The Emerging Writers’ Festival work, learn and play largely on the land of the Kulin nation, and pay our respects to their Elders, past and present.

EWF celebrates the history and creativity of the world’s oldest living culture.

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The Emerging Writers’ Festival Board

EWF is governed by a volunteer Board, made up of six to twelve members. The EWF Board meets monthly with our co-CEOs to oversee business operations, and ensure best practice governance.

As all roles are with EWF; our Board roles are developmental – perfect for first-time board members and emerging arts leaders interested in governance.

LATOYAH FORSYTH, Chair

Latoyah is an experienced arts administrator, marketer and leader with 15 years’ experience working in the arts, culture, entertainment and music sector. She holds a Bachelor of Arts (Cultural Studies and Creative Writing) and a Master of Communications and Media Studies. In 2023, Latoyah is a Betty Amsden Arts Leadership Award and Scholarship recipient, which supports the development of strong young leaders in arts based NFPs or in NFPs utilising the arts to achieve social outcomes. Latoyah is passionate about creative communications and engagement, measured experimentation, value creation and building strong, meaningful relationships with a broad range of stakeholders to better business and community.

ERICA CHAN

Board in August 2015 as secretary and first-time board member. Erica brings legal and commercial experience in corporate governance, contracts, and negotiation. From an artistic perspective, Erica provides a voice for our audience on the board, as well as cultural diversity with her background as a second-generation Chinese Australian. Erica has had short stories and poetry published in Ideomancer magazine, Star*line magazine, and Grievous Angel magazine under the pen name Lee S. Hawke. Her poem “The Dark Lord’s Diary” was nominated for the American Science Fiction Poetry Association’s 2017 Rhysling Award for best SFF long poem.

GABRIELLE RYAN

Gabrielle Ryan is an experienced arts leader. She has held roles such as General Manager at the Substation Contemporary Arts Space, Head of Production and Relationships at the Wheeler Centre for Books, Writing and Ideas as well as short term contract roles at the Stella Prize, Blak and Bright First Nations Literary Festival, RMIT Culture and Melbourne Writers Festival. She has a PhD in Creative Writing, a Masters in Creative Writing, Publishing and Editing and is in the final year of a Masters of Business (Arts and Cultural Management). 

ANNE-MARIE TE WHIU

Anne-Marie Te Whiu is an Australian-born Māori who belongs to Te Rarawa iwi in Hokianga, Aotearoa NZ. She is a poet, editor, festival and cultural producer and weaver. 

JULIA CARLOMAGNO

Julia Carlomagno is publisher & director at Monash University Publishing. During her time in publishing she has been lucky to work with some of the country’s best writers, including at Penguin, Macmillan, Scribe and Black Inc. She has won two national editing awards and taught at RMIT University. 

MELENTIE PANDILOVSKI

Dr Melentie Pandilovski is a media art thinker, writer, director, and curator. His research, which includes over 200 curated projects and numerous publications, examines the links between art, culture, science & technology. He is based in Melbourne, Australia. His current roles include Creative Producer International at JOLT Arts in Melbourne, Australia; Vice President of International Association of Art Critics (AICA) Macedonia; Member of the Digital Art Committee ACM SIGGRAPH.

AIMEE DAVIES

Aimee Davies is a Creative Counsellor and founder of the social enterprise Hey Mate, advocating wellbeing in the arts. Her work spans over 15 years in the creative sector and 8 years in mental health support. Aimee’s academic foundation is a Bachelor of Arts in literature and drama. She has served on the MEAA Entertainment and Wellness Committee, advocating for artist welfare. Her collaborations include NIDA, Queensland Ballet, Queensland Theatre, and Regional Arts Australia, reflecting her impact in the Australian arts and culture space. As a board member of the Emerging Writers Festival, Aimee continues to foster a supportive environment for emerging talents. 

MICHELLE KURRLE

Michelle has worked professionally in Parliament and the Victorian public service for over 10 years in policy areas spanning health, housing and homelessness, youth justice, public governance, and infrastructure. She has extensive experience in setting strategic direction for organisations, teams and programs and has significant governance experience, including advising on restructures to enhance governance. She is also an award-winning writer. 

HENRY KOEHNE

Henry Koehne is the co-founder of Cosmic Scream, is a former lawyer and commercial generalist with experience in roles spanning retail, commercial and corporate law, property development, and business consulting. He’s worked for a broad cross-section of SMEs in Australia and one of the largest FMCG multinationals in Europe. His film experience includes roles in production for “Force of Nature” (2023), the documentary “Like My Brother” (2023) and a suite of animated shorts for the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (2023). He’s currently completing the full-time MBA at Melbourne Business School.

GUY EDWARDS

Guy Edwards is an experienced strategy consultant and project manager. His experience includes commercial life science, pharmaceuticals, healthcare, public sector research & development, and higher education.

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