Williamstown Literary Festival

What a festival we had! Hundreds of visitors flocked to our charming seaside suburb to soak in the literary gems on offer.

We had a number of lead up events, opening with a Pub Walk based on a book about Williamstown's pubs led by local historian Ian Rae.  The walk was a great success, attracting 20 participants and ended appropriately with a beer at the historic Stags Head hotel in Cecil St. Thursday night's open mike poetry and prose session at the Pirates Tavern proved another winner.  There were more than 100 participants and guests who came from as far as Caulfield Ringwood and Ivanhoe.  Willylitfest patrons gave the new format the big thumbs up and organisers are keen to hold it at Seaworks next year.

The Royal Nuptials failed to spoil Friday night's official opening party with local actress Margot Knight enthralling guests by reading from the winning entries in the Ada Cambridge short story prize.   Lucia Nardo, a perennial placegetter finally shared top prize for her moving short story about her late mother.   The 100 or so short listed entrants and their guests were entertained by local band Willy Philly with festival patron Terry Bracks giving the keynote address.

Saturday opened in bright sunshine and a smoking ceremony to unveil the revised First People of Hobsons Bay publication with Boonwurrung Elder Aunty Carolyn Briggs.

With the front town hall back in use, guests enjoyed sipping coffee at an open air cafe on the town hall lawns between the many scintillating sessions. Corinne Grant, Tracy Bartram and Cal Wilson proved true queens of comedy with a hilarious hour-long chat about crafting words for laughs.   There were more funny words in the afternoon at Shaun Micallef's sellout interview with Corinne Grant about her new memoir.

Sessions by children's and YA authors such as Claire Saxby and Alison Lester proved popular and the many workshops were sold out by aspiring writers keen to learn from experts for the cost of a coffee and doughnut.

Patrons packed out the beautifully restored Council Chamber for Tony Wheeler's session on travel writing, with Tom Trumble and Jack Faine and returned for another festival highlight, a chat between Patrick Donovan and muso Dave Graney about his new memoir.  Graney thrilled the audience by ending the session strumming his guitar and signing his new song, I don't want to know about me.

Earlier, mutli-award winning Herald Sun cartoonist Mark Knight thrilled festival goers by drawing and donating a signature cartoon of Jeff Kennett.   The signed cartoon is being auctioned online to help with festival expenses. Top sports writing and broadcasting was well covered by the likes of Sam Lane, Gideon Haigh, Greg Baum and Mike Sheahan and film buffs even got their own session on Saturday night with the book author and screenwriters of Death in Brunswick.

A sparkling final session with union boss and self-confessed faceless man Paul Howes and crime novelist Shane Maloney, chared by Barry Donovan, brought the 8th Willylitfest to a fitting finale.    Howes flew down from Sydney for the event and the audience reckoned it was one of the best $7 investments they'e ever made!