Express Media is delighted to announce the 2016 Express Media Fundraising Gala, an exclusive literary event to be held on November 26 at The Moat Bar and Restaurant in Melbourne.

The gala will feature speeches and readings by prominent alumni and literary icons, including award-winning authors Anna Krien, Hannah Kent and international best-seller John Marsden, as well as live music and a fundraiser auction.

Earlier this year, Express Media was one of the arts organisations that lost their multi-year operational funding as a result of cuts to the Australia Council for the Arts.

In Van Badham’s article for the Guardian, Richard Watts said defunding Express Media is “a criminal act that will damage the future of literature in Australia”.

Our flagship publication, Voiceworks, is Australia’s premier youth literary journal featuring poetry, fiction, nonfiction, comics and visual art by people under 25. We call upon our network of alumni, contributors, participants and followers to support the future of our organisation and ensure Voiceworks remains in print for many years to come.

The gala is an opportunity for industry professionals to network, whilst supporting the future of Express Media and its capacity to deliver writing and literary opportunities to young people. Emerging and established writers, as well as supporters and friends of our organisation are also invited to attend.

There will be 100 tickets available at a cost of $50 each, which includes a copy of Voiceworks, a drink on arrival and canapés throughout the night (*please note: this is strictly an 18+ event). Through the generation of ticket sales and auctioning donated items on a literary theme, we aim to raise a total of $10,000 through the event, in order to cover the 2017 printing and operational costs of Voiceworks.

This is an exclusive event and tickets are limited. Tickets can be booked here.