ANNUAL REPORT 2018 TABLE OF CONTENTS MESSAGE FROM OUR DIRECTOR 4 MESSAGE FROM OUR CHAIR 5 ABOUT THE WHEELER CENTRE 6–7 Our Mission Our Principles THE STORY SO FAR 8 2018 SNAPSHOT 9 THE YEAR IN REVIEW 10–11 HIGHLIGHTS 11 DIGITAL ACTIVITY 15 Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards 11 Invasion of the Pod People 2018 Gala: Words on Fire 11 So You Think You Can Pod Liane Moriarty 11 Signal Boost Celebrating Peter Temple 12 Talkfest MAYHEM event series 12 Regional Focus 16 MEL&NYC 12 Books and Ideas at Montalto 16 Ronan Farrow: Power, Abuse and Facing Facts Hot Desk Fellowships 17 Emily Nussbaum: Culture, Criticism and TV Today The Next Chapter – A New Writers’ Scheme 17 Collective Spirit: First Nations Poetry 12 The Fifth Estate 18 AFLW 2018 Season Wrap 12 The Next Big Thing 18 Robin DiAngelo: White Fragility 13 Celebrations to mark the anniversary of the marriage equality vote 18 PEN Lecture: The War on Journalism – How 9/11 Changed Everything 13 Going Postal Lee Child 13 Beyond Marriage Equality Joseph Stiglitz: Global Inequality and the 1% 13 Take it From Me Gillian Triggs: Speaking Up 13 Celebrating our City of Literature 19 A Night with Geoffrey Robertson 13 Ten Stories of Melbourne NEW SERIES 14 Literary Parliament Fame, Feast and Femme Fatale: The Banquet The Show of the Year 19 of Cleopatra FUTURE PROOFING OUR APPROACH 20–21 Dead Calm: Honest Conversations about Death This is Not a Drill with Ali Moore FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE 22–23 PARTNERSHIPS 24 THANK YOU 25 OUR PEOPLE 26 ANNUAL REPORT 2018 3 MESSAGE FROM OUR DIRECTOR MESSAGE FROM OUR CHAIR It’s the eternal present and ambitious The most notable among the new My first year as chair of the Wheeler Our digital activity continues to be a future of life at the Wheeler Centre that initiatives was the launch and roll-out of Centre has been a proud and fulfilling one. vital part of our offering, with many gets us bouncing out of bed every The Next Chapter. Our innovative and talks broadcast online and via podcast. From the successful launch of The Next morning (well, most mornings). But it comprehensive grants and mentorship Another successful iteration of our Chapter scheme to the excitement of means there’s something particularly nice scheme, created with the support of the So You Think You Can Pod competition collaborating on the MEL&NYC project, about pausing for a moment and looking Aesop Foundation, allowed us to make was held in December. The Wheeler the centre certainly never stood still. back at the things that defined last year. an intervention into the publishing process Centre also announced its new Signal The team here at the Wheeler Centre – unlike any we’d made before. Genuinely New directors John Gibbins and Will Boost initiative, which will offer tailored now a core of 22 brilliant, extraordinary, national, deeply concerned with finding Hayward were appointed to the board mentorships to up to five entrants from passionate nerds – work so hard, that ways to support artists and elevate this year, joining directors Julie Pinkham, 2019’s So You Think You Can Pod stopping and taking stock sometimes marginalised and diverse voices, we Anita Ziemer, Corrie Perkin, Clare competition, helping them to develop feels like a luxury. couldn’t be prouder of how it has rolled Wright and Marcus Fazio. The board their first podcast episodes. out in its first year. has supported the staff in consolidating Looking over this 2018 Annual Report, One of the key focuses for the board a clear vision for the Wheeler Centre’s one thing that really strikes me is how It would have been easy to say in 2018, has been ensuring that we work future that supports its dual purposes of unique each year has been in the that directly funding and supporting strategically to develop additional bringing conversation and storytelling to Wheeler Centre’s eight years of public writers to give them creative space and funding sources and we were delighted diverse audiences. A sub-committee for programming. We were, back when we resourcing, wasn’t something the Wheeler to welcome many new partners and There’s something about writing a risk and finance has been established, opened our doors in February of 2010, Centre did. That eight years in, we were supporters in 2018. Their support, as director’s message for an annual report too. Through both, we will continue to working out who we were and what our through with defining ourselves and well as our audience’s, will ensure the that concentrates the mind. Here at the engage and honour our promise to our role in the rich cultural community of introducing new strings to our collective Wheeler Centre continues to deliver Wheeler Centre, we’re running on several community: our audiences, our guests, Melbourne might be. We were trying and bow. But that’s not how we roll. The quality conversations with the best local different