WITH a line-up including the likes of ABC Radio National’s Phillip Adams to Gold Walkley award winning journalist Kate McClymont, the 2018 Scone Literary Festival boasts another strong program when it returns in November.
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From humble beginnings, the only writer’s festival in the Upper Hunter is now celebrating its fifth year.
This year’s overarching theme is ‘the magic and power of literature’ and Scone Literary Festival committee president Jan Sinclair says the line-up is indeed magical.
“We are once again blessed with the involvement of the wonderful Phillip Adams,” she said.
“Phillip has been involved in this festival now since its beginnings and this year will be in conversation with Guardian Australian journalist and author David Marr, fellow broadcaster Barry Jones and Sydney Morning Herald investigative journalist and Gold Walkley winner Kate McClymont.
“Adding even more girl power to the stellar line up is Tracey Spicer who will be talking about her involvement in leading the Now Australia movement and her new ‘laugh-out-loud ‘femoir’ “The Good Girl Stripped Bare.”
With panels on crime and children and young adult fiction writing, storytelling through food, how to tackle writing a sex scene, diversity in Australian writing, historical fact or fiction, desert island books, workshops on the magic of children’s writing and creative writing for beginners there are plenty of highlights at this year’s festival.
The program also features a special commemoration to the Centenary of First World War Armistice on Sunday November 11 with historian and biographer Ross McMullin.
A new initiative of the 2018 program is the ‘Check it out’ writing competition open to staff working at any supermarket or retail chain in the Upper Hunter and invites budding storytellers to recount some of their funniest anecdotes of their experiences of working at the check-out.
There is a great weekend away at Russley Rural Retreat to be won for the lucky winner.
In addition to ‘Check it out’ the Upper Hunter High School writing competition makes its return with great prize money to be won.
The high school writing competition is sponsored by McDonalds Scone and is open to all pupils studying at Scone High, Scone Grammar, St Josephs, Merriwa Central School and Muswellbrook High and opens in August.
Tickets go on sale September 1 and the full line-up can be found at sconewritersfestival.com.au.
