Q-Lit Festival 2025: Celebrating Queer Voices and Stories
The Q-Lit Festival 2025 returns with a powerful lineup of queer authors, performers, poets, and thinkers, promising a week of creativity, celebration, and community. This year’s event welcomes a dynamic mix of storytelling, workshops, comedy, romance, and academic insight, all held across key cultural venues in Melbourne from June 20 to June 27, 2025.
Opening Night Gala: Voices That Dazzle
Opening the festival with energy and pride, the Gala Night sets the tone for what’s to come. Hosted by Bebe Oliver, the stage welcomes Dean Arcuri, Tiger Salmon, Urvi Majumdar, Claire G. Coleman, Wallis Prophet, Noah Riseman, Lili Wilkinson, Rae White, and Ed Moon. This dazzling night of queer stories and voices will unfold at the Mission to Seafarers, offering both free and ticketed access.
Literary Celebration at the Victorian Pride Centre
The literary heartbeat of the festival lies in the Day of Books at the Victorian Pride Centre. Visitors can explore new and secondhand queer literature, connect with local publishers like Hares and Hyenas and the Australian Queer Archives, and meet community authors. A special Youth Workshop invites queer writers aged 12–24 to share their voice and get featured on the Q-Lit platform.
Queer Books That Shaped Generations
In the afternoon, Christos Tsiolkas hosts a moving panel titled “Queer Books That Shaped Generations”, featuring Jes Layton and Charlee Brooks, highlighting stories that influenced communities across decades. It’s a powerful tribute to literature as resistance and memory.
Masterclass Series for Emerging Writers
Aspiring authors and literature enthusiasts will not want to miss the Masterclass Series held at the Kathleen Syme Centre. Amie Kaufman will help new writers ignite their projects, Reimena Yee will guide participants through the research process, and Claire G. Coleman will unpack the complexities of getting published as a queer voice in a changing industry.
Exploring Queer Identity Through Academic Panels
The academic spotlight shines in Researching Our Culture, where Paul Venzo hosts a panel featuring Carolyn D’Cruz, Tom Sandercock, Bron Bateman, Clare O’Hanlon, and Hans Kek. Through an intellectual lens, they explore queer identity and cultural representation in scholarly contexts, hosted at Library at the Dock.
Afternoon Panels: Capitalism, Identity, and Storytelling
For those who crave emotionally rich stories, Afternoon Stories at Fringe Common Rooms delivers back-to-back panels. Mama Alto leads Write or Wrong: Living Through Capitalism with Alison Evans and Chenai Mupotsa-Russell, followed by Sharing Our Stories with a diverse group of performers and authors like Nevo Zisin, Katerina Gibson, Artemis Munoz, and Troy Hunter, set to music by Max Aurora.
Evening Laughter with Comedy Sesh and Gag Reflex
A night of laughter and reflection awaits at Evies Disco Diner with Comedy Sesh. Steph Crothers hosts Drag Race vs. the Stories We Need, a conversation on whether mainstream drag culture eclipses authentic narratives, featuring Lazy Susan and Patrick Lenton. Later, Scout Boxall hosts Gag Reflex, where a lineup of queer comedians bring cathartic comedy to the stage.
Closing with Love: Romance and Queer Intimacy Unleashed
As the festival nears its finale, Evening Romance turns to themes of love, sensuality, and queer intimacy. From the Non-Binary and Bisexual Romance panel hosted by Natasha Hertanto with JC Roycroft and Jasper Peach, to the sensual and bold Adults-Only Cheeky Poetry session hosted by Fleassy Malay, this night explores the many shades of queer connection through poetry, literature, and music.
The Legacy of Q-Lit 2025
The Q-Lit Festival 2025 affirms the importance of queer storytelling, fosters intergenerational dialogue, and makes space for love, laughter, and literary joy. Whether you’re new to queer literature or a seasoned writer, this festival promises to be bold, inclusive, and unforgettable.çç
