A Day in Carlton: The Hope Prize – a masterclass

Join us at Readings' A Day in Carlton, 24 hours celebrating books, culture and community

We are delighted to host the celebration of the 2026 Hope Prize anthology, Bright Side, a collection of stories of hope, courage and resilience from writers around the world.

The evening opens with the Melbourne Mass Gospel Choir filling the church with song and a special video welcome from The Hon Julia Gillard AC, one of this year’s Hope Prize judges. Followed by a special panel of acclaimed writers and an contributing author from Bright Side. the panel will discuss the practice of writing hope: where it comes from, how it survives on the page, and why these stories matter more than ever. participate in a small writing exercise to practice writing towards hope.

Through a shared writing exercise, we’d like to spark reflections on what hope means for each of us, participation is completely voluntary. And because hope is best shared, we'll close as we began, with the choir, this time inviting everyone to join in and sing for joy. Whether you're a writer, a reader, or someone in need of a little shared humanity, come and celebrate the power of hope through storytelling.

The Hope Prize is one of the world’s leading short story prizes. It aims to encourage new and emerging writers from around the world. Each year The Hope Prize publishes winning and shortlisted authors in a collection published by Simon & Schuster, fostering new literary talent and offering a meaningful opportunity to writers everywhere.

Copies of Bright Side will be available to purchase on the night – royalties from the anthology will be donated to this year's charity partner, The Campaign for Female Education (CAMFED).

Light refreshments will be served.

Free, but bookings are essential.

This event is presented in partnership with The Hope Prize and University of Melbourne.