A Q&A with MWF Festival Director, Veronica Sullivan
2025's Magical Thinking edition of Melbourne Writers Festival was the start of a new chapter. As we invite our community to donate to MWF, we want to share an insight into the leadership of the Festival, and what we are planning for 2026. We sat down with Festival Director and CEO Veronica Sullivan to hear more about MWF’s 40th anniversary plans, and where she hopes donations can help in 2026.
You recently celebrated your one-year anniversary with MWF. When you reflect on your first year as Festival Director, what are you most proud of in 2025?
It was a privilege and a joy to steer the festival and deliver my first MWF this year. A highlight for me was the way our community came together to support and be part of the festival – from authors and artists, booksellers, publishers, partners, and of course our incredible audiences. The depth of connection and warmth of the community around MWF is something truly special.
Can you tell us anything about the 2026 program yet? What can audiences look forward to seeing?
Looking ahead to 2026, we are excited to celebrate our 40th anniversary year with a festival that honours everything readers have loved about MWF over the past four decades, while also looking to our future. That means, of course, we’ll have plenty of brilliant Australian and international authors discussing their latest books of fiction, nonfiction and poetry, as well as performances, live podcasts, fun events like gameshows and book clubs, and programming that explores and platforms different storytelling forms. More will be revealed with our program launch in March!
What are three things donations will support in 2026?
Always, our priority is to pay as many artists as possible to take part in the festival, to share their writing and discuss their work. It's particularly important for us to support local Melbourne writers and emerging voices.
We also hope to grow our free and Pay What You Wish programming, ensuring more audiences are able to attend the festival.
And finally, we're so excited to expand the MWF Schools program. We’ve recently announced we'll be adding a brand-new dedicated VCE Day in 2026, designed to get students thinking, creating, and exploring texts in fresh ways.
MWF is celebrating its 40th anniversary next year. When you look back on previous iterations of the Festival, what is something that has remained consistent over the years?
Melbourne is a city that LOVES to read. This has been true throughout MWF’s history, and is both a cause and an effect of the city being designated as the world’s second-ever UNESCO City of Literature in 2008. First and foremost, MWF is shaped by our city and by its readers and writers, and as they have grown and evolved over time, so too has the festival. Also, a sense of playfulness and curiosity is something I've really admired in many past MWFs, and strive to incorporate into the events I program.
You've lived in Melbourne your whole life. What do writers’ festivals mean to a community?
Writers’ festivals are spaces for coming together, for connection, and for celebration. They’re where you can meet your longtime favourite author, or discover a new-to-you writer whose stories might change your life.
I was a fervent attendee of MWF events long before I ever dreamed of directing the festival, and I still recall the sense of possibility that attracted me to the conversations taking place at the festival – there are enormous rewards to keeping an open mind.
What's something that was made possible in the festival this year due to the generosity of donors?
The support of our donors enables us to test out new event ideas and see what resonates. 2025 MWF events like the Badass Women of Melbourne Walking Tours, or Found in Translation: Translation Slam with Mariana Enríquez – which both sold-out and had wonderful feedback from audiences – are the types of bold programming we can trial thanks to our supporters.
We also doubled our free programming this year (and hope to grow it again in 2026) – which is squarely thanks to the support of our donors.
Currently reading?
I've just read Heart the Lover by Lily King. It’s the perfect one-sitting read for a Sunday afternoon when you need a cathartic cry. Divine.
Where's your favourite public space to read in Melbourne?
I do a lot of audiobook listening on the tram, but that’s mostly by necessity rather than for pleasure! In a city with such a strong food and drink culture, I can’t go past a bar or cafe. There are so many CBD hospitality venues that lend themselves to solo dining, which are perfect for holing up for an afternoon reading over a coffee or glass of wine. Special shout-out to our friends and neighbours at The Moat – the cosiest space with the loveliest team, and a perfectly calibrated happy hour.
