The biennial event, previously known as the Hastings Festival of Writers, widens its reach this year with events planned over the weekend in Hastings, Havelock North and Napier.
The festival takes place on Saturday 15 June and Sunday 16 June, with schools' events on Friday 14 June.
An impressive line-up of writers are booked for the festival which will include free events and ticketed, catered sessions. More information on the specific events will be available in coming weeks, however the guest writers can now be confirmed as:
- 2013 New Zealand New Zealander of the Year and prominent historian and biographer, Dame Anne Salmond.
- Lauded food writer (Ladies, a Plate and A Second Helping), biographer (Sir Edmund Hillary: An Extraordinary Life,) and art curator, Alexa Johnson.
- Former TVNZ correspondent to the US, journalist and novelist (Their Faces Were Shining and The Desolation Angel), Tim Wilson.
- Christchurch-based novelist (Magpie Hall and The Sound of Butterflies) and recent children’s book author (Red Rocks), Rachael King.
- Renowned poet (Wild Dogs Under My Skirt and Bloodclot)and performer, Tusiata Avia