It's a celebration of all things literary - and this year, it's bigger and better than ever.

LitFest New West returns for its fifth year on April 24 and 25.

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The fun kicks off with a wine and cheese launch party at the New Westminster Public Library on Friday, April 24, and continues with a day of workshops and a literary marketplace on Saturday. The whole event culminates in Written in the Stars, a gala evening featuring authors and music, on Saturday night.

"We really pushed it this year," says Marianne Janzen, chair of the LitFest committee. "It's really coming together."

Linda Cullen and Bob Robertson of CBC Double Exposure fame are hosting the launch evening, which will feature Roxanne Davies, author of Olga: the O.K. Way to a Healthy, Happy Life, in a talk at the public library.

It starts at 6:30 p.m. and is free, but register ahead at 604-527-4667 or listener@nwpl.ca.

On Saturday, lit lovers can choose from a host of workshops and presentations on a range of topics, from historical writing, comedy writing and songwriting to the future of newspapers and the art of making a living in the writing world.

The hour-long workshops run from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., with four different rooms housing a total of 14 workshops.

Among the new offerings this year is one that Janzen's excited about: a panel discussion about creative writing programs at four local post-secondary institutions: Douglas College, Kwantlen, UBC and SFU.

She notes that session will be particularly helpful for students who are thinking about studying writing.

The day will also include a marketplace of books - which will feature, for the first time, a "pop-up library" by the New West Public Library.

The crowning glory of the festival will be the Written in the Stars gala on Saturday night, hosted once again by Cullen and Robertson.

Authors Steven Galloway, Steve Burgess, J.J. Lee and Mike McCardell will all be part of the gala, as will the city's poet laureate, Candice James.

Music has also been incorporated into the program. The evening will feature Sound Eclectic choir, the New Westminster Pipe Band and singers Tamer Young and Jack Yarwood.

Galloway will also be joined by cellist Elizabeth Knudson, performing Albioni's Adagio in G Minor, which figures prominently in Galloway's famed novel The Cellist of Sarajevo.

Janzen notes that the whole event has come together thanks to the efforts of a huge team of volunteers and the support of local business sponsors - McLaren Trefanenko CGA, Minutemen Press, Ionica, the Record, the Piffle, the City of New West and the province of B.C. have all contributed to the event.

LitFest is presented by the Arts Council of New Westminster, in partnership with the library, the Royal City Literary Arts Society and Douglas College. The Douglas College Alumni Association is also on board for the first time as a presenting sponsor.

The whole event is free, but donations will be accepted.

See www.artscouncilnewwest.org/litfest for all the details about the festival and to see the brochure.