The Wheeler Centre

Don’t miss the last edition of Next Big Thing for 2024. This beloved Melbourne tradition brings together five literary stars of tomorrow as they share their works exploring the search for answers, identity and solace. Actor, comedian and writer Michelle Brasier’s new memoir My Brother’s Ashes are in a Sandwich Bag blends humour with heartbreak as she navigates grief through comedy. Caitlin Farrugia’s debut collection of short prose Search Histories is a journey through humanity’s curiosities, absurdities and vulnerabilities, by way of the everyday Google search. Tigest Girma introduces her Young Adult romantasy novel Immortal Dark, a dark academia story of vampire lore influenced by East African history and cultures. Aisling Smith’s latest work of short fiction in Kill Your Darling’s sixth annual collection of short fiction New Australian Fiction 2024 recounts the exploration of a woman reclaiming her voice. Ethan Cutajar's Voiceworks piece, ‘As the Crow Flies’, is a tribute to one dizzying year of self-reflection and the inability to heed red flags during times of personal unrest and turmoil.