allowed during the readings but networking after the event is absolutely OK. GETTING THERE: We recommend you use public transport or rideshare. We are on the 12/109 tram line (stop 16, Wellington St), several Bus Routes (302, 303, 304, 305, 309, 318, 350, 905, 906, 907, 908) or a 5-10 minute walk from Jolimont and North Richmond train stations. If you decide to drive and/or have a designated driver, 2-hour paid parking is available around Powlett Reserve, Darling Square, and the Fitzroy Gardens. Extended paid parking is available at Care Park at 162 Albert Street, East Melbourne or the Epworth Freemasons Car Park in Gotch Lane off Grey Street. UNABLE TO ATTEND? Cancellations and Refunds are generally not possible. However, for sudden illness, COVID, or other special circumstances, we may agree to reschedule your session to another day or provide a gift certificate for part or all of your ticket price. Please SMS your request to 0466 045 473. #poetry #readings #poets #writers #prose #lyricists #melbournepoets #melbournepoet #melbournepoetry #melbournewriter #melbournewriters #melbournetodo #poetryandprose #poetrylovers #openmic

Yarra and Botanics Walk discussing 'Hollow Air' by Verity Borthwick

We'll meet at the spot where Fed Square meets the Princes Bridge over the Yarra (near the pedestrian crossing closest to the river from Flinders St, on the Fed Square side). We'll walk for about 6km along the Yarra River, through the Botanic Gardens and back along the river to Federation Square for a coffee after the walk. This month, we're reading and talking about 'Hollow Air' by Verity Borthwick The blurb: **"Isolation can be hard on a person. It can be hard on the mind, especially when the bush closes in on you in the darkness of night.** In the tin fields of Far North Queensland, Sarah, a fly-in-fly-out geologist, is working alone at a remote mine site. She spends her time in a sort of limbo, never quite fitting into her life at site or back home in Sydney with her fiancé. Strange things keep happening at the mine site, and Sarah can try to explain them away as the ramblings of a lonely mind, but there are dead bodies from a mining accident a century ago at the old Dulcie Ada mine, still buried beneath more than a hundred metres of rock. **A deeply moving novel that explores the friction that comes with the desire to understand the secrets of the Earth coupled with the knowledge that this can exact a toll.**" Goodreads rating: 3.94 How does a walking bookclub work? Like a normal bookclub, we talk about the book, what else we're reading, have read, or want to read (as well as a few tangents into life outside literature!) but we do it while walking around Melbourne and then over a coffee. We often split into smaller groups as we walk, but we also regroup through the walk. Should I read the book beforehand? The conversation will be more interesting if you do, but you can still come along if you haven't finished it yet! Do I need to bring anything? **Comfy** walking shoes, drinking water, some money for coffee or a bite to eat after if you wish. No need to bring the book unless you want to. No shows No shows (RSVPing yes and not attending) mean the group waits unnecessarily for those who are not coming, thinking you are running a little late. It’s absolutely fine to change your rsvp for any reason up until the walk begins, and you don’t need to leave a comment, send a message or give a reason, but if you don't click that 'change rsvp' button, you may be removed from the group. Membership Fee Did you know that while it is free to attend most events, Meetup charges organisers about $600 a year to organise a group? Members of the Walking Book Club are asked to pay a membership fee of $10 per year (not per event) to help cover this cost. When you join the group, you'll be automatically given a three month trial so you can see what the group is like, without needing to make any payment. If you would like to continue attending events after this, please follow Meetup's instructions to pay the $6.50US/approx $10AUD fee once per year (or contact group organisers if you would prefer to make payment using paypal, payID, cash or bank transfer).

