Literature

An excerpt from Michael Holding's book, "A Pointless Story" about a young shearer's cook in Cooma in the 1960's ... "3:55 a.m., No alarm clock. Just Stew’s voice booming through the hut like a gospel preacher announcing Judgement Day. “On your feet, Charlton!” There’s a special kind of pain that comes from rolling out of a warm swag into sub-zero air, dragging on yesterday’s stiff clothes, and stumbling into a kitchen where the fire is nothing but a few sulky coals."

After reviewing "Black, White + Colour - A biography of Mervyn Bishop, Australia's first indigenous professional photographer", Aedeen Cremin was able to speak with the author, former journalist Tim Dobbyn, about his book and its celebrated subject, a long-time family friend.

Hay Shire Council is ending its participation in the Dolly Parton Imagination Library Funding and Investment in Community-driven Literacy Programs for children, due to rising costs. Council resolved at a recent meeting to transition from the Imagination Library program to a suite of locally delivered early-literacy initiatives.

The next Nhill Book Fair will be held on September 7, from 10-2 at 44 Victoria St (next to Lowana), in conjunction with the second birthday celebrations at LOL next door. At this book fair there will be a large selection of Walkabout magazines available.

Nhill's Wayne Batson has turned his passion for football and storytelling into a newly published book, The Ring-Ins. The comedy follows a ragtag group of ageing footballers who decide to drag themselves off the couch and back onto the field.

A descendant of the first settlers at Lowbank, east of Waikerie, has written a book on the history of the former local school, providing an insight into education in the area from 1913 to 1942. The book, titled 'Low Bank School History', was published last month, and is Cheryl Paschke's fifth book about the history of the area.

Literary lovers, mark your calendar! Byron Writers Festival kicks off Friday 8 August and is set to ignite imaginations, stir conversations, and celebrate the power of stories at the picturesque Bangalow Showground on Bundjalung Country.

... this month’s topic is Amazing People ... The book fair itself is nestled between the CWA pop-up shop and Lowana, two long-established organisations run entirely by volunteers ... There are also people who make a career of volunteering and I recently met one such remarkable bloke. In his words he was heading out bush to earn a few dollars to support his real work – delivering books to people in the bush.

The 2025 Bendigo Writers Festival is fast approaching with the event taking place from Friday August 15 to Sunday August 17. This year’s festival celebrates the fusion of gastronomy and storytelling with a packed program featuring Ben Shewry, Helly Raichura, Jennifer Wong, Grace Yee and Thomas Mayo, along with many others from the literary world.

The Woman in the Waves is the second novel by author Camille Booker and it’s an extremely well-crafted work of historical fiction that mixes mystery, murder, mermaids and myth ... you may find this novel sits on the shore of your mind long after you have finished reading. A flotsam and jetsam of phrases and feelings will float in and out of your thoughts all of which leads me to say: ‘a book that lingers is a book worth reading’. 

Little World by Josephine Rowe is without doubt a very curious little book with a very curious little story. This is the third novel by this author who has gained great acclaim for her previous works and this latest book is destined to be another literary success. But having said that this novel is actually one that is incredibly hard to describe and even harder to categorise.

If your kids or grandkids love books, then the Byron Writers Festival’s Kids Program is the ultimate event to nurture their love of storytelling, while having a blast at the same time! Hosted by comedian Peter Helliar, budding bookworms will be entertained by writers including Tony Armstong in his exclusive Byron Writers Festival appearance...

"... this is far from being just an extremely beautiful piece of writing as it’s filled with deep thoughts and hefty substance and it takes a skilled writer like Kate to be able to take the reader by the hand and guide them into a conversation about the actions and attitudes of the colonisers and the consequences for those who already lived here."

Maldon Cycling’s new ride book, Seventeen Gravel Bike Rides - Maldon & Beyond, invites riders to engage in the local landscape, history and ecology while hitting the track ... The new ride book features maps and information to enrich the journey for back road riders.

Photographer Jodie Harris is a finalist in the 2025 National Photographic Portrait Prize ... Jodie is a photographer of Yamatji and Wajari descent and she lives and works on Bundjalung Country in Kyogle ... “Photographic portraiture is something I continue to be drawn to for its enduring power to tell a story.”

Hay Library continues to grow in popularity, with an increase of 24 per cent in borrowers in March compared to the previous month and a slight decrease in April due to the two long weekends. In a comprehensive report to Council, the Library Team Leader noted 11 new members, a registration renewal and a busy month with community activities.

Who will read my books when I die? So many much loved and often read, from my childhood onwards are in the bookcase. So much learned from them, so many dreams and other worlds to travel through.

"The Bluff" is definitely an unputdownable crime novel filled with deception, betrayal and greed. If you’re after a crime thriller that will keep you guessing right to the end and one that gives you plenty of other topics and issues to think about then "The Bluff" should be high on your reading list.

On Monday 31st May 1875 a large group of Greenmount District locals gathered for the opening of the new Emu Creek State School and waited patiently for the official opening by well known politician Mr W. H. Groom ... It is very doubtful if Mr Groom, the first Head Teacher, Cornelius O'Brien or anyone gathered there that day, would have guessed that one of the 40 students enrolled would go on to be one of Australia's most loved writers.

On Friday, October 6, 1972, the unthinkable happened when two men kidnapped seven pupils and their 20-year-old teacher from a little isolated country school in rural Victoria. This school was a little granite building known as Faraday State School 797.

Baden Scholefield ... This latest work, “The Flame Trees”, is set in the remote coastal town of Broome during the heyday of pearling.