WriteFest

Friday 9 September

The Alchemy of Research: Transforming Sources into Historical Fiction  - presented by Melissa Ashley

Learn how to transform your research into unforgettable historical fiction during this Queensland Writers Centre seminar. Explore types of sources and where to find them, ways of interpreting historical material, the lines between fiction, faction and history, and how to transform sources into effective characters and immersive settings.
Melissa Ashley is a writer, poet, birder and academic who tutors in poetry and creative writing at the University of Queensland. She has published a collection of poems, The Hospital for Dolls, short stories, essays and articles. What started out as research for a PhD dissertation on Elizabeth Gould became a labour of love and her first novel, The Birdman’s Wife, which has been printed in three formats and sold more than 30,000 copies since release. Melissa’s second novel, The Bee and the Orange Tree, was published in October 2019 with Affirm Press.

Gympie Library - Friday 9 September - 1.30pm-3pm
Bookings essential: phone 54810859 or visit here to book online

Design a Library Bag workshop

Drop in to Gympie Library and create your own literary inspired slogan book bag, perfect for carrying all your favourite reads as well as those to be added to your To be Read pile.

Suitable for ages 8 and up.

Gympie Library - Friday 9 September - 3pm-4pm
Bookings not needed

Night @ the Library with Kathleen Jennings

Are you looking for ways to spin ideas for art and stories? Join author and illustrator Kathleen Jennings and learn how drawing fast and badly can help you collect inspiration and expand your creativity.
Suitable for ages 12-17.

Kathleen Jennings is an illustrator and writer in Brisbane. Her debut Australian Gothic short novel Flyaway (Picador) was published in 2020. Her debut poetry collection Travelogues (Brain Jar Press) was also published in 2020, and she won the 2020 World Fantasy Award for art.

Gympie Library - Friday 9 September - 5pm-7pm
Bookings essential: phone 54810859 or visit here to book online

Saturday 10 September

Author Talk with Judy Nunn

Judy Nunn’s career has been long, illustrious and multifaceted. Her first three novels, The Glitter Game, Centre Stage and Araluen, set respectively in the worlds of television, theatre and film, became instant bestsellers, and the rest is history, quite literally in fact. Her subsequent bestsellers, Kal, Beneath the Southern Cross, Territory, Pacific, Heritage, Floodtide, Maralinga,Tiger Men,Elianne, Spirits of the Ghan, Sanctuary, Khaki Town and Showtime! confirmed Judy’s position as one of Australia’s leading fiction writers. She has now sold over one million books in Australia alone.

Gympie Library - Saturday 10 September - 9am-10am
Bookings essential: phone 54810859 or visit here to book online

Tin Can Bay Library - Saturday 10 September - 2pm-3pm
Bookings essential: phone 54810859 or visit here to book online

Author Talk with Bruce Venables

Bruce Venables was born in Hobart and was a member of the Tasmanian Police Force. In 1976 he joined the Royal Hong Kong police as an Inspector. He served in the Hong Kong Marine Police as a launch commander and in the Tactical Unit as a platoon commander. In 1984 Bruce took up residence in Sydney and began his career as a writer. He is also well known to Australian audiences as an actor. He is the author of a collection of poetry, The Spirit of the Bush, and five novels: A Necessary Evil, The Time of the Dragons, Two Tigers, One Mountain, Scattered Monkeys and Eureka Run.

Gympie Library - Saturday 10 September - 11am-12noon
Bookings essential: phone 54810859 or visit here to book online

Tin Can Bay Library - Saturday 10 September - 3.30pm-4.30pm
Bookings essential: phone 54810859 or visit here to book online

Author Talk with Julie Fison

Julie Fison is the author of the Hazard River adventure series for young readers, the play As the Crow Flies and stories in the Choose Your Own Ever After series. She lives in Brisbane with her husband and children. One Punch is her first adult novel.

Gympie Library - Saturday 10 September - 1pm-2pm
Bookings essential: phone 54810859 or visit here to book online

Author Talk with S. R. White

S. R. White's debut novel, Hermit, was a top ten bestseller in Australia and nominated for the Crime Writers' Association award for the best crime novel by a first-time author. He now lives in Queensland, having worked for a UK police force for twelve years before taking an MA in Creative Writing at Nottingham Trent University.

Gympie Library - Saturday 10 September - 3pm-4pm
Bookings essential: phone 54810859 or visit here to book online

Evening in Conversation with Candice Fox

Hades, Candice Fox’s first novel, won the Ned Kelly Award for best debut in 2014 from the Australian Crime Writers Association. The sequel, Eden, won the Ned Kelly Award for best crime novel in 2015, making Candice only the second author to win these accolades back to back. Her subsequent novels – Fall, Crimson Lake, Redemption Point,Gone by Midnight and Gathering Dark have all been shortlisted for the Ned Kelly Award. Her most recent bestseller, The Chase, was released in April 2021.

Gympie Library - Saturday 10 September – 5pm-6pm
Bookings essential: phone 54810859 or visit here to book online

Sunday 11 September

Self Editing for Creative Writers presented by Dr Janet Lee

Writing 'the end' on your novel manuscript, is really just the beginning! Much of the glow of a good read comes when the editing polish is applied.  In this workshop, Dr Janet Lee will give you some tips and tricks on how to edit your manuscript to make your writing shine.

Janet Lee’s manuscript The Killing of Louisa won the Emerging Queensland Writer category in the 2017 Queensland Literary Awards. Her short fiction has won awards and has been published in national and international anthologies.

Gympie Library – Sunday 11 September – 10am-1pm
Bookings essential: phone 54810859 or visit here to book online

Writing Memoir presented by Leanne Dodd

Memoir is one of the most fascinating genres for readers and writers alike. We all have a story to tell, but how do we translate that story into an exciting narrative? This Queensland Writers Centre workshop examines the fundamentals of memoir writing, giving you exercises and knowledge to evoke the places, people, and events of your memory in a compelling fashion.
Dr Leanne Dodd is a university lecturer in creative writing and an appointed mentor with Queensland Writers Centre for emerging writers. Under the pen name of Lea Scott, she has published three indie crime thrillers featuring traumatised characters that have gained local and national publicity. Her latest domestic noir crime novel, Ebb And Flow, was long-listed for the 2018 Richell Prize with Hachette publishers.

Gympie Library – Sunday 11 September – 1.30pm-3.30pm
Bookings essential: phone 54810859 or visit here to book online