Williamstown Literary Festival

Inez Baranay is the author of nine published books, most recently the novel With The Tiger, first published in India. She has also published essays, stories, reviews and travel pieces. In Australia, India and Europe, Inez has lectured on writing issues and taught creative writing in universities, schools and community groups, given many readings, been a guest at conferences, seminars and festivals, and been a resident at various international writers’ centres. In 2007 she attended Binger Film Lab in Amsterdam then kept moving between Europe, USA and India, until returning in August 2010 to live in Melbourne. Author website: www.inezbaranay.com

Festival session: Writing workshop

Tracy Bartram is a comedian, MC and jazz singer who has been heard by millions of radio listeners on Fox FM, Mix FM and the ABC.

Festival session: Three queens of comedy take a line for a laugh

Jon Bauer is originally from the UK but has lived on-and-off in Melbourne for the last ten years and migrated permanently to Australia on a Distinguished Talent visa in 2009. He is the author of short stories and plays for stage and radio. His work has been broadcast on national radio, performed at Melbourne’s Arts Centre and featured in The Daily Telegraph (UK), Sleepers Almanac and Torpedo Literary Journal. He’s also had repeated success in The Bridport Prize, the world’s largest open writing competition. His first novel, Rocks in the Belly, was published by Scribe last year to critical acclaim.

Festival session: Getting your first novel across the line

Greg Baum has been a journalist for more than 30 years, the last 22 for The Age. His work also has appeared in the UK Guardian newspaper, newspapers in India and South Africa, Wisden and on the ABC. In 2008 he won a Walkley award. He wrote a book on Steve Waugh, and has collaborated on others books, most recently Dangerous Days about a Digger's WW2 adventures. He also edited Australian Wisden. His first and enduring love is sport, but sadly it has remained unrequited on the field of play.

Festival session: Talking Cricket with Gideon Haigh and Greg Baum

Terry Bracks is also a highly regarded supporter of the arts, and is Patron of Heide Gallery and trustee of the Victorian Arts Centre Trust. She is founding chair of Western Chances, an organisation which assists young people in the western suburbs, and was indicted into the 2011 Victorian Women's Honour Roll for her work with Western Chances. She is a past Board member of the Australian Children’s Television Foundation, Deputy Chair of the Breast Cancer Network Australia and the Number One Female Ticket Holder of the Melbourne Football Club. Terry has worked as a teacher in regional Victoria and as an electorate officer to Federal MPs. Terry received a Centenary Medal and is an Honorary Doctorate at Victoria University.

Festival event: Opening Night and prize presentations

Thomas Caldwell is a freelance writer, broadcaster and public speaker who specialises in film criticism and educational writing on film. He writes Cinema Autopsy and reviews films for the Breakfasters and Film Buff’s Forecast on Triple R 102.7FM. He writes film reviews and articles for The Big Issue and has also written for Overland, Senses of Cinema, Metro, Filmink and The Vine. Thomas’s film educational writing appears in Screen Education magazine and he wrote the secondary school textbook Film Analysis Handbook. He recently won the Ivan Hutchinson Award for Writing on Australian Film in the 2010 Australian Film Critics Association (AFCA) Writing Awards.

Festival session: Death In Brunswick: discussion and film

Jane Clifton is an actor, singer and crime novelist. Her memoir, The Address Book, will be published in May 2011.

Festival session: Why memoirs are hot right now

Patrick Donovan is the inaugural CEO of Music Victoria, the peak body for contemporary music in the state. He was chief music writer at The Age for 12 years, where he penned the much-loved Sticky Carpet column and wrote about his escapades including attending 100 gigs in 100 days (and scientifically testing the compounds of the Tote's sticky carpet). He is also a DJ, has tour managed Iggy Pop, ran the Ju Ju Gumbo Parlour venue in Richmond and was lead singer of ‘90s band Cowsmuff.

Festival sessions: Musical memoirs and It’s only Rock n’ Roll but I wrote it