This year, Emerging Writers’ Festival is excited to be partnering with Regional Arts Australia to support three regionally-based writers in attending our 20th anniversary festival in-person.

These writers are taking part in Regional Arts Australia’s Regional Scribes initiative, a personal and professional development opportunity where participants in any stage of their writing and storytelling journeys can overcome the vast isolation of living regionally by coming together with like-minded peers across the country. This initiative provides a space to nurture participants’ creative practices through sharing and listening, talks and workshops, and group and individual activities.

This year will see their participation in EWF as three Regional Scribes attend a selection of in-person events and reflect on their time at #EWF23. These reflections will then be published for you to read right here on the Emerging Writers’ Festival blog.

To learn more about this initiative, head to the Regional Arts Australia website here.

Meet the three #EWF23 Regional Scribes!

Josh King, SA

Josh is a poet, musician, and filmmaker from Mount Gambier, South Australia who enjoys experimenting with traditional art forms and exploring the ways in which art can enrich the lives of everyone, both artists and appreciators. He has worked on several projects with Writers SA and was a member of the “This Breath” showcase at the National Young Writers’ Festival in Newcastle. He is also a member of the musical group Sexy As Shit. Their most recent song, XXXMAS, was released in December, with more singles to follow throughout the year.

Levin Shillam, NSW

When you hear the words Levin Shillam you probably think of great sprawling deserts and tumbleweeds drifting past. But in actual fact, Levin Shillam is one of those writing people… or an aspiring one. In the regional Australian town of Grafton he grew up, but has since performed open-mic comedy in Newcastle and Canberra. Currently, Levin writes absurdist short stories and audio dramas, and studies a Bachelor of Arts.

Elena Hogan, VIC

Elena is a queer writer, photographer and artist living on unceded Wurundjeri land. In 2018, after one year, Elena left behind her Visual Arts (Photography) degree at the VCA to pursue Arts (Create Writing and English & Theatre Studies) at the University of Melbourne, where she graduated in 2022. Elena is knee-deep in her debut novel, The Lemons are Green. She is exploring her trans experience in the context of autism, regional living and interracial love. Her prose might be described as direct, offbeat, serene. She has been published in Farrago and was nominated for ‘Best Creative Non-Fiction Piece’ and ‘Best Live Reading’ in 2022. Elena was awarded the Cromarty Prize in 2021 for the “best essay in any first year English subject”. She was also nominated for the Scroggin Prize in 2019 for her creative non-fiction and poetry. Find her work at elenafolio.cargo.site.

We can’t wait to host the Regional Scribes at #EWF23 and hear all about their work!

The Regional Scribes writers were supported by EWF in collaboration with Regional Arts Australia to participate in the festival.

Regional Scribes is an initiative of Regional Arts Australia supported by the Australian Government through the Regional Arts Fund