The Wheeler Centre will celebrate its sixth year with another slam-dunk program. It will kick off on February 13.

The world’s most-famous atheist, the provocative and controversial evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins, will discuss his recent memoirs and documentary, The Unbelievers on March 2.

Miranda July, the director and star of Me and You and Everyone We Know, and author of The First Bad Man, will explain her creative work with an interactive presentation, Lost Child!, on March 7.

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Ex-Bad Seed Hugo Race and music critic Mark Mordue look back over a 35-year music career in Hugo Race: Road Series on March 31.

Eccentric MONA founder and professional gambler David Walsh will host a thought-provoking discussion on what art is and why we do it, called Walsh: On the Origin of Art on February 24.

Darkly humorous Israeli short-story and screen writer Etgar Keret will appear on February 25 to discuss his memoir about life and fatherhood in Tel Aviv, The Seven Good Years.

The Gala Night of Storytelling on February 13 will feature 10 writers and thinkers, including Anna Funder, Russel Howcroft, Jack Charles and Lee Lin Chin. They will discuss how and why books have shaped their thinking.

Other program highlights include the launch of the first Victorian Indigenous Literacy Festival, Blak & Bright, on February 19, and The Next Big Thing series, which will showcase exciting new writers in February and March. This year also marks the fifth anniversary of the Hazel Rowley Literary Fellowship. On March 9, join previous fellowship winners, including Maxine Beneba Clarke, for a discussion on The Art of Biography Writing and the announcement of this year’s winner.

As part of The Wheeler Kids series, the creators of Little Lunch, Danny Katz and Mitch Vane, will share some true stories behind this kids’ book series that has become an ABC3 television show.

The full 2016 Season One Wheeler Centre program is available here. Bookings for all events are essential (and mostly free), and can be made at wheelercentre.com.