{"id":61572,"date":"2016-07-20T20:43:17","date_gmt":"2016-07-20T09:43:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.booktopia.com.au\/?p=61572"},"modified":"2016-07-20T20:54:17","modified_gmt":"2016-07-20T09:54:17","slug":"singer-songwriter-pj-harvey-maxine-beneba-clarke-life-pi-author-set-attend-melbourne-writers-festival","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.booktopia.com.au\/blog\/2016\/07\/20\/singer-songwriter-pj-harvey-maxine-beneba-clarke-life-pi-author-set-attend-melbourne-writers-festival\/","title":{"rendered":"Singer-songwriter PJ Harvey, Maxine Beneba Clarke and Life of Pi author set to attend the Melbourne Writers Festival."},"content":{"rendered":"

The Melbourne Writers Festival<\/a> has just unveiled its long-awaited program for 2016, set to occur from 26 August to 4 September, 2016.<\/p>\n

Festival Director Lisa Dempster has promised something for everyone who reads, from news and politics junkies, through to lovers of award-wining literature, genre fans and comedy buffs.<\/span><\/p>\n

Identity is the theme of this year\u2019s festival, with more than 400 authors, scriptwriters, comedians, journalists and illustrators invited to the festival to explore what makes us who we are.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Screen<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Maxine Beneba Clarke, one of the nation\u2019s boldest voices and author of The Hate Race<\/a><\/i> will deliver the Opening Night Address, ahead of the announcement of the prestigious Miles Franklin Literary Award.\u00a0Lionel Shriver (The Mandibles<\/a><\/em>, We Need to Talk About Kevin<\/a><\/em>) will talk about gender for the festival\u2019s Closing Night Address.<\/p>\n

In her only Australian appearance, acclaimed UK singer-songwriter and Mercury Prize-winner PJ Harvey will read from her first poetry collection, The Hollow of the Hand<\/a><\/i>, as part of an electrifying visual presentation of life in war zones with photojournalist Seamus Murphy.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\t\t