We’ve been hard at work behind the festival curtains, readying a spectacular weekend of questions, answers, hullabaloo and hootenanny. Our 2022 program is inching ever closer, but we just couldn’t hold in the excitement any longer.

And so – right here, right now – we present a sneak peak of six festival guests that are certain to shock and amaze.

We’re blown away by the level of talent en route this year, including some rather prestigious success stories – our first Nobel Prize winner, first Booker Prize winner, and first NY Times bestseller! All will be revealed soon, but one of these names just might be revealed below …

So step up, ladies and gentlemen, don’t be shy! Take your seats as we unveil our first wordsmiths of 2022.

Clare G. Coleman

Claire G. Coleman is a Noongar woman and prize-winning author of the novels Terra Nullius and The Old Lie. Claire’s latest release, Lies Damned Lies, is a non-fiction journey into the ongoing trauma of Australian colonisation

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Tim DeanDr Tim Dean

Dr Tim Dean is a philosopher and award-winning writer and teacher. His latest release, How We Became Human (And Why We Need To Change), is a remarkable and engaging exploration of the ongoing evolution of human morality.

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Sofie Laguna

Winner of multiple awards including the Miles Franklin for The Eye of the Sheep, Sofie’s books have been published globally. Her new novel for children, The Song of Lewis Carmichael, illustrated by her husband, Marc McBride, has just been released.

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Charlotte McConaghy

Charlotte McConaghy is the author of the New York Times Bestseller Once There Were Wolves, shortlisted for the Indie Book Awards 2022, and the international bestseller Migrations, a TIME Magazine Best Book of the Year and the Amazon.com Best Fiction Book of the Year for 2020.

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Dick Smith

Dick Smith is the entrepreneurial businessman who founded Dick Smith Electronics, Australian Geographic and Dick Smith Foods. A Companion of the Order of Australia, an Australian of the Year and one of the National Trust’s Living Treasures.

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Dr Norman Swan

Often described as “Australia’s doctor”, Dr Norman Swan was one of the first medically qualified journalists in Australia, with a broadcast career spanning more than 30 years. He currently hosts Radio National’s The Health Report and co-hosts Coronacast

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Further author announcements and other exciting details will be made over the coming weeks and months. For media enquiries, please contact info@bellingenwritersfestival.com.au.

Passes on sale soon!