Sydney Writers Festival 2016

By Ben Stephens.

I once read a quote that stuck with me. I don’t actually remember it exactly, but it went something along the lines of, ‘the reader is a friend, not an adversary, not a spectator’… What a timely reminder that we are all friends. Best friends. That little diddy comes from the American novelist, Mr Jonathan Franzan, credited with a number of well known titles such as his 2001 best seller, The Corrections, which pokes holes at the way contemporary society choose to live.

Funnily enough, the book was selected to be apart of the Oprah Winfrey’s book club. To which Franzen publicly said that it made him feel uncomfortable. Mix that with the kindness of the media and you have the perfect storm to boost the credibility of any book. Now that you have a back-story, let me tell you that Franzen, along with 300 other outstanding writers will be in town during May to celebrate the Sydney Writers’ Festival 2016.

The Writers festival brings a whole bunch of goodness to Sydney, with writing and idea workshops, conversations on everything from politics to crime fiction, and the most intriguing panels jam-packed with conservative to controversial philosophical minds that are just waiting around to be thrashed out on stage in front of a passionate audience.

The festival takes place all over the Sydney, from the Opera House to the Blue Mountains. However, the festival hub is where all the highlights will be taking place and as always this will be tucked away at Walsh Bay Wharf, just beyond The Rocks. Over the seven days that the festival is on for, there is a lot to check out. To name only a few would be unfair to you, the reader, my friend, as there are to many events on and I would hate for you to miss something that really speaks to you, so here is a link to the highlights of the festival.

Tickets are a must and you would be urged to book now to secure your spots. With so much on, I personally recommend the My Perfect Festival ticket, this will give you entry to four events hand picked by the festival director and access to the VIP lounge at Walsh Bay. Check out all the tickets available on the festival’s website.

Sydney Writers’ Festival runs from May 16 – 22.