The Sutherland Shire Writers’ Festival, known as Writers Unleashed, is a growing community and literary event.
From humble beginnings, organisers expanded the program to incorporate workshops, book launches and publishing consultations as well as the author talks and book signings.
With a strong focus on the promotion and support of Australian writers and publishers, the festival also aims to educate and encourage aspiring writers and illustrators throughout the region.
The writers festival will once again be unleashed on the Sutherland Shire on Saturday, August 18.
‘‘Many of the presenters are at the top of their field, though we also love to promote newly emerging talents,’’ a Writers Unleashed spokeswoman said.
‘‘The topics and genres of books and literature presented aim to reflect the diversity of writers within Australia.
‘‘This year we will be running sessions concurrently in three rooms, devoted to presentations by children’s writers, YA writers and adult writers and editors. There also will be panel discussions at the final session.’’
One of the featured writers this year is Lauren Chater who writes fiction with a particular focus on women’s stories.
After working for many years in a variety of media roles, she turned her passion for reading and research into a professional pursuit.
In addition to writing fiction, she established The Well Read Cookie, a blog which celebrates her love of baking and literature.
The Lace Weaver, her first novel, was published by Simon & Schuster in April this year.
It is a story which follows two women battling for liberty and love in Moscow and Estonia.
‘‘The book was such a labour of love for me,’’ Chater said. ‘‘It was quite a ride, from the moment I first learned about the history of the beautiful Haapsalu lace shawls to the thrill of holding the finished book.
‘‘There have been tears and frustrations and rejections, as well as nights of exhaustion and moments where I didn’t think I would ever actually be able to assemble the assorted verbiage into a cohesive story.
‘‘I’m so excited to share this book with people. It’s a story which is very close to my heart about friendship, courage and the importance of tradition.’’
Sutherland Shire author Dianne Todaro-Wells will also be speaking at the Shire Writers Unleashed Festival.
She will be part of the ‘Local Author Panel’ from 9am to 10am on the topic ‘The Writing Journey’.
This talk will be about the writing process and the creation-production process for literature from an author’s perspective.
Todaro-Wells, who has a teacher/educator background, is currently working on a children’s novelette called Guisepinna.
Her most recent release is How to talk to boys which was published by Allen & Unwin.
In October she will receive a Humanitarian Award from Parenting 2.0 (lnternational organisation with a focus on life skills and parenting) for her work in developing quality sex education literature for youth.
Her Puberty Girl and Puberty Boy books have been translated into 10 languages and have sold more than 100,000 copies world wide.
Writers Unleashed welcomes writers and readers of all genres to attend the day. The event will be held at Gymea Tradies.
Bookings essential.
Details: shirewritersfestival.weebly.com or call Julianne on 0401 849433.
