Literature

State MP Janelle Saffin visited Mallanganee on Friday, April 24 to present local writer and online editor of IndyNR.com Susanna Freymark with her Lismore Electorate Local Woman of the Year Award.

Where is the Green Sheep? is an immersive visual theatre experience based on the beloved children’s book by Mem Fox and Judy Horacek. We meet Blue Sheep who loves blue flowers and Red Sheep who loves to cartwheel in the fields, Bath Sheep who loves bubbles and Bed Sheep who loves to bounce... But where is that Green Sheep?

"Moderation in everything," Mary Cartwright says is the key to living 100 years, a milestone she will reach on May 28. "I've never driven a car so walk everywhere and keep my mind active – knitting, crocheting and reading," she says.

After an extensive internal renovation, the Corryong Elyne Mitchell Library was officially re-opened at a community event on Saturday. Towong Shire Council mayor, Cr Peter Tolsher, was joined by Colin Morrison (representing the Victorian Department of Government Services) and Honor Auchinleck, the daughter of Elyne Mitchell.

With the Margaret River Library temporarily closed for building works, many locals have found themselves missing their regular library fix ... Augusta Library has plenty to offer, including a stunning art exhibition now on display.

Lockyer Valley Libraries’ Author Talks for 2026 will kick start with author Frances Harding. Frances' latest title, The Accidental Publican, tells the story of her unexpected move to Charleville from Brisbane and her time as publican of the Corones Pub – ‘The Taj Mahal on the Warrego’.

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.

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.”