Coast draws literary heavyweights for Wordfest

A heavyweight lineup of Australian writers is headed for the coast this winter, with Hannah Kent confirmed as the headline act for this year’s Apollo Bay Wordfest.

The internationally acclaimed author of Burial Rites, The Good People and Devotion will lead a program spanning fiction, memoir, crime and children’s literature when the festival returns from 24-26 July.

Joined Kent is adventurer and writer Gina Chick, whose memoir We Are The Stars was shortlisted for Biography of the Year in 2025, alongside Tasmanian novelist Robbie Arnott, known for award-nominated works including Dusk, Limberlost and The Rain Heron.

Arnott will appear on a panel with Geelong author Rhett Davis, who won the Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for an unpublished manuscript in 2020 with Hovering and has since released his second novel, Arborscence.

Hannah Kent’s 2025 memoir Always Home, Always Homesick traces her formative connection to Iceland and the experiences that shaped her as a writer. Photo: Supplied.

Acclaimed novelist Sofie Laguna will join Toni Jordan and Mark Mupotsa-Russell for a panel exploring contemporary storytelling, bringing together a breadth of experience across fiction, screenwriting and commentary.

Crime writing will feature prominently, with Christian White, journalist Louise Milligan and J. P. Pomare set to delve into the genre.

White’s latest novel The Long Night continues his run as one of Australia’s leading thriller writers, while Pomare’s newest release The Gambler marks his eighth novel in as many years.

Milligan, a Walkley Award-winning journalist, recently released her second crime novel, Shellybanks.

The festival will again cater to younger readers, with award-winning children’s author Andrea Rowe leading the children’s program. Rowe’s Jetty Jumping claimed the CBCA Picture Book of the Year in 2022, with several of her other works also receiving national recognition.

Wordfest director Kate Bourne said she was proud to attract such a high calibre of writers to the event.

“As we grow Wordfest every year, we seem to be able to lure the best of the best, it’s a real treat for Apollo Bay and all of the avid and passionate readers who attend,” she said. For more information, head to apollobaywordfest.com