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Hilary Mantel - the only woman to win the Man Booker Prize twice - is one of the star attractions at this year's Perth Writers Festival.

Her three-part fictional account of Thomas Cromwell's rise to power in the court of Henry VIII gained her the prestigious award in 2009 ( Wolf Hall ) and in 2012 ( Bring up the Bodies ). She is currently working on the third instalment - and joins the Festival via video link for an evening of thought-provoking conversation with Radio National's Michael Cathcart on stage at the Perth Concert Hall.

Founded by The University of Western Australia 63 years ago, the Perth International Arts Festival and its attendant Perth Writers Festival and Lotterywest Festival Films are a chance for all Western Australians to participate in a wide range of experiences.

The Perth Writers Festival Precinct - in the beautiful grounds of UWA - will offer interviews, debates, readings, performances and workshops from a range of people including Bob Brown and TED speaker Bryan Stevenson. Author of Eat, Pray, Love , Elizabeth Gilbert, appears live from the Perth Concert Hall in a double bill with Hilary Mantel in an exploration of creativity.

A UWA-based Perth Writers Festival Family Day will enable children to meet some of their favourite authors and illustrators and to enjoy the fun of a passport designed to activate literacy skills.

The Style Makers - a discussion with the masterminds behind artfully curated lifestyle magazines and periodicals such as Dumbo Feather and Kinfolk which defy predictions that the age of print magazines is ending - is another highlight at the Perth Writers Festival, where every afternoon musicians will perform after a discussion of how literature has inspired them, in a session called Fine Tuning.

The Perth Writers Festival will be held from Thursday 19 February to Sunday 22 February.

Media references

Rania Ghandour (Perth International Arts Festival)  (+61 8) 6488 8618 / (+61 4) 03 025 535
David Stacey (UWA Media and Public Affairs Manager)  (+61 8) 6488 3229 / (+61 4) 32 637 716