Events | Black Inc.

Upcoming events

Lucy Sussex

Book Launch: Outrageous Fortunes in conversation with Megan Brown, Lucy Sussex and Meg Tasker

Megan Brown and Lucy Sussex, authors of Outrageous Fortunes will be in conversation with Dr Meg Atsker. 

Outrageous Fortunes is the gripping story of Australia’s first female crime writer and her career-criminal son.

When Mary Fortune arrived in Melbourne with her infant son in 1855, she was determined to reinvent herself. The Victorian goldfields were just the place.

After a time selling sly grog and a bigamous marriage to a policeman, Mary became a pioneering journalist and author. The Detective’s Album was the first book of detective stories to be published in Australia and the first by a woman to be published anywhere in the world. Her work appeared in magazines and newspapers for over forty years – but none of her readers knew who she was. She wrote using pseudonyms, often adopting the voice of a male narrator to write about ‘unladylike’ subjects.

When Mary died in 1911, her identity was nearly lost. In Outrageous Fortunes, Megan Brown and Lucy Sussex retrieve Fortune’s astonishing career and discover an equally absorbing story in her illegitimate son, George. While Mary was writing crime, George was committing it, with convictions for theft and bank robbery. In their intertwined stories, crime fiction meets true crime, and Melbourne’s literary bohemia consorts with the criminal underworld.

 

$10 per person plus booking fee & gst includes light refreshment. All proceeds go to the Ballaarat Mechanics’ Institute to support the staging of our author events.

Date:   Tuesday 25 February

Time:   6:00pm

Venue: Humffray Room, 117-119 Sturt Street Ballarat Central Victoria 3350 Australia

Price:   $10.00

Lucy Sussex

Book Launch: Outrageous Fortunes by Megan Brown and Lucy Sussex

The gripping story of Australia’s first female crime writer and her career-criminal son.

When Mary Fortune arrived in Melbourne with her infant son in 1855, she was determined to reinvent herself. The Victorian goldfields were just the place.

After a time selling sly grog and a bigamous marriage to a policeman, Mary became a pioneering journalist and author. The Detective’s Album was the first book of detective stories to be published in Australia and the first by a woman to be published anywhere in the world. Her work appeared in magazines and newspapers for over forty years – but none of her readers knew who she was. She wrote using pseudonyms, often adopting the voice of a male narrator to write about ‘unladylike’ subjects.

When Mary died in 1911, her identity was nearly lost. In Outrageous Fortunes, Megan Brown and Lucy Sussex retrieve Fortune’s astonishing career and discover an equally absorbing story in her illegitimate son, George. While Mary was writing crime, George was committing it, with convictions for theft and bank robbery. In their intertwined stories, crime fiction meets true crime, and Melbourne’s literary bohemia consorts with the criminal underworld.

Fortune tackled subjects such as murder, armed robbery, bootlegging, and sexual violence with a frankness unprecedented for a woman in the 19th century, in styles ranging from melodrama and Gothic horror to social realism and what is now called noir. If you would like to read some of these pioneering stories alongside Outrageous Fortunes, you’re in luck. Nothing But Murders brings together a collection of 17 of her finest stories, edited and introduced by Sussex and Brown, and restores her to her rightful place as a major crime writer. A limited number of copies of this book will also be available at the event.

Megan Brown completed her PhD at the University of Wollongong, examining the work of Mary Fortune. She has contributed chapters to The Routledge Companion to Australian Literature and The Unsocial Sociability of Women’s Life Writing.

Lucy Sussex’s books include Blockbuster! Fergus Hume and The Mystery of a Hansom Cab, which won the 2015 Victorian Community History Award, Women Writers and Detectives in the Nineteenth Century and Saltwater in the Ink: Voices from the Australian Seas. She has a PhD from the University of Wales and is an honorary fellow at La Trobe University.

Join Megan and Lucy at the Afterword Cafe. Tickets include a glass of wine or soft drink.

Date:   Thursday 27 February

Time:   5:30pm

Venue: Fullers Bookshop, 131 Collins Street, Hobart, TAS 7000

Price:   $10.00

Joëlle  Gergis

Author Talk: Joelle Gergis on Quarterly Essay 94 Highway to Hell

Join award-winning climate scientist and author Dr Joëlle Gergis as she chats about her Quarterly Essay, Highway to Hell: climate change and Australia's future.