timelines, and asking ourselves our funding partners and sponsors. experimenting, listening to audiences and Wheeler Centre is passionately committed and international writers and speakers several different questions, on any given artists alike, making it our job to reflect and to raising public conversation to an art I thank the board for their contribution well into the future. day: challenge and amplify the conversations form, and placing it at the heart of civic of time, energy and talent to the 1) What events are on tonight? Which of our community. What’s so exhilarating engagement; to celebrating and fostering Wheeler Centre. writers and speakers are we proudly is that this still describes how we work the community that springs from books, 382 speakers were engaged by the sharing with audiences this week? in 2019. And last year was a year that writing and ideas; to make it easier to live Wheeler Centre in 2018, comprising exemplified this spirit and energy. and work as a reader and writer in this 2) What’s coming up in the months a diverse range of genders, cultural city. 2018 shows us once again pushing ahead? Is everything in place for While we continued to deliver core backgrounds, ideologies and ages. This at our limits. And you should see what upcoming announcements? Can we programming to the amazing and diversity is also reflected in our audience we’re working on now! Susan Oliver start talking about our long-gestating generous audiences – both local and and we are undertaking many initiatives Chair projects with our wider community? digital – that the Wheeler Centre has in 2019 to ensure this continues. accrued over its life so far, we continued 3) And what are the pipe dreams? to push ourselves up and outward in What are our grand schemes? a range of exciting ways. Backed by a Where are our collaborations – with largely new board, headed up by our cultural colleagues, partners and imaginative and steadfast new Chair, industry – taking us in the years Susan Oliver, we identified the areas ahead? where we’d excelled and built upon Michael Williams them, determined not to be complacent, Director determined to reach audiences across Melbourne, Australia and beyond who would connect with the conversations we were lucky enough to host. 4 ANNUAL REPORT 2018 ANNUAL REPORT 2018 5 Championing Exemplifying Engaging ABOUT THE WHEELER CENTRE Writers and Inclusion and Audiences Writing Accessibility Conversations require multiple voices and perspectives. Writers develop new OUR MISSION We celebrate the contribution Australian We are dedicated to the principle vocabularies, hone their argument and authors make to our cultural and of universal accessibility. We strive test character; audiences probe ideas, intellectual life. We offer new channels to reach the broadest communities The Wheeler Centre exists to drive the development and celebration and ask questions that expose dark for writers to engage with readers, aim possible and are committed to areas to light. Together this constantly to make it easier to live and work as embracing linguistic and cultural of literature in Melbourne and beyond, and fosters broad public evolving community advances a professional writer in this country, diversity on stage. We programme knowledge and recommits to a culture and promote the achievements of eclectic and inclusive subject matter engagement in books, writing and ideas. of analysis, curiosity and connection. writers across all genres. Writers are and literary styles that appeal to as wide We endeavour to engage audiences the backbone of Australia’s literary an audience as possible and deliver We aspire to be nationally and internationally renowned as a through a variety of channels that reputation; their work permeates our our programme in accessible locations embody our commitment to dialogue. leading institution for the art of conversation, and a champion of the society and without them, the Wheeler across Melbourne and Victoria, with a Centre wouldn’t exist. growing focus on digital content for our transformative power of informed public discussion and debate. national audiences. As a central tenet of accessibility, around seventy percent Future of the Centre’s year-long programme is Elevating free and over seventy percent is filmed Proofing our OUR PRINCIPLES Public for digital broadcast. Approach Conversation We are building a national and international reputation as a high- The Wheeler Centre pursues a variety of activities, which are We are dedicated to supporting and Supporting the performing and unique cultural strengthening conversations throughout institution. Our achievements to date underpinned by six principles. Our principles express our aspirations our community. We aim to raise the act Literary Sector have required significant resources and of public conversation to an art-form as a leading Australian literary arts and cultural institution.