The Newcastle Writers Festival has landed another star, with best-selling American novelist Jodi Picoult locked in for appearance at the University of Newcastle's Conservatorium of Music on October 24.
Picoult will discuss her latest novel, By Any Other Name, with Mamamia executive editor Jessie Stephens at the venue at 7.30pm (Tickets are $35/$28 concession.)
Picoult's new novel is about two women, centuries apart, fighting to be heard - one of whom may be the real author of Shakespeare's plays.
Picoult, 58, is a graduate of Princeton University. She lives in New Hampshire with her husband. She has sold an estimated 40 million books.
Her best known novels include Mad Honey, Wish You Were Here, The Book of Two Ways, A Spark of Light, Small Great Things, Leaving Time, My Sister's Keeper, The Storyteller, Plain Truth, House Rules, Off the Page, and Nineteen Minutes.
She has written two young adult novels with daughter Samantha van Leer - Between the Lines and Off the Page.
Jessie Stephens is a Sydney-based writer and podcaster. She co-hosts Mamamia's flagship podcast and winner of Australia's Best Podcast Series, Mamamia Out Loud. Her debut book, Heartsick, was an international bestseller. Her second book, the novel Something Bad is Going to Happen, was published in 2023.
Jodi Picoult's books will be available to buy at the venue, courtesy of MacLean's Booksellers and she will be signing copies after the discussion.
The event is supported by the writers festival's major partner, The University of Newcastle, and publisher Allen & Unwin.
"It's heartening that publishers see the value in collaborating with the festival so that Newcastle audiences have the opportunity to engage with leading writers," festival director Rosemarie Milsom said.
"It reflects our core purpose, which is to support a culture of reading and writing. Regional audiences shouldn't miss out.
TIM WINTON
Last month the writers festival said that award-winning Australian writer Tim Winton would be the special guest at a writers festival event on October 19 at the University of Newcastle Great Hall.
Winton, who has published 30 books, will be visiting Newcastle for the first time to speak about his new book Juice, an epic novel of determination, survival, and the limits of the human spirit.
Juice will be published on October 1 by Penguin Books.
Almost 400 tickets have sold for the Winton event.
