By Molly Magennis
The Williamstown Lit Festival is back on after a two year hiatus, promising to return with one of the best author line-ups yet.
Originally conceived in 2003 by local booklovers, the festival has grown to become the biggest winter arts festival in the west.
After COVID put a halt on the festival for two years, it will return to the Williamstown Town Hall
once again the weekend of June 17-19.
This year’s theme, Days Like These, was the result of program director Jane Finemore’s reflective experience during the many lockdowns.
“When we were planning it, it was really a grim time….we were still in lockdown mode,” she said.
“I’ve been in Williamstown for two years….and I was thinking about how that had made me really appreciate where I live, and I got to know people and I just realized how blessed we are here.
“So Days Like These is, no matter how fragile the world is and how frightened many people are, we need to embrace what we’ve got.
The festival offers a broad program, featuring 73 participants across 39 sessions.
Standouts include David Knoff, who was leading a mission in Antarctica when the pandemic hit, forcing him to spend 537 days on the continent and renowned journalist Lisa Millar, whose latest memoir Daring to Fly details her life from humble beginnings to national breakfast TV host.
“There is an emphasis on memoir writers, because I personally love anybody really who’s brave enough to tell their own story with authenticity. And again, it comes back to that celebration of who we are as Australians, I suppose,” Finemore said.
“Lisa Miller has written a beautiful memoir…. it’s a really interesting story… a very personal story, so I love that one.”
Tickets are now available at the festival website www.willylitfest.org.au/.
