Melbourne Writers' Festival 2009—Margo's schedule

Okay, getting organised now, for the following events:

• The launch of Award Winning Australian Writing, including a short reading from that unwholesome story, 'The Goosle'. 2.30pm, Friday August 21, Festival Club. This one's free.

• Visions of the City panel: How do we imagine the city in fiction? Catastrophic metropolises, decaying ghost towns, cities hidden beneath cities: to launch Overland magazine’s Melbourne Futures issue, China Miéville, Margo Lanagan and Jack Dann discuss how the city features in their work. Chaired by Overland’s Rjurik Davidson. Saturday 22 Aug, 2.30pm–3.30pm, in ACMI 2. This one'll cost you.

• A seminar, From Oliver Twist to Twilight: How easy is it to get published in the Golden Age of YA Literature? How flexible is YA fiction and how do you make your stories both believable and challenging? If anyone know, it’ll be Margo Lanagan (NSW) and Anthony Eaton (ACT). Sunday 23 August, 10am–1pm, RMIT City Campus. This one will cost you even more, but I promise to do my bit to make it worth every cent.

Then, all next week, there's the Regional Tour. On the bus with me will be David Metzenthen, Michael Hyde and Melina Marchetta, and we'll be going around to school groups in Swan Hill, Kyneton, Moe, Frankston and Geelong. Each day I'll be on 2 panels:

• Fantasy and Fiction with Melina: 'Join Melina Marchetta and Margo Lanagan as they explore the boundaries of what's real and what's not. Do fantasy writers avoid reality or confront it more directly? Are fantasies just a matter of make believe, or do they say serious things?', and

• Characters with a Difference, with Melina and David Metzenthen: ' Join Margo Lanagan, Melina Marchetta and David Metzenthen as they discuss the art to creating characters that spring from the pages, how they get under their characters' skin and how it's through character that many elements of a story are revealed.'

I'll also be running a 45-minute writing workshop on the Tuesday and the Thursday.

So, I've got my work cut out for me, eh? Off to think up brilliant, wise things to say.