Wendy Harmer is this year's opening night speaker, with the versatile entertainer and writer launching the festival on Friday, April 4, at the University of Newcastle Conservatorium of Music.
Festival Director Rosemarie Milsom said the weekend to follow would be an enticing mix of "incredible" talent bringing their best to the festival throughout 45 events, including workshops, forums and readings. Half of the sessions are free thanks to the generosity of sponsors.
"This year's program has something for everyone," Milsom said. "From the masterful crime writer Garry Disher to Lake Macquarie-born novelist Kathryn Heyman, former Vogue editor and author Kirstie Clements, comedian Tim Ferguson, social researcher Hugh Mackay, poets Anthony Lawrence and Mark Tredinnick, adventurer Tim Cope, Philip Nitschke and Caroline Jones, it is a stellar line-up of this country's best writers. It also features fantastic local content."
This year, the main festival is preceded by a children's program beginning on April 2 with a day for pre-schoolers at Newcastle Region Library. Popular authors hosting workshops and readings for young people include Tristan Bancks, Leila Rudge and Aaron Blabey.
The inaugural Newcastle Writers Festival was held last April and was an overwhelming success with 2800 people attending 35 events. Once again, Newcastle City Hall will be the festival hub, though a number of events will also being held at various venues throughout the city including Newcastle Art Gallery, Reserve Wine Bar and Agosti Espresso.
1233 ABC Newcastle has partnered with the festival with local program presenters featuring heavily throughout the program as workshop hosts.
The program is available from http://ift.tt/WSj9BF and tickets will be on sale from 9am, February 22, via Ticketek.
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