The Ten Best Events to See at the Sydney Writers’ Festival 2014

Crisp harbour air, just-pressed books and freshly ground coffee to carry you through — that's what we go back to the Sydney Writers' Festival for year after year. One of the world's most popular and respected writers' festivals, it presents us with a fine autumnal week of talks, panels, readings, workshops, performances and a boozy hub to end the night in.

Artistic director Jemma Birrell doesn't appear to be trying to reinvent the wheel or tweet the wheel or performance art the wheel; the 2014 Sydney Writers' Festival is geared towards solid programming that mixes interesting minds. "Over 400 writers will bring their insight and knowledge, their creativity and contemplation, to help us see life from a different perspective," she says of the festival.

Here are our top ten writer combos you'll find at the festival.

Vince Gilligan

Here's your chance to thank a major enabler of your binge TV habit. The man responsible for bringing you 3720 hours of glee, revulsion, frustration and satisfaction — Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan — is coming to Australia. He'll be making one exclusive appearance at the Sydney Town Hall as part of the SWF (an early part; he's here May 1 while the rest of the festival kicks off May 19). The discussion will zero in on Gilligan's creative process and presumably provide a platform for all your Better Call Saul-related questions. The first event has sold out, but you can still get tickets to the second event, on at 9.30pm, which has Benjamin Law asking the questions.

May 1, 7pm and 9.30pm at Sydney Town Hall. Tickets $35/28.

Humour and Debauchery with a few manners in between

We'd watch Annabel Crabb interview a throw pillow, but here she is interviewing three of the festival's most interesting guests: Irvine Welsh, Gary Shteyngart and Sandi Toksvig. Just imagine the scintillating repartee when sparkling ABC journo meets Super Sad True Love Story writer Shteyngart, who you might know from his work on the back of hundreds of books (he's a famous blurbist), and comedian and broadcaster Toksvig, who's a QI regular and therefore accustomed to bantering with Stephen Fry. Though Crabb might need all her wiles to wrangle rite-of-passage writer Welsh (Trainspotting), who famously spent his 1998 SWF session drinking beer, insulting his host and reading his own book (not out loud; in his head).

While you're there: Flit by the Hickson Road Wharf beforehand and you could see the free Curiosity Lecture Series On Living Well or the What's Normal Anyway? panel.

Friday, May 23, 8.30pm, at the Sydney Town Hall. Tickets $25/20.

People of Letters

Michaela McGuire and Marieke Hardy's Women of Letters has been steadily taking over the adorable Sunday afternoon literary readings scene, to the point where it's had recent instalments in the US and the UK. Nostalgia meets healthy oversharing at the event, which sees guests read letters they've written in response to a theme — this time, it's 'A letter to my other half'. Reading at the SWF's People of Letters (slight name change to accommodate the menfolk) is Scott Spark, Ella Scott Lynch, Liam Pieper, Cate Blake, Eddie Sharp, Kristin Williamson, Benjamin Law and Australian playwright David Williamson.

While you're there: Check out New Worlds: Digital Storytelling on the same stage at 3pm or the ever inspiring Michael Kirby present the free lecture On What Would Gandhi Do.

Saturday, May 24, 4.30pm at Pier 2/3 Club Stage. Free.

Literary Friendships: Ben and Michelle Law

Not only have Benjamin and Michelle Law survived the ‘shit Asian mothers say’ they’ve also survived their sibship. But only just. As part of the festival’s ‘Literary Friendships’ series, they’ll be revealing how they co-wrote a bestselling book without killing each other. Michelle is an AWGIE award-winning screenwriter who’s worked on the TV adaptation of The Family Law, Flashforward and Slide, and is currently putting together a documentary on suicide for the ABC. Benjamin is the author of books Gaysia and The Family Law and a regular contributor to The Monthly, Qweekend, Good Weekend and frankie.

While you're there: See Irvine Welsh discuss his new book, The Sex Lives of Siamese Twins in the Sydney Theatre beforehand. Afterwards, there's nothing for it but closure and a stiff drink.

Sunday, May 25, 3pm at Pier 2/3 The Loft. Free, no bookings.

Inua Ellams' Black T-Shirt Collection

Spoken word poetry always pops its head up at Sydney Writers' Festivals, and this year's star proponent is Nigerian-born, London-based Inua Ellams, who takes the form to the next level. His Black T-Shirt Collection is a deep and developed one-man play in which he tells the story of two brothers — Matthew and Muhammed — who start a graphic tee business in Nigeria, only to find their fortunes swayed by homophobia and global capitalism. Exeunt magazine called Ellams' performance "captivating", with "just enough variation in his physical acting to give credible form to a cast of characters from a middle-aged Egyptian carpet-seller to a mourning Nigerian mother".

