By Goya Dmytryshchak
Children’s author Andy Griffiths rolled into town last week to launch the 16th Williamstown Literary Festival program.
Festival favourites including Leigh Hobbs and Claire Saxby will also be among about 80 authors at 40 events in the two-day festival on June 15 and 16.
This year’s theme is ‘Choose your own adventure’.
Griffiths, who has only missed one festival in 16 years, will be part of the Stereo Stories in concert at Williamstown Town Hall on the Saturday.
The concert also features stories from Arnold Zable, Melanie Cheng, Torre DeRoche, Jock Serong, Rijn Collins and Brian Nankervis, backed by The Stereo Stories band.
Griffiths will also do his traditional Sunday morning talk for families.
“I really look forward to this event each year,” he said. “It’s a relaxed freewheeling session where the kids can – and do – ask anything. I can’t always answer their questions but we have a lot of laughs.”
Also confirmed for the festival are Kerry O’Brien, Clementine Ford, George Megalogenis, Alison Lester and David Astle, Claire Wright and Judy Horocek.
The Willy Lit Fest opening night soiree at Sebastian Beach Grill, featuring international best-selling author Caroline Overington in conversation with festival director and comedian Stella Kinsella, is on Friday, June 14 from 6.30-9pm.
“The 2019 Willy Lit Fest will be hosting robust discussions, asking how we are travelling as a nation, what is the heart of the matter, whom do we trust,” Kinsella said.
For early bird tickets and to view the full program, visit www.willylitfest.org.au
