NEW York Times best-selling Melbourne author Sally Hepworth will make her maiden appearance at the Newcastle Writers Festival in April as part of a star-studded line-up.
The 11th Newcastle Writers Festival will feature a programme of 125 writers from April 5 to 7.
Hepworth, who is best known for her novels The Secrets Of Midwives (2015) and Davitt Award-winner The Good Sister (2020), will be in Newcastle to celebrate the recent release of her ninth book The Soulmate.
Miles Franklin Award-winner and Indigenous author, Melissa Lucashenko, will discuss her most recent work Edenglassie, a historical novel with parallel narratives and love stories set in 2024 and 1854.
Celebrated journalist David Marr will also return to discuss Killing for Country: A Family Story, a sobering and personal account of his forebears' involvement with the brutal Native Police in the bloodiest years on the frontier wars.
Other notable guests for the Newcastle Writers Festival include Stone Yard Devotional author Charlotte Wood, Dylan Thomas Prize-winner Nam Le and Christos Tsiolkas, best known for his modern classic The Slap.
Festival director Rosemarie Milsom has for the first time in a decade delegated most of the program preparation to a new team member, writer and Secret Book Stuff co-founder Amy Lovat.
"It's become more difficult to manage the festival - the fundraising, logistics, and other programs we run - as well as the artistic programming," said Milsom.
"Amy is passionate about Australian books and has imbued the program with a deep knowledge and enthusiasm."
Lovat began her involvement with the festival a decade ago as a volunteer and later became program manager.
"The 2024 festival program is rich with ideas and inspiration," Lovat said.
"We're thrilled to be welcoming some favourites back, as well as introducing a strong contingent of debut authors."
