The Wheeler Centre for Books, Writing and Ideas
The newly crowned Wheeler Centre: Books, Writing and Ideas is the jewel of Melbourne's UNESCO City of Literature initiative. Housed at the State Library of Victoria, it is due to open in February 2010.
The Centre has been named in honour of Tony and Maureen Wheeler, the Victorian founders of Lonely Planet, who made a generous endowment to the Centre to support greatly expanded programming.
A hub for Victoria's literary and publishing community, The Wheeler Centre will be dedicated to the discussion and practice of writing and ideas, and will bring together writers and literary organisations including Victorian Writers Centre, Melbourne Writers Festival, Emerging Writers Festival, Express Media, the Australian Poetry Centre.
Florence Broadhurst staircase
Image courtesy of The Wheeler Centre
With a year-round programme of talks and lectures, readings and debates, The Wheeler Centre will offer Victoria a new space for conversation as well as providing literary organisations, publishers, universities, companies and the media with access to a large, new performance auditorium, shared meeting rooms and workshop spaces.
The Centre will be a new, highly productive literary hub, part of a burgeoning cultural precinct, alongside State Library of Victoria and close to Melbourne and RMIT Universities, dedicated to literature and ideas activity including lectures, book and magazine launches, poetry recitals, book readings, seminars, symposia, debates, and awards.
Visit The Wheeler Centre website to explore the design of the Centre and its inaugural program of events, including the highly anticipating grand opening in February 2010.
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