Thought-provoking array of artists at South Coast's Headland Writers Festival

There will be conventional interviews with authors but also unconventional ones that are more performance than interview.

Executive director of South East Arts Andrew Gray said the festival had workshops, performances, poetry, theatre, art, design, live music and conversations.

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Melbourne's Red Stitch Theatre will do a rehearsed reading of a play in development called Monument.

Ella Caldwell, artistic director of Red Stitch Theatre, grew up in the Bega Valley while Emily Sheehan, originally from Batemans Bay, wrote the play.

Anna Clark, who will be discussing her latest book Making Australian History, has a property at Bithry Inlet in Mimosa Rocks National Park.

Local historian Mark McKenna will interview Ms Clark.

Then there's a conversation with Philip Cox, Kate Herd and Christina Kennedy.

All three have properties on the Far South Coast with significant gardens that are so closely connected with the natural environment that it is difficult to pinpoint the boundary.

The garden theme continues with Wendy Whiteley talking with Janet Hawley who wrote the book about Ms Hawley's famous Secret Garden in Sydney's Lavender Bay.

"When you look at the program there are a lot of women's voices in there - women in politics, women in history and social issues," Mr Gray said.

They include Veronica Gorrie, author of Black and Blue: a memoir of race and resilience. The book is based on her childhood and her decade in the police force.

Polemic feminist Clementine Ford will be interacting with musician Libby Donovan while multi-award winning author Michelle de Kretser will talk about her latest book Scary Monsters.

There will be live music from the Gypsy Jazz Project and Stonewave Taiko Drumming.

For kids and families there will be a talk with Gabrielle Wang, the current Children's Laureate, plus a workshop particularly focused on young readers and writers.

Mr Gray said the festival was an opportunity for people to come together and talk and hear about key issues.

"Books get you thinking and discussing.

"That's why I call it Headland - to feed our heads and get us thinking and conversing," Mr Gray said.

Headland Writers Festival is a partnership with South East Arts, Candelo Books in Bega, Tathra Hotel, Create NSW and the federal government's Regional Arts Fund.

The Tathra Uniting Church has been added as a venue this year.

People must book for events in the church and Tathra Town Hall, while those hosted in Tathra Hotel are free.

The program can be found here.

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