Indulge your literary side at the Melbourne Writers Festival
If you love reading, writing and all things literary, the Melbourne Writers Festival should be right up your alley!
Taking place this year from August 22 - September 1, the festival brings together writers, readers and thinkers for a two-week celebration of literature and creativity.
If you'd like to catch this event in your upcoming holiday, Mantra has plenty of holiday apartments in Melbourne that are situated right in the heart of the city, such as Mantra 100 Exhibition, so you have easy access to all the festivities!
Beginnings of the festival
The festival began in 1986 as a joint effort between the Melbourne International Festival of the Arts and the City of Melbourne.
Famed authors Margaret Atwood, Angela Carter and Vikram Seth have all made appearances at the festival, which is quickly becoming one of the biggest creative events on the city's calendar.
"Taking place this year from August 22 - September 1, the festival brings together writers, readers and thinkers for a two-week celebration of literature and creativity."
What's on at the Melbourne Writers Festival 2013
There's a wide variety of events for all to enjoy at this year's festival, from keynote speeches and "big ideas" presentations to art, music, performances and so much more.
Catch the charismatic and controversial Mayor of London Boris Johnson, or hear from fashion and blogging wunderkind Tavi Gevinson as well as a range of discussions on global activism, cultural identity and development, and living more altruistically.
The festival is proud to host the final chapter of the Edinburgh World Writers' Conference, which brings together writers from all corners of the world. This conference has travelled through many cities including Berlin, Cape Town, Toronto, Cairo, Jaipur, Beijing, Lisbon and will finish up in Melbourne - so this is one that's not to be missed!There's also plenty of events for families to enjoy, with plenty of walks taking you through Melbourne and its surrounds led by prominent street artists and other creatives. You can also bring the kids along to catch their favourite illustrators working live at the Atrium in Federation Square.