Literary festival a sell-out

Emerging literary sensation Pip Williams has been announced as a special guest for this year's festival. Photo: SUPPLIED

THE launch of the Queenscliffe Literary Festival has sold out in less than a week as book lovers prepare to head to the borough.

The annual festival has become recognised as a cultural event on the local calendar celebrating established and emerging literary talent.

In 2021 the festival will run on the last three weekends of May, kicking off with a luncheon at Basil’s Farm on May 14.

This year’s festival will host 25 live events including the launch, which features Australia’s rising literary sensation Pip Williams.

Ms Williams will speak about her novel, The Dictionary of Lost Words, delving into her celebrated book which drew inspiration from the archives of the Oxford Dictionary to find tales of missing words and the women who lived between the lines.

The author will also share stories from her memoir, One Italian Summer.

With the launch selling out in five days, the event is now accepting guests on a wait list.

The committee, led by president Pauline Nunan, expressed excitement following the success of ticket sales.

“We announced the program launch and almost immediately the tickets started flying out the door,” Ms Nunan said.

“We’re so pleased the public is as excited about this as we are.”

The committee has carefully curated the festival with the purpose of creating a lively and intelligent season of events that provides for community engagement and participation.

All events will be inclusive, accessible and thought-provoking with different forms of literature including fiction, non-fiction, poetry, music and art presented with a diverse range of authors, artists, musicians and artisans.

During the launch, a program will be distributed for the remainder of the festival starting from May 15.

The weekend events will be hosted at either the Queenscliff Town Hall or Point Lonsdale Primary School Hall.

Opportunities to win tickets to the launch are posted on the Queenscliff Literary Festival Facebook page.

To keep up to date, head to facebook.com/queenscliffeliteraryfestival.