The Melancholy of Resistance, László Krasznahorkai (Nobel, 2025)

This novel is set over two days in a bleak dystopian Hungarian town. The characters are superbly written and eerily familiar. The New Yorker calls The Melancholy of Resistance "comedy of apocalypse, a book about a God that not only failed but didn't even turn up for the exam." "Demanding" and "pessimistic" the reward comes from "its extraordinary, stretched, self-recoiling sentences, which are marvels of a loosely punctuated stream of consciousness". With page-long sentences and 30 page paragraphs the translator has pulled off herculean task of rendering this in perfect English. Although an effort, it sounds a rewarding read. Since starting this book club a few years ago we have formed a nice core membership. If you haven't come yet, please look out for the books on the table, pull up a chair, order a wine and join us. We like to hear what everyone has to say and enjoy the conversation, we're not cliquey at all! Oh, and to defray the Meetup monthly bill I will accept gold coin contributions or wine if you want to pay for multiple in one hit. I hope to see everyone again at this one with some new faces.

Book swap brunch meet up

May Book of the month - Hekate - The Witch

Book Club: [Hekate](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223296200-hekate---the-witch) the Witch by Nikita Gill Step into the shadowed spaces where myth, magic, and self-discovery intertwine. Hekate the Witch is a powerful collection of poems that channels the voice of the ancient goddess Hekate, exploring themes of transformation, independence, and feminine power. Nikita Gill gives voice to the marginalized, the mystical, and the misunderstood, weaving a tapestry of verse that is at once haunting, comforting, and profoundly empowering. Through vivid imagery and spellbinding language, Gill guides readers on a journey of introspection and resilience. The poems confront heartbreak, identity, and personal evolution, reminding us that embracing our own power often requires walking through the darkness. With Hekate as both guide and metaphor, this collection asks us to honor our intuition, our shadows, and the quiet strength that resides in the unseen. Gill’s work resonates as both a personal and collective call to awaken, offering moments of reflection, rebellion, and radical self-acceptance. Whether read slowly, aloud, or in fragments, these poems linger—like magic in the air, or footsteps in a midnight forest. Discussion Points: • Power and Autonomy: How does Gill explore self-sovereignty through the figure of Hekate? Are her poems a call to reclaim personal agency? • Darkness and Transformation: How are loss, grief, or shadowed experiences reframed as sources of strength? • Feminine Archetypes: How does the goddess Hekate function as a symbol for modern empowerment? • Poetic Form and Voice: How does Gill’s style—short verses, repetition, vivid imagery—shape the emotional impact of the work? • Spiritual and Emotional Resonance: Which poems spoke to your own journey of self-discovery, resilience, or empowerment, and why?

Melbourne Sci-Fi/Fantasy Social Catch-up

Hi all! Welcome to the Melbourne Sci-Fi/Fantasy Social Catch-up. Come along and talk to like-minded people and catch up on all the things you love about this genre. Be it the latest movies, TV shows, or a book you love; or maybe, you have played this fabulous board or computer game that you just want to share with others. Geeky t-shirts or quirky badges welcome! What a great chance to chat with new people or old friends about so many diverse topics. You never know, you might find a whole new sub-genre to delve into. New and old members are welcome to attend. Food and drink will be available for purchase at the tavern. If your plans change (even if it is at the last moment), please change your RSVP to a NO, so your event host knows who to expect on the day and so I can manage the booking at the Mitre Tavern! See you soon 🤓🤓🤓🤓

Glorious 25th May Lilac Day Craft Event!

Celebrate the Glorious Revolution! Join us at our Annual Lilac Day crafting event. We can sing about how they rise up, eat a hard boiled egg (BYO egg) or talk while our hands are busy making fun things. You can bring your own crafting projects\* or just chat with other Discworld fans. feel free to bring lunch or snacks. (This does include hard-boiled eggs, but your toast soldiers might go cold between home and the library.) when: 2:00-5:00pm 24th of May Where: private residence in Pahran, address will be given via dm after hitting "going" bring: drinks, snacks and your crafting supplies All the fun, all the games...well, all the enjoyment of making. See how the little angels rise up… This is a free event with no tickets. We only ask that you respond if you are attending or hoping to attend by clicking on the 'Going' button. (\*Darning mushrooms, knitting needles and crotchet hooks are allowed, as long as they are not used as weapons by the Agony Aunts. maybe avoid glitter)