Thomas Keneally. Photo by Marco Del Grande.
SOME of Australia's most entertaining and inspiring writers and illustrators will head to the Snowy Mountains at Easter for the second annual Snowy Mountains Readers Writers Festival.
It will be held from Friday, March 29 through to Sunday March 31 and will weave its magic along a literary trail winding through Berridale, Dalgety, Jindabyne and Thredbo.
More than 20 talented and charismatic writers will participate in this year's festival and will deliver great enjoyment to visitors and locals alike.
"This year's festival will be bigger and brighter than last year and the action-packed program will deliver plenty of fun, insight and entertainment," says Helen Besestri president of the Snowy Mountains Readers Writers Festival.
The festival will celebrate the rich cultural heritage of the region which will be reflected in a program featuring a gala dinner, literary lunches, a poetry breakfast, a gardening forum, writers' workshops, panels and forums and, even special children's events including writing and art workshops.
"Special key events over the weekend will showcase the talents and storytelling of both local and national authors and there will be activities and workshops for everyone," says Mrs Besestri.
One such event will be the celebration of the centenary of the birth of one of the region's most famous authors, Elyne Mitchell, who in 1958 wrote the "The Silver Brumby". This book quickly became a much loved classic of Australian children's literature and her daughter, Honor Auchinleck, will share stories about her extraordinary mother and talk about her recently published books "On the trail of the Silver Brumby" and "Elyne Mitchell: A Daughter Remembers".
Other authors on the program will include Thomas Keneally, Charlotte Wood, Aleesah Darlison, Sulari Gentill, Jesse Blackadder, Barry Maitland, Trisha Dixon, Matthew Condon, Mick Joffe, Lisa Sweeney, Lizz Murphy and Lisa Walker.
Many of the authors will join together over the weekend to discuss current literary topics and lead discussions on entertaining panel conversations. Some will facilitate literary workshops and others will share their insights on how to get published.
The 2013 festival will also include a Children's Celebration entitled "Books, Brumbies and Unicorns".
"This celebration will involve children's workshops with local and visiting authors and artists exploring the themes of imagination, creativity and storytelling," says Mrs Besestri.
"Authors and artists will include popular Australian author Aleesah Darlison who has written the "Unicorn Rider" series. Aleesah is experienced in presenting interactive and educational sessions for children including puppeteering, storytelling and the art of making picture books."
Local author Paula Boer and illustrator Rowena Evans from Cooma will also contribute enormously to the Children's Celebration with their wonderful "Brumbies" series.
The recent release of "Brumbies in the Snow" will attract older children and the accompanying art workshop will be designed for them.