Writing Family History: A Workshop with Jonathan Butler

As part of the Ballarat Heritage Festival, writer and content producer, Jonathan Butler will be teaching a workshop on writing your family history. We all have a fascinating story in our family that needs to be told. But where to begin? Where to look? Who to speak to?

This workshop, which draws from Jonathan Butler’s own experience researching and writing about his ancestors, will provide actionable advice on how to single out a story, helpful Australian archives to explore, true crime and Defence research, and building a portrait of your ancestor’s world. Jonathan will also share some templates to help with your own family research.

Jonathan Butler is a writer and content producer who lives in Melbourne. His debut non-fiction book THE BOY IN THE DRESS (Affirm Press, 2022) was shortlisted for the Age Book of the Year (2022) and won the Danger Award for True Crime (2023). His work has been published in The Guardian, Meanjin and ArtsHub.