Truth if you dare: Word for Word on this weekend

THIS year’s Word for Word National Non-Fiction Festival – which will be hosted at the Geelong Library and Heritage Centre – features a number of big-name writers in Australian literature, including Helen Garner, Professor Marcia Langton, Kerry O’Brien, Clementine Ford, Peter Cochrane and Peter Phelps, alongside 76 presenters across 45 events.

Making its fifth appearance and heading to Geelong from Friday November 16 until Sunday November 18, the festival will focus on non-fiction writing in all its forms, whether it be in memoir, biography, journalism, history, travel, song-writing or poetry.

Word for Word Festival advisory committee chair Cr Margot Smith said the line-up for this year’s festival had attracted a rise in ticket sales in comparison to previous years.

“It’s an exceptionally rich and diverse offering of literary talent, it’s little wonder early bird tickets are selling faster this year than ever before,” she said.

In what is an exclusive event given it is Australia’s only non-fiction writing festival, entry to Geelong-born Helen Garner’s opening night has reached capacity.

With recent social movements including #METOO and #TIMESUP making headways in breaking down taboo barriers, this  year’s festival is encouraging audiences to participate in hard-hitting topics of discussion.

History, racism, Indigenous issues, asylum seekers, social research, true crime, artificial intelligence, memoir and more thought-provoking ideas will be at the centre of various panel discussions scheduled over the course of the weekend.

“Word for Word is setting the stage for robust and challenging discussion here in Geelong,” Cr Smith said.

“The festival has been building momentum since it began in 2014 and has really established Geelong as a significant place in the literary world.

We expect to increase significantly on last year’s numbers, which saw 8,000 people visiting the Geelong Library and Heritage Centre over the three days of the festival.”

The annual “Great Debate” – which is locked in for the festival’s Saturday evening – will revolve around whether novels are facing extinction in the digital age.

In a festival first, the Bad Diaries Salon, sponsored by this paper, will conclude the weekend on Sunday afternoon, a program addition Cr Smith believes festival-goes will thoroughly enjoy.

“Involving master storyteller William McInnes, YA author Sue Lawson, award winning broadcaster Joel Carnegie and writer and editor Jo Case, this special closing session promises to be a lot of fun, with presenters sharing some of the most hilarious excerpts from their teenage dairies,” she said.

For a full program and to book tickets, visit wordforwordfestival.com.au.