Wollongong is having something of a Pip Williams moment, with her bestselling novel The Dictionary of Lost Words hitting the stage just weeks before she headlines the local writers festival.

The excitement began building on May 12, when hundreds turned up at the IPAC for a conversation between Pip and playwright Verity Laughton, held in the lead-up to the hit play’s opening night for Merrigong.

Adapted by Verity and directed by Jessica Arthur, the production has been touring the country since its sell-out debut season in 2023.

Now it’s Wollongong’s turn to experience the much-loved story of Esme, a young woman growing up in the world of the first Oxford English Dictionary, who hides beneath the sorting table in the Scriptorium and begins collecting the words that don’t make it onto the page.

Pip’s seen the play 10 times and says the thrill hasn’t worn off. Watching her story come to life under theatre lights has been overwhelming, deeply satisfying - and full of surprises.

“I felt like a parent at a school concert; I’d handed my story over and could only cross my fingers and hope it worked,” she says. “Of course, it did.”

When she wrote the book, she’d never imagined it taking another form and wasn’t sure how her introspective protagonist would translate to the stage. But the result, she says, is a faithful adaptation, with a few necessary adjustments for a live audience.

“In the novel, it’s in first person, and Esme is quite reserved,” she says. “So much happens inside her head, and you can’t have a quiet young woman just sitting on stage thinking. Nobody would be engaged in that story.”

Pip says Verity found a way to draw Esme out, giving her an active presence while staying true to the spirit of the character and novel.

She credits Verity with understanding that readers and book clubs who loved The Dictionary of Lost Words would come to the theatre with high expectations, and a clear idea of how the story should go.

“She felt an obligation to those people,” Pip says. “She wasn’t interested in making some sort of experimental version of the story for her own sake. She really worked with the readers in mind to create something that brought to life a story they already loved.” For Pip, seeing audience reactions up close has been one of the unexpected joys of the whole experience.

“I was sitting in the darkness beside all these other theatregoers, and it was incredible," she says. "I was in the room, watching, feeling people react to the story unfolding on stage. 

"As a writer, I never get to see people reading my book, so suddenly I had access to all these people engaging with a story I’d sat with for so long. And it’s also a story that came out during COVID, which made it feel even more powerful.”

She likes to slip into her seat unnoticed, listen into the conversations during intermission and catch the collective sounds the crowd makes when a big moment is about to happen.

"There’s this little intake of breath just before something happens on stage - they’ve anticipated it. They know what’s coming, and they’re either excited about it, or sad about it. You can hear it in their breath, or in this quiet little 'Oh!'”

One scene in particular showed her just how deeply the play was connecting with theatregoers.

“There’s a scene – I won’t spoil it, but I cried writing it, and the woman next to me cried watching it. She didn’t know who I was, and that made it even more special.”

The play has already toured the big cities, and Pip says she’s thrilled to see it now reaching regional centres like Wollongong.

“I’m a big fan of regional festivals and performances. There’s a real hunger for it outside the capitals,” she says.

“The IPAC is a beautiful theatre – we did a Q&A there the other night, and 400 people turned up. The cultural scene (in the Illawarra) is just fantastic.”

While she doesn’t plan to see The Dictionary of Lost Words for an 11th time in Wollongong, Pip – who has family in Stanwell Park – will be back in town in a few weeks for the South Coast Readers & Writers Festival.

The event returns to the Thirroul District Community Centre and Library over the weekend of July 5-6 with a vibrant line-up of literary talent.

Pip will appear alongside fellow author Catherine McKinnon for a conversation about historical fiction and the untold stories that are central to her work.

“We’ll be talking about both my books: The Dictionary of Lost Words and The Bookbinder of Jericho, which is a companion novel,” she says.

“Some of the characters (crossover), but you don’t have to read one before the other. It’s just the same universe.

“And I’m really looking forward to being in conversation with Catherine. She’s written a beautiful book called To Sing of War, and I think we’ll have plenty to talk about.”

Pip is now working on a third novel, again set during World War I, this time in France.

“It’s about one of the characters in the previous books, but she’s a side character. I’ll leave it there," she teases.

The Dictionary of Lost Words runs from May 29 to June 7 at the IPAC. Tickets available here. Pip Williams and Catherine McKinnon’s session, Linguists & Book Binders, runs from 11.30am to 12.25pm on July 5 at Thirroul District Community Centre & Library. Tickets available here 

Festival puts spotlight on women's stories 

The South Coast Readers & Writers Festival is set to bring some serious talent to Wollongong this July.

Curated by South Coast Writers Centre director Dr Sarah Nicholson, the line-up includes Pip Williams (The Bookbinder of Jericho), Charlotte McConaghy (Wild Dark Shore), Isobelle Carmody (Comes the Night), Nikki Gemmell (Wing) and Nardi Simpson (the belburd).

Festival spokesperson Liz Heffernan says having authors like Pip and the other headliners on the program is a major moment for the event.

“Though we’re close to Sydney, we’re still a regional event, and it’s wonderful to give audiences the chance to meet some of the country’s leading authors without having to travel to a capital city,” Liz said.

It’s a program that puts women’s stories front and centre – stories by women, about women, and about the parts of history often left out.

“There's some really wonderful sessions with First Nations voices and recovering ‘lost’ or ‘forgotten’ histories," she said, pointing to a talk with Dr Debra Dank and Darren Rix. "And current affairs is a big topic for this year too.”

The program features journalist Antony Loewenstein, whose book The Palestine Laboratory made headlines last year. He’ll join a panel on Gaza and Lebanon alongside Theodore Ell, Omar Sakr and Safdar Ahmed.

Other highlights include political reporter Amy Remeikis, climate scientist Tim Flannery and social commentator Jan Fran.

Festival workshops will also be held on July 4 at Coledale Community Hall, featuring Ryan Butta and Isobelle Carmody.

Tickets and the full weekend program are available here