While you're there: The other SWF events are nowhere near Bondi. So how about stopping by Do Orazio Pizza and Porchetta instead and sating your appetite instead?

Wednesday and Thursday, May 21-22, 8pm at the Bondi Pavilion.

The Madonna-Whore and Other Fictions

A recent post on Tara Moss’s Facebook page reads: “Stranger to my daughter: ‘You are very pretty’. Response: ‘I’m very brave, too’.” On the heels of publishing her non-fiction debut, The Fictional Woman, Moss will get together with Nakkiah Lui, Emma Donoghue and Kate Ceberano for a panel discussion unravelling the common fictions applied to women — from gold-digger to dumb blonde to mother. Versatile journo and Fairfax columnist Tracey Spicer will be doing the compering.

While you're there: Hear about The Real Sydney and see An Iranian Talking to an Israeli (true title).

Friday, May 23, 3pm at Pier 2/3 Main Stage. Tickets $25/$20.

Eleanor Catton: The Luminaries

One big international name this year is that other confounding New Zealand prodigy, 2013 Booker Prize winner for The Luminaries Eleanor Catton. Last year, the 28-year-old became the youngest ever author to win the Man Booker Prize with her extraordinary second novel. She’ll be discussing 19th-century gold mining, astrology and the collective unconscious with arts mover and shaker Steven Gale, who has directed in theatres and taught at universities all over the UK and in the US.

While you're there: At the Hickson Road Wharf, spend time with the foreign correspondents of Eyewitness the former foreign minister, Bob Carr.

Thursday, May 22, 6.30pm at City Recital Hall Angel Place. Tickets $32/$26. Image: Robert Catto.

Festival Club

Now a fixture of the festival, the Chaser-run Festival Club is where things get relaxed and sweary at the end of the day. (Not so relaxed, however, that you can necessarily saunter in at any hour; line up a bit before 7pm like a good Sydneysider.) Each night from Thursday to Saturday features an instalment of The Chaser's Empty Vessel, with big festival guests like Reza Aslan, Jeremy Scahill, Colin McDowell and Eimear McBride dropping by for casual, sometimes boozy, 'off-the-record' chats. Bookending the Vessel are catch cackle-worthy storytelling endeavours such as Story Club, Erotic Fan Fiction, Mixtape Memoirs and Spoken Four.

While you're there: Anything goes with a night at the Festival Club.

Thursday to Saturday, 22-24 May, 7pm at Pier 2/3 Club Stage. $15 on the door. No pre-bookings.

Exceptional Television

If past years have seen a focus on digital writing and journalism, the topic du jour looks to be television, and the extremely high quality of TV writing that is probably luring you away from books, films and reading this article. Should the aspiring writers of 2014 be aiming for the long-form, narratively rich landscape of TV? Delve into the strengths and challenges of the medium with local heroes Peter Duncan (Rake) and Steven McGregor (Redfern NOW) plus American writer A.M. Homes — who as well as being a 2013 Women’s Prize for Fiction winner has written and produced for The L Word. tvtonight.com.au editor David Knox chairs. Show your love for TV by getting off the couch for this one.

While you're there: Visit Louis Nowra's Kings Cross or explore further afield with Jacques Roubaud: Writer, Mathematician and Oulipean.

Thursday, May 22, 4.30pm at Pier 2/3 Club Stage. Tickets $20/40.

Coffee and Papers with Jeremy Scahill and Antony Loewenstein

It’s probably a good idea to take a really strong coffee to this early morning chat. After all, Antony Loewenstein’s latest book is titled Profits of Doom: How Vulture Capitalism is Swallowing The World, while Jeremy Scahill has just published Dirty Wars: The World is a Battlefield. It doesn’t sound like there’ll be any mucking around. Ferocious, outspoken devotees to the great tradition of no-holds barred investigative journalism, Loewenstein and Scahill will be discussing the media’s changing nature with Sydney Morning Herald state editor Sherrill Nixon.

While you're there: From here, enjoy all that Friday has to offer. We like the look of Curiosity Lecture Series session On Epicurus, a look at how well the foodies of today are following the lessons of classic Epicureanism.

Friday, May 23, 9am at The Bar at the End of the Wharf. Free, no bookings.

The Sydney Writers' Festival is on May 19-25. For the full program and to book tickets, visit the festival website.

By the Concrete Playground team.