StoryFest 2019 begins on June 21 with an exciting line up of writers, historians, scientists, and filmmakers coming to the Milton, Mollymook and Ulladulla region to celebrate storytelling.

Festival Director, Meredith Jaffé said the StoryFest team had dreamed big to bring some amazingly talented writers, performers and celebrities to the region.

"We are very excited about our guest list and are confident there will be an event, or five, for everyone."

Audiences will be spoilt for choice, Ms Jaffé said. 

For budding authors who dream of writing their own novel but aren't quite sure how to go about it, StoryFest welcomes Emily Maguire.

Maguire will run a one-day workshop called Fiction Fundamentals, which introduces participants to the elements of fiction writing. Her latest novel, An Isolated Incident was shortlisted for the Stella Prize, the ABIA Literary Fiction Book of the Year and the Miles Franklin Literary Award.

She is the current Writer- in-Residence at the Charles Perkins Centre at the University of Sydney and teaches the Year of the Novel at Writers NSW. Places are limited for what promises to be an immersive experience in writing craft, Ms Jaffé said

Alternatively, you can join local artist Julie Sydenham who will be exploring storytelling through illustration with her one-day workshop, ...A Thousand Words. Julie's work includes the magical picture book series in which she collaborated with bestselling adult author, Di Morrissey. 

On Friday night, Milton Theatre is the place to be for crime fiction fans, featuring international bestselling authors, Michael Robotham (The Other Wife), Candice Fox (Gone By Midnight) and Christian White (The Nowhere Child).

Find out what goes on inside the mind of an award-winning crime writer in a session that promises to be "darkly funny".

What does go on inside the mind of a crime writer? Who better to ask than these three award-winning authors in a session that promises to be darkly funny.

For lovers of historical fiction, bestselling authors Natasha Lester (The French Photographer) and Lauren Chater (The Lace Weaver) will discuss how they uncover historical details and why they set stories in the past over a dinner at Tallwood Eatery. 

Program Director Pamela Cook said most the these authors will appear at other events if you miss out on a a Friday event. 

"If you can't decide which event to book, you'll be pleased to know that most of these authors will be appearing in other events at the festival on Saturday, June 22," she said.

"And every author will be answering audience questions and be signing books after their sessions."

The full program will be launched Tuesday, April 30 with tickets going on sale May 1. The Friday events are a taster of what to expect in this jam-packed inaugural festival. Tickets for Friday events go on sale March 27 and are available online via the StoryFest website.

Saturday features kids' events at Milton Library and two streams of authors running side by side at the Anglican Church Hall and the CWA Hall as well as a knock-out event at lunchtime in the Milton Theatre.

The StoryFest team were thrilled to announce that a special guest will be joining dinner on Saturday night.

Tickets to the Gala Dinner at Cupitt's Winery are limited. Alternatively, film buffs will be entertained at Milton Theatre, including a full-length feature and a panel discussion with filmmakers to follow.

The festival closes on Sunday with three more workshops covering creative writing, illustration, and podcasting. 

The Schools' Program will run in the week leading up to the main festival and will introduce students to some leaders in their creative fields. It will also include the opportunity to participate in writing workshops with award-winning bestselling authors.

For full festival details, including the program and ticket sales, visit the website at www.storyfest.org.au.