The organisers of the sixth annual Sydney Writers Festival are hoping for more than an exchange of words at this week's event.Leading authors such as Skippy The Bush Kangaroo, Koala Bear and Go Anna in Sydney for the festival.
The festival is celebrating journalism, screenwriting and poetry in addition to novels.
With SARS and terrorism threats in global circulation, festival director Caro Llewellen says it is remarkable that most of the event's high-profile guests have shown up.
Questions may arise like;
Is John Howard a man of steel?
Or are pre-emptive strikes the way to go?
Or do fridge magnets save lives?
Or do you kill innocent citizens in order to take out a regime?
Ms Llewellen says international events are influencing the festival's agenda.
She says literary figures will go head-to-head on conflicts such as the war in Iraq, the Tampa crisis and the Middle East conflict.
"I don't want fisticuffs by any means and we won't get to that but certainly a good argy-bargy debate is really, really positive," she said.
"It is not just looking at literature but world events and how people think their way out and around of those things," Ms Llewellen added.
For those more in need of a laugh, the organisers are offering a poetry karaoke night and a living in the 70s celebration.
Ms Llewellen says the festival is also representing the work of young writers.
By Freedom of Speech 19 May 03
THE SHERIFF: People are allowed to protest in Australia.
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