Stories will come alive in Margaret this winter as the 9th annual Margaret River Readers and Writers Festival gears up to be one of the best yet. Held from 02-04 June, the festival will include author talks, panel discussions, Q&A’s, book signings, workshops and free activities for the whole family.
The festival’s line-up of literary talent includes 40 authors and presenters spanning 50 events. The announcement begins with one of Australia’s most distinguished and respected journalists Kerry O’Brien. Kerry has been a journalist for 49 years covering print, television and wire service, as a reporter, feature writer, columnist and foreign correspondent.
Writer, speaker and feminist thinker Clementine Ford will also take the stage to talk about her first book Fight Like A Girl which was an instant bestseller and will later join author, novelist, journalist and social commentator Jane Caro for a candid discussion on the challenges and triumphs of balancing careers, families and pressures from society and ourselves.
Renowned Australian author Robert Drewe, known for his novels, short stories and memoirs will also feature, as will Bruce Pascoe; a Bunurong, Tasmanian and Yuin man whose book Dark Emu, won the Book of the Year and Indigenous Writer’s Prize in the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards.
West Australian talents include award-winning novelist Joan London, writer and broadcaster Ian Parmenter and Nicole Sinclair, whose short stories have won the Down South Writers Competition and whose first novel Bloodlines was shortlisted for the 2014 TAG Hungerford Award.
Festival Director Tanya Perdue encouraged Perth-based booklovers to come to Margaret River and make a weekend of it. “It’s the perfect excuse for a winter escape down south,” she said. “We truly have an incredibly diverse line-up of authors coming to Margaret River for this year’s festival – and so many event choices too.”
There is an array of captivating author talks and discussions included in Day Passes and 3 Day Passes, as well as a number of exciting feature events to choose from at local venues including Voyager Estate winery, Riversmith Café and Limeburners Distillery. For those keen to immerse themselves even further, the Festival Workshop Series is full of inspiration with sessions on Picture Book Illustration, Surf & Travel Writing, SLAM Poetry and a food writing session titled A Garam Masala God, just to name a few.
Tickets to the 2017 Margaret River Readers & Writers Festival are available online at www.mrrwfestival.com, by phone 08 9758 7316 and from the Margaret River Box Office, 51 Wallcliffe Road, Margaret River.
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