Mark Latham brings bite to Writers Festival

TOM ARUP In a heated and hostile appearance, Mark Latham verbally clashed with audience members and refused to confirm whether he is behind a Twitter account that has attacked prominent Australians.

How this book designer made Penguin dance

SUSAN WYNDHAM David Pearson delighted in repackaging Penguin's backlist of classics into beautiful collections that would make people want to own the lot.

Meet the successor to Indonesia's top writer

JEWEL TOPSFIELD Eka Kurniawan's Beauty is a Wound is wildly ambitious in its scope, telling the story of modern Indonesia.

How de Bernieres survived being a bestseller

JASON STEGER Louis de Bernieres didn't turn to drink and drugs when Captain Corelli's Mandolin became a gigantic bestseller - but he might have.

Could Contagion's pandemic really happen?

PETER SPINKS Most of us have sat through a science fiction movie, relished the plot and the suspense – and then got home wondering what was fact or fiction.

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Rob Thomas on bliss of creating successful TV

JASON STEGER The Veronica Mars creator says it's a minor miracle anything good makes it through the studio system.

Why we're still not safe from atomic weapons

Michael Coulter Eric Schlosser knows how many weapons litter the world, and that a gymbag full of uranium would allow you to improvise a Hiroshima-size bomb.

Dietland author lashes out at fat shamers

LINDA MORRIS There are very few serious novels about fat women. So American writer Sarai Walker decided to write her own.

The best books I've never read

John Bailey Authors reveal the great works they haven't got around to yet.

Gail Jones and Berlin's dark past

SUSAN WYNDHAM Behind a composed surface that seems as calm as a pond, Gail Jones never stops moving, thinking, writing.

Dark web doesn't have to be evil

Eileen Ormsby The deeper, secretive reaches of the net have their plus side, but there's no ignoring the evil.

Galassi has plenty to lose with debut novel

Andrew Purcell Jonathan Galassi, the editor turned novelist, has written a love story for books, and for the people who write and publish them.

Bound to please: the book that changed me

Will Self, Peter Singer, Maxine Beneba Clarke, Graeme Simsion and Renata Singer unwrap the books that changed them.

Louis de Bernieres chases family shadow

JASON STEGER Family history was the inspiration for the author's latest novel, but he's quick to point out that he won't be sticking to the truth.

Honey Brown's sweet success after hardship

CAROLYN WEBB Honey Brown has overcome dyslexia, a broken back and depression to become a successful thriller writer. Her new book is a romance.

Festival looks ahead with anniversary program

JASON STEGER The Melbourne Writers Festival is celebrating its 30th anniversary with a look at the writers who will be the literary names of the future.

Louis de Bernieres to open 2015 festival

JASON STEGER Author of the bestselling Captain Corelli's Mandolin will deliver the opening address at the 30th Melbourne Writers Festival.

Warnings of war against the West

JASON STEGER Masha Gessen's account of the rise to power of Russian president Vladimir Putin characterises him as a bully and a thug.

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A long walk with Simon Armitage

Fiona Gruber Simon Armitage has been disabusing people of their prejudices about poets and poetry for the past 25 years.

Turning Pages

Jane Sullivan As much as anything, the first weekend of the 2014 Melbourne Writers Festival was about the joys and hazards of writing.

How is the publishing industry faring?

Sonia Harford With the GFC, tighter advances and that pesky e-publishing issue it's not all lazy days and easy living for authors or their publishers reports Sonia Harford.

Dave Eggers: Don't write off publishing yet

KYLIE NORTHOVER American  publishing's wunderkind believes rumours of the printed word's demise are greatly exaggerated.

Imaginary tales: books that might have been

Various As readers descend on Melbourne for the annual writers festival, seven literary Australians envision the books that might have been.

An accent on truth

Patricia Cornelius As the Melbourne Writers Festival revels in the power of words, an innovative theatre group gives poetic voice to those silenced by mainstream culture.

Chris Hadfield and lessons from outer space

JASON STEGER Chris Hadfield spent five months on the International Space Station and made his mark in several unusual ways.

Bringing old Melbourne back to life

ANDREW STEPHENS Melbourne's population was once traced via thick directories compiled by weary doorknockers.

Urban explorers uncover hidden gems

John Bailey If you're one of the 50,000 people who crossed forbidden thresholds and explored abandoned places as part of this year's Open House Melbourne series, you know the lure of ruins.

Helen Garner: Into the darkness

SUSAN WYNDHAM The horrific death of three young brothers shocked the nation and put their father in the dock. Helen Garner watched the case unfold.

Interview: Joan London

Jane Sullivan For her third novel, the acclaimed writer has revisited `50s Australia and the threat of polio.

NoViolet Bulawayo: A cry for home

JASON STEGER NoViolet Bulawayo's first novel is a remarkable rendering of life in Zimbabwe and the consequences of leaving.

Jessie Cole: Life in a secret world

Susan Chenery Jessie Cole's novels are the expression of her deep connection to the natural world.

Nick Earls returns to his comedic roots

LINDA MORRIS Nick Earls first found readers writing about the angst of single-men. Now the Brisbane novelist returns to his roots to skewer the male middle-age crisis.

The interview: Philip Hensher

Fiona Gruber Philip Hensher's unfashionable passions.

Festival aims to serve up a world of words

JASON STEGER Melbourne Writers Festival announces 400 guests, with Helen Garner to deliver the opening night address.

Salman Rushdie to be a festival guest

JASON STEGER The acclaimed and controversial author, who was subject to a fatwa in response to his novel The Satanic Verses, will discuss freedom of expression.