Multilingual Open Mic - Lost in Books: A multi-lingual pop-up bookstore and festival within a festival

Listen as the languages that live on our campus and in our communities come alive through multilingual readings in a relaxed and freewheeling open mic event. Staff and students from across the university as well as members of the public are invited to do a short (up to 4-minute) reading in a language other than English or in a mix of languages.  Poetry or prose, your own work or the work of writers you cherish, translations or originals – we're excited by it all!

On-the-spot participation is also welcome.

Lost in Books: A multi-lingual pop-up bookstore and festival within a festival

Discover Melbourne as a richly multilingual city, with languages, stories and literary traditions from around the world. Lost in Books, a mobile bookshop caravan, will pop up on the University of Melbourne campus and then in Carlton offering multilingual reading, browsing and conversation, with books available to explore and buy.

This is a family-friendly space, with plenty of things for kids to do, and is for everyone who wants to connect, create and converse. Read from your favourite multilingual work (or your own!) at our special open mic event. Visit us during the day to browse our thrilling selection of multilingual books and share your stories to one of our programmed events, including a multilingual writing workshop open to all, a multilingual book-making workshop for kids facilitated by a multilingual storyteller and a featured author talk.

What to expect: 

A multilingual mobile bookshop caravan located at the University of Melbourne’s Parkville campus from 5–6 November and then at Lincoln Square, Carlton, from 7–8 November.

Being Human 2026 

This project was produced in collaboration with the 2026 Being Human Festival. Founded in the UK as the only national festival of the humanities, Being Human is now a global celebration dedicated to demonstrating the breadth, diversity and vitality of the humanities. 

View the full Festival program here. 

Image: Benjamin Tiger La, My Tiger Productions

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