The Trans Book Festival Has Revealed Its 2026 Program And It’s Full Of Your Favourite Authors

Melbourne’s Trans Book Festival has dropped an absolutely stacked 2026 program, featuring a line-up of brilliant Australian trans and gender diverse authors, including Zoe Terakes, Darcy Green, Ellen van Neerven, Lay Maloney and Dylin Hardcastle.

This is the second year for the festival, which is held in the heart of Melbourne at The Wheeler Centre, and also some events at Studio Take Care in Brunswick. The program includes panels on trans participation in sport, trans solidarity against systemic adversity, challenges in Australia’s publishing landscape, and so much more.

Festival Director Eli Sutherland told Star Observer that the festival is vital in a time of growing anti-trans rhetoric, “it’s vitally important that positive, nuanced representations of the trans community are available to ourselves and our allies.”

“Obviously progressive queer narratives are becoming increasingly accepted in the Australian literary scene. But the T in LGBTQ+ is still in a lot of ways, unduly discriminated against. We’re seeing a rise in anti-trans rhetoric, especially by the right-wing media, but  sometimes from our own communities, which is a shame, but the reality.”

And while trans authors are getting more recognition at mainstream literary festivals, Sutherland points out that most of these festials are place based, whereas TBF is an identity based festival – and the only one in the Southern Hemisphere.

 

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Positive representation of trans and gender diverse writers and their literary works is important in itself, but Sutherland also says that despite the growing canon of trans writing, trans and gender diverse stories are still “not necessarily seen as commercially viable”.

“And I thoroughly disagree with that,” they say. “I think that some of the best and most engaging stories that I’ve read are by trans authors, about trans characters, and it sells as an appetite.”

When it comes to what they’re excited about in the 2026 festival, Sutherland says they wish they could see all the panels, but won’t physically be able to.

“I’m excited to go to the poetry workshop with Kaya Ortiz. We’ve got a trans solidarities panel that I think it’s gonna be incredible, talking about the the tensions around Palestine, and First Nation solidarity here and internationally, and it’s featuring anti Zionist Jewish writers and how that solidarity across identities is really important.”

But they also note that just being in the same space as so many trans writers and community members in the audience is special in itself, and was part of why last year’s festival was so successful.

The Trans Book Festival is held over 17-19 April 202 with tickets on sale now. There are sliding-scale ticket prices to available for the entire festival weekend.