Bott is addressing the recent furore over the Brisbane Writers Festival's alleged "disinviting" of Bob Carr and Germaine Greer. While she doesn't want to comment too closely on specific cases, she does say, "I think generally in these events an invitation is an invitation."

The theme of this festival - the third -  is Power, Passion and Politics which she says "really sums up in many ways Canberra and what we're trying to do".

There are 110 events this year - slightly more than last year - at a range of national institutions with 90 women and 82 men, including popular authors (such as Matthew Reilly) and politicans (such as Barnaby Joyce), among many others.

"There are some really strong threads and women, science, crime, Indigenous matters are very strong this year. There's quite a strong field of health and lifestyle," Bott says.

She thinks it's important to challenge audiences as well as respect them and acknowledges that sometimes "there's going to be a tension between giving audiences what they want and growing the audience in new areas".

Writers festivals, she says, are festivals of ideas and people's lives, not just about books.

This year, as noted, there's a particular emphasis on stories by women - both fictional and non-fictional.

Canberra writer and academic Anne McGrath, author of Illicit Love, will be in conversation with journalist Aarti Betigeri on August 25 at 9.30am in the Senate Chamber, Museum of Australian Democracy.

McGrath's book tackles the once taboo subject of interracial sex and marriage in the US and Australia between the 18th and early 20th centuries and the transgenerational impact of these relationships. Some created empowerment, others disempowerment but they were controversial.

"They disturb the boundaries," she says.

From the beginning, she says, such relationships were governed by Indigenous law rather than British or American  law.

With relationships between Native Americans and whites she focused particularly on the Cherekoee, whose society was matriarchal.

"It caused great controversy - marriage was important strategically to create powerful networks."

In Australia, she says, the Indigenous people wanted to bring newcomers under their law, and marriage was one way to try to do that.

The gender relations involved varied widely, McGrath says.

In Australia, "A lot of white men had a white wife and an Indigenous wife: there was a lot of polygamy and two sets of families and often men wouldn't acknowledge their Aboriginal families."

In some cases the men provided some sort of financial support for their Aboriginal families and sent their children to school.

McGrath spent a lot of time looking through archives and historical accounts in the US and Australia in writing the book.

This is McGrath's second Canberra Writers Festival and she's impressed by the line-up of talent.

"This one looks terribly exciting, there are a lot of recognisable names," she says.

"I did notice a lot of female authors and a lot of politics. It's going to be interesting because it's with interesting people."

McGrath is an academic historian and says, "It's fantastic when you realise you've got an audience out there who read your work."

Another book with a historical setting and a focus on gender relationships is the novel Book of Colours by another Canberran, Robin Cadwallader, author of The Anchoress. She  will be in conversation about the new book with Angus Trumble on Sunday, August 26 at 9.30am in the Visions Theatre, National Library of Australia.

"It's set in 14th-century London and is the story of the creation of an illuminated manuscript, the Book of Hours.

"This was a book of prayers created for women of the gentry for their devotions."

One of the female illustrators in the atelier, Gemma, is writing a book of her own, The Art of Illumination, a guidebook for other illustrators.  Because women weren't recognised by the artisan guilds of the period, she isn't recognised by master illustrator John or her other male colleagues.

"She's frustrated by that so one way of dealing with it is to write down what she knows."

Another timeline deals with Matilda, the woman for whom the book was made, and her reading of the book, an expensive status symbol ordered by her husband.

There are other characters and incidents including war and famine.

Among the issues Cadwallader is concerned with in Book of Colours are "the place of art and beauty in a world that's struggling for survival" and the status of women in the society of the time.

Cadwallader says she began researching the book in London in 2013 and the process of its creation took three years.

She says the writing scene in Canberra is "very strong" and  is looking forward to the festival where there will some writers she knows and the opportunity to meets others.

"It's lovely to have something that's local; it's terrific to have our own festival."

She says she is looking forward to the session on poetry but adds, "I'm probably not going to see Barnaby Joyce."

