JULY 18, 2024
BY JAMES BENNETT
I never really know! Sometimes, it’s a tv show, other times, just an experience. The Redgum River Retreat was inspired by the Antique’s Roadshow, The Lyrebird Ladies Choir came from an article about older women experiencing homelessness.
Flying by the seat of my pants. We like to be called “pantsers” – we definitely need to work on the name.
Women’s fiction. Historical fiction. The Red Tent by Anita Diamant, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows.
Coffs Harbour! I wasn’t a big reader when I was younger, but my father gave me a copy of Pawn of Prophecy by David Eddings when I was about seventeen and the rest is history. ‘Pawn’ and the rest of the Belgariad series was my entry into reading. As Amber from Penguin says, “fantasy is a gateway drug”.
And then… Jane Austen came into my life.
Anyone can access them! Also, the community that libraries create are unparalleled!
By author, then genre and author. Then my husband’s books.
We have about 12 Billys-worth so we try our best.
[Author’s Note: Billys are the official home-library standard of measurement]
Whatever captures their heart! I wasn’t a natural born reader, so I think its really important that people are given the space to explore what stories they are drawn to and that they find fulfilling.
The Lyrebird Lake Ladies Choir is available to order now.
Check it out here.
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Yarra Plenty Regional Library’s Deadly Collection was launched on the 4th August, 2023. “The Deadly Collection was born from co-design with our local First Nations communities, who asked for stronger visibility of their culture and stories within our library collection. In Aboriginal English, the word ‘Deadly’ has a similar meaning to the...
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This article was originally written and shared on the PressReader blog. To read the full article, scroll through to the end.The need for media literacy isn’t new — but our current cultural climate and digital ecosystem certainly give today’s issues a unique spin. Even as teachers, librarians and institutions are...
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In Conversation with Sandie Docker
July 18, 2024
What inspires your writing?I never really know! Sometimes, it’s a tv show, other times, just an experience. The Redgum River Retreat was inspired by the Antique’s Roadshow, The Lyrebird Ladies Choir came from an article about older women experiencing homelessness. What is your writing process like?Flying by the seat of my...
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In Conversation with Mark Wales!
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StoryBox has some wonderful new releases to share with you
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Too Loud Lily is the delightful story of Lily Hippo who discovers - with the help of Miss Loopiola, her new music and drama teacher - that she’s exactly the right kind of loud. Written by Sofie Laguna, illustrated by Kerry Argent and performed by the incomparable Dolly Diamond, this story...
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James Bennett
Unit 3, 114 Old Pittwater Road
Brookvale NSW 2100, Australia
P: +61 2 8988 5000