A late surge in ticket sales has provided the Bendigo Writers Festival with a timely boost heading into the scheduled start on Friday.
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Festival director Rosemary Sorensen said bookings had been steady for the past weeks.
"This week, we're seeing a strong response from our region and Melbourne visitors," she said.
"We had anticipated this, of course, because of the uncertainty around restrictions.
"Now that people can see what's what, they're keen to head to Bendigo for a weekend visit."
The festival begins on Thursday with a program for schools, followed by three days of events featuring both in-person writers and livestream sessions with international authors.
Ms Sorensen said the festival will feature a mix of livestream and in person talks.
"Bendigo Bank Theatre at the Capital on View Street is our virtual theatre, with in-person seating plus online bookings," she said.
"This is our experiment in hybrid events, and it's been very successful so far.
"We're keen to see how the mix of livestream and in-person works right across the weekend, but it does look like it's a really good model to make international authors accessible right here in Bendigo."
Authors livestreaming to the festival include the world-renowned Shakespeare expert Stephen Greenblatt and Amitav Ghosh, a writer who works between India and the United States.
In-person authors include commentator Don Watson, journalist Louise Milligan, and actor Samuel Johnson, who will be on stage with his sister Hilde Hinton to talk about the campaign to raise funds in honour of his sister who died from breast cancer.
Local poets will present spoken word on Sunday and on Friday night, and Sam Kane - a former Bendigo Young Citizen of the Year - will host a panel talking about "People Power".
"It's a Festival we've created with care and caution, but we've also tried to keep that wonderful atmosphere that makes Bendigo so special at Festival time," Ms Sorensen said.
"It's very clear that people want to attend and be part of community events once again."
Bookings can be made online at bendigowritersfestival.com.au or at the box office, in-person at the Capital, 50 View Street, Bendigo or by phone on 5434 6100.
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