Alison Booth's novel A Perfect Marriage is set in the modern day and, she says, "is the story of an intelligent woman who has made a mistake in her life and finds it difficult to extricate herself".

Although the novel deals with such subjects as  domestic violence - both physical and mental abuse - and toxic masculinity,  Booth says, "I'm very keen for people to understand that there is hope. You can go through a devastating situation and come out with hope for the future despite being scarred."

The  writer, broadcaster and former barrister Afua Hirsch is making her first Australian appearance at the Canberra Writers Festival. Hirsch was born in Norway and has British, Ghanan and Jewish heritage. Her family moved from Norway to Britain when she was an infant. She wrote her book Brit(ish): On Race, Identity and Belonging  based on her own experience, which she says has resonated with many people.

"I grew up constantly being asked where I was from, even though I'm British," she says.

This led her, like many others, to question her identity and wonder what "Britishness" meant.

Hirsch will be appearing at two events: On the Brink (Friday, August 24, 11.30am, National Press Club) with Gwynne Dyer and Greg Sheridan, moderated by Chris Uhlmann; and Brit(ish): On Race, Identity and Belonging in coversation with Hugh Rimonton (Saturday, August 25, 2.30pm, National Library of Australia Theatre).

Brit(ish) , inspired by her book, will focus on ideas such as race, identity and history which she says have relevance in this country as well as her own.

"I haven't been to Australia before but I am aware of the situation in Australia," she says.

In both countries, Afua says, such longstanding notions as "who is civilised" are "all based on the idea of excluding people of colour".

She doesn't think this can be changed until people are willing and able to recognise and address how the  legacy of the past affects the situation in both countries today.

Many white British and Australians, she says, cling to the notion of regarding people of other races and cultures as "otherness"  even as the societies become increasingly multiracial and multicultural. And many don't want to change: "they prefer it and enjoy the privilege of it.

"I'm not calling for any identity politics or narrow nationalism. I'm saying it's a question of people versus identities and a question of whether you see it or not."

As well as this, she sees a lack of nuance in dealing with the past and would like to see more analysis and acknowledgment of the complexities of history.

She says, "The British are obsessed with celebrating history - winning the war, being on the right side of history."

Afua cites Darknest Hour,  the recent film about Winston Churchill, as one example of the oversimplification of history  with its "idea that Britain stood alone on the brink of war.

"The British had an empire: there were soldiers from India, Africa, Australia and Canada," she says, also noting that the reach of the empire gave them access to a huge amount of the world's resources.

On the Brink will cover some similar issues on a broader scale as the discussion will be about where the world is heading. Afua notes the rise of the far right and populism in Europe and the US as factors threatening the use of facts, evidence and nuance in thinking about what's happening.

There's plenty of all three Writers Festival themes - power, politics and passion - in what she says and plenty more to discover at the festival.

The Canberra Writers Festival is on from August 23 to 26. canberrawritersfestival.com.au.

Girls' Night In with Annabel Crabb, Nikki Gemmell, Bridie Jabour and Jean Kittson. Sunday, August 26, 6pm, Llewellyn Hall.

One on One Matthew Reilly In Conversation with Emma Alberici, Sunday, August 26, 1pm, Llewellyn Hall.

Growing Pains: The Future of Democracy (And Work), Gwynne Dyer In Conversation with Richard Fidler, August 25,  1pm, University House, ANU.

The Other Wife: Michael Robotham in conversation with Laura Tchilinguirian, Saturday August 25, 11am, University House, ANU.

The Great Book Swap Saturday 9.30am-3.30pm, Gandel Atrium, National Museum of Australia.

Brit(ish): On Race, Identity and Belonging, Afua Hirsch in conversation with Hugh Riminton Saturday August 25,  2.30pm National Library of Australia.

Tears for Tarshiha Olfat Mahmoud in conversation with Aarti Betigeri, Saturday,  August 25, 4pm, National Library of Australia.