Stella Schools – Story Sessions: Brisbane
Meet the storytellers shaping Australia’s literary future: an exclusive opportunity for highschoolers to meet the 2026 Stella Prize authors
Date: Thursday, 14 May, 2026
Time: 10AM-1PM
Location: Old Museum Brisbane, 480 Gregory Terrace, Bowen Hills QLD 4006
Tickets: Available here, through Eventbrite. This event is FREE to attend, but bookings are essential.
In 2026 we’re taking the Stella Prize across Australia, with prize night events in three major Australian cities to celebrate the year’s most powerful and compelling books nominated for the Stella Prize.
In conjunction with the Prize Winners announcement, we are hosting a Stella Schools: Story Session in Brisbane on Thursday 14 May 2026.
Join Stella for a FREE one-day literary educational event, where secondary school students can hear directly from critically acclaimed women and non-binary authors as they discuss their books, writing processes, inspirations and careers.
These sessions offer a unique opportunity for students to deepen their literary understanding, explore future possibilities, and connect with the ideas at the forefront of contemporary Australian literature.
The event is suitable for highschoolers of all age groups, with a particular focus on years 9-10.
They will facilitate conversations that spark literacy: curiosity, creativity and critical thinking. Interactive Q&A sessions will encourage active participation in English by prompting students to ask questions, and deepen their understanding through rich discussion of themes, characters and the big ideas in the year’s most excellent Australian books.
Speakers
Sophie Gee
Sophie Gee is inaugural Vice Chancellor’s Fellow at the University of Sydney, co-leading the Campus Collaboration initiative, amplifying public trust in university communities and academic knowledge. Her focus is on the social impact of arts and humanities. She speaks worldwide at arts and literary festivals about why books and humanities matter more than ever.
Sophie is also a professor of English at Princeton University, where she teaches literary history from Beowulf to Jane Austen, as well as classes on contemporary fiction and creative writing. She’s the author of scholarly monographs about the origins of the novel and the history of waste in the eighteenth century, and the widely translated and acclaimed historical novel The Scandal of the Season.
She writes regularly for The New York Times, the TLS, the Washington Post and the Sydney Morning Herald, among other places.
Benjamin Law
Benjamin Law is an Australian writer and broadcaster.
He’s the author of The Family Law (2010), Gaysia (2013), the Quarterly Essay Moral Panic 101 (2017) and editor of Growing Up Queer in Australia (2019).
Benjamin is also an AWGIE Award-winning screenwriter. His forthcoming play for Melbourne Theatre Company is Dying: A Memoir (Oct–Nov 2025). He’s the co-executive producer, co-creator and co-writer of the Netflix comedy-drama Wellmania (2023), playwright of Melbourne Theatre Company’s sold-out play Torch the Place (2020), and creator and co-writer of three seasons of the award-winning SBS/Hulu/Comedy Central Asia TV series The Family Law (2016–2019). He has a PhD in creative writing and cultural studies from the Queensland University of Technology (QUT).
Every week, Benjamin interviews public figures for Good Weekend. He hosted ABC TV’s two-part feature documentary on Chinese-Australian history Waltzing the Dragon (2019) and co-hosted ABC Radio’s Stop Everything with Beverley Wang from 2018–2023. He has appeared on TV shows like Australian Survivor (Ten), Filthy Rich and Homeless (SBS), Q&A (ABC), The Drum (ABC) and The Project (Ten). He has also written for over 50 publications in Australia and beyond—including the Monthly, frankie, Guardian, Monocle and Australian Financial Review.
Benjamin works and lives on Gadigal Country, part of the Eora Nation (Sydney). He is a board member of Story Factory and Co-Curious, and an ambassador for Plan International Australia, the Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation, Victorian Pride Centre, Bridge for Asylum Seekers and the Pinnacle Foundation.
Each session includes two one-hour talks designed to mirror school timetables and class length.
Talks include
- Author in conversation with a moderator, and book readings
- Critical conversations about the themes, characters and stories in the year’s Stella-listed titles
- Insights into writing and related careers and pathways
- Open forums for students to ask questions and engage in discussion
- Book signings – books will be available for purchase before, and at the event
Event Schedule
- 9.30am – doors open, registrations begin
- 10am – Talk 1: 2026 Stella listed author in conversation with Sophie Gee
- 11am – Morning tea break
- 11.30am – Talk 2: 2026 Stella listed author in conversation with Benjamin Law
- 12.30pm – Event finishes, book signings available.
Accessibility and Venue
For more information about accessible entrances, parking, toilets, seating and hearing loop, please visit Old Museum;s website here, or contact education@stella.org.au.
Please refer to the ticketing site for further information about getting to the venue, and FAQ’s about this event.
This program is proudly supported by:
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