Dr. Debbie Challis, Creative Producer at the Portico Library, has been selected to join Melbourne City of Literature’s International Literary Programmers Roundtable for 2026.

Individuals from literary organisations based in UNESCO Creative Cities will join delegates from Melbourne’s literary sector for the programme. This is the fifth iteration of the roundtable, which seeks to showcase Australian writers, platform smaller literary organisations and forge connections between Melbourne and cities across the world.

The participants will have the exciting opportunity to visit Melbourne / Naarm during the Melbourne Literary Festival. There, they will network with the other delegates, exchange ideas and best practice, and meet Australian publishers and literary organisations – all whilst getting to know the city.

Debbie Challis (Manchester City of Literature) is a producer at The Portico Library. She is a cultural historian, Honorary Fellow at the University of Liverpool (Milesian Tales) and Fellow of the Royal History Society. Established in 1806, the Portico Library is one of Manchester’s longest-running institutions. It serves as a subscription library and newsroom with a historic collection of over 25,000 books and archives. Founded during the height of the British Empire, the library aims to interrogate the city’s complicated histories of inequity and exploitation through events, exhibitions and programs, such as the Portico Prize and Portico Sadie Massey Awards.

The other delegates selected for the programme are: Anna Goode (Norwich City of Literature), Holly Fletcher (Dunedin City of Literature), Jen McDerra (Exeter City of Literature), Maria Świątkowska (Kraków City of Literature), Nina Lohman (Iowa City) and Ryan van Winkle (Edinburgh City of Literature.) The group comprises a broad range of experience and disciplines, featuring writers, programme managers, festival coordinators, publishers, critics and more.

A huge congratulations to Debbie on being selected for this prestigious opportunity.