The Sydney Writers’ Festival returned to Wollongong. 

The ‘Live and Local’ component took place at Wollongong Town Hall, with the headline events streamed from Walsh Bay direct to Wollongong, plus live sessions and workshops with Illawarra authors.

Audiences also had the opportunity to participate in Q&A sessions at each event, sending questions direct to the Sydney stage. 

Catherine McKinnon discussed her second novel Storyland, set on the banks of Lake Illawarra and spanning four centuries.

“I’m really excited that this is bringing Illawarra writers together, talking about their work, and that we’re connected to a wider community of writers through the festival,” she said.

“It’s also talking to people from the area, whether they’re writers or not… I really like that connection with readers and writers.

“There’s a lot of people out there (in the Illawarra) writing, and thinking to write, in all different ways in the future. Screenplays, plays, novels, poems, even writing visually, digitally.”

She also offered some advice for aspiring authors. “Don’t give up. It takes a long time to get published… You just have to be patient, and be proactive about going back to them (publishers).”

Jamberoo resident and UOW lecturer McKinnon was also part of a panel discussion about publishing and the different types available today.

McKinnon took to the stage with poet and publisher Ron Pretty, academic and founder of Neo Perennial Press Sarah Nicholson, plus founder of About Kids Books publishing house Diane Bates.

Streamed sessions included brain surgeon Henry Marsh reflecting on his memoir Admissions: A Life In Brain Surgery; feminism, politics and current affairs being discussed by a panel of five leading women; and a panel chatting about one of Australia’s most admired authors, Helen Garner.

Friederike Krishnabhakdi-Vasilakis, director of the South Coast Writers Centre said this was the third year running the Wollongong event attached to the Sydney festival. 

Mrs Krishnabhakdi-Vasilakis expected about 400 people to attend in Wollongong. “I would like people to take away that Wollongong is on its way to becoming a cultural city,” she said.

“There is something happening, we do have great artists and writers doing things. It’s just not in our face.

“If people could take away from today that we do actually have great stuff happening in Wollongong, hopefully down the track it will help Wollongong to develop into a cultural city.”