The annual Going West Books & Writers Festival is now in its ninth year, and the organisers have just revealed the first details of the 2004 schedule.

The event takes place in the Waitakere City area and will run from Friday 3 to Sunday 19 September.

It kicks off with Word Up! on the Friday evening, featuring 15-18 year old performers of theatre, dance, music, poetry and comedy. On Saturday 4 there will be a day-long market for second-hand, rare and hand-made books, plus a ‘Poetry Slam’ with cash prizes in the evening.

The main literary weekend kicks off on Friday 10 September. It will be ‘a celebration of the kiwi writing spirit and features established and emerging writers’.

Storyfest on Saturday 18 will transform the Kelston Community Centre into ‘a magical setting where everyone can delight in the power of words and stories’.

The famous Going West steam train trip is on again this year. It’s a ‘wonderful mix of location, locomotion and literature for a uniquely Waitakere experience’. The train chugs out of Auckland central at 9.30am on Sunday 19.

To get your Going West brochure in early August, email Lesley Smith with your name and address, or phone 09 836 8000 ext 8460.