Wollongong Writers Festival has unveiled its lineup of authors, poets, journalists, artists, comedians and musicians for the 2019 event.
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The celebration of stories, art and ideas will host its seventh annual festival.
Their program of free and ticketed events runs annually over the final weekend in November.
The theme of this years festival is 'All Lit Up'.
Writers from throughout Australia will gather at Wollongong Art Gallery from November 22-24 to "celebrate the power of writing and art for illuminating topics that have been silenced, have stigma attached to them, or need to be spoken about in new and more complex ways".
Festival director Chloe Higgins has aimed to curate a diverse range of voices and events for shining a light on subjects that would otherwise remain in the dark.
These include Benjamin Law tackling the topics of sex, death, money, religion and politics with Clementine Ford, Stephanie Wood and Jess Hill.
Behrouz Boochani, author of No Friend But the Mountains: Writing from Manus Prison, will be in conversation with author Mark Isaacs via Skype.
Bri Lee and Tony Birch will be on a panel on crime and punishment.
Charlotte Wood will be discussing her latest novel, The Weekend, and Gabbie Stroud, author of the memoir, Teacher, will be on a panel on education and what we want for our children.
"This year, we wanted to show our gratitude to the writers displaying tremendous courage in publicly exploring topics many of us aren't able to admit even to ourselves," Ms Higgins said.
"These vital writers take bold risks in sharing their thoughts and ideas on what they see and experience in themselves and the world and in doing so help us to make better sense of our own experience."
The 2019 program features journalists, including multi award-winning investigative journalist and author Jess Hill participating in a panel titled Gendered Violence, Media and the Law, to discuss how we can turn social progress into legal change.
Journalist and author Ruby Hamad will explore the intersectional discrimination that indigenous, refugee, Muslim and women of colour experience, as part of a panel titled Backlash: When Women Speak Their Truth.
Journalist and author Stephanie Wood will be joined by author Lee Kofman on a panel about shame.
In a new direction for the festival, the program also features a selection of sit-down meals at local restaurants.
This includes a dinner with Benjamin Law and his mother Jenny Phang as they field audience questions about love, sex and dating in the modern world.
There will be a lunch with Melanie Knight of the Dead Letters Club, the original creative letter writing movement, and a lunch with four writers from Parramatta's Finishing School Collective discussing politics and writing.
"You do not have to be a writer to get something out of this year's festival," Ms Higgins said:
"I encourage anyone who appreciates lively and engaging conversations that resist stereotype to join us at Wollongong Art Gallery in November, where no topic or idea will be too taboo."
There will also be a dedicated Kids Program included in the main festival weekend, featuring children's author Kirli Saunders, award-winning author and cartoonist Tohby Riddle, illustrator Dale Newman and drag performer Miss Roxee.
Children of ticket-holding guardians are welcome to attend Kids Program sessions for free.
For the full program and ticket sales, click here.