Dr Joëlle Gergis is an internationally recognised expert in Australian and Southern Hemisphere climate variability and change. She served as a lead author on the latest United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on the Climate Change’s Sixth Assessment Report – global review of climate change science, which is regarded as the international authority on climate.

As well as scientific publications, Joëlle has written books and essays that combine personal reflection with critical climate insights, including Humanity's Moment: a climate scientist's case for hope (published 2022) and Highway to Hell: climate change and Australia's future June 2024, Quarterly Essay).

During the author talk, Joëlle will be in conversation with local academic, Dr Bonnie McBain, Associate Professor at School of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Newcastle. Come along and hear about Joëlle's journey from climate research to climate communication.

Copies of the Quarterly Essay Highway to Hell: climate change and Australia's future and the recently republished Humanity's moment: a climate scientist's case for hope will be available for purchase.

Light refreshments will be provided.

This author talk is being presented by Lake Macquarie City Council as part of its inaugural Thought Leader Program.

Date:   Thursday 27 February

Time:   6:30pm

Venue: Windale Hub, 20 Lake Street Windale, NSW 2306

Price:   This is a free event.

Alan  Kohler

Adelaide Writers' Week 2025: Alan Kohler on Australia's Housing Mess and How To Fix It

Australia’s favourite financial journalist, Alan Kohler, has much to say about the country’s enduring housing crisis and the solutions we need. He shares the thinking in his book The Great Divide with Richard Denniss.

Alan Kohler is the Editor in Chief of InvestSMART group, and founder of The Constant Investor which was sold to InvestSMART in December 2018. Alan is also currently business editor at large of The Australian, finance presenter on ABC News and adjunct professor in the business faculty of Victoria University. Apart from all that, Alan enjoys being part of a monthly book club and walking Maisy the Labrador along the beach. His new book The Great Divide tackles Australia’s housing crisis.

Richard Denniss is the Executive Director at The Australia Institute. He is a prominent Australian economist, author and public policy commentator. He was previously senior strategic adviser to Australian Greens leader Bob Brown and was also chief of staff to Natasha Stott-Despoja, former leader of the Australian Democrats. He writes columns in the Australian Financial Review and The Guardian, as well as regular essays for The Monthly, and has published six books. 

Date:   Saturday 1 March

Time:   3:45pm

Venue: West Stage, Pioneer Women's Memorial Garden, King William Road &, Victoria Dr, Adelaide SA

Price:   This is a free event.

Ross Garnaut

Adelaide Writers' Week 2025: Ross Garnaut on Australia's Carbon Capture

The influence of the gas and coal industry on our politicians and policymakers is an open secret in Australia. What is less well understood is why this small industry, with little economic significance, wields such apparent power and how easy it would be to free our democracy from its grip. Polly Hemming, Royce Kurmelovs, Ross Garnaut and Sarah Hanson-Young talk through the issues with chair Natasha Mitchell.

Date:   Sunday 2 March

Time:   10:45am

Venue: West Stage, Pioneer Women's Memorial Garden, King William Road &, Victoria Dr, Adelaide SA

Price:   This is a free event.

Hamish McDonald

Author Event: Hamish McDonald in conversation with Oliver Nobetau

Hamish McDonald's Melanesia is an immersive journey through the tumultuous past and fascinating present of Australia's nearest neighbours.

On Tuesday 18th March at The Royal Oak, Balmain, join Hamish McDonald in conversation with Oliver Nobetau.

Copies of Melanesia: Travels in Black Oceania will be available for purchase at the venue through Roaring Stories, with McDonald signing copies after the discussion.

Date:   Tuesday 18 March

Time:   7:00pm

Venue: The Royal Oak, 36 College St, Balmain NSW 2041

Price:   $15.00

Jess Hill

Book Launch: QE97 Jess Hill on Stopping Family Violence

Join us for the Brisbane launch of Jess Hill's Quarterly Essay On Stopping Family Violence. Jess will be joined in conversation by Kathleen Noonan.

The evening will raise money for Second Chance Programme. 

ABOUT THE BOOK

What will it take to stop gendered violence?

Australian governments have promised to end gendered violence in a single generation. But this bold commitment to nation building has not yet been matched by the funding, innovation and resources necessary to achieve it. If anything, since governments made that commitment two years ago, gendered violence has only escalated: men are murdering women at an increased rate, coercive control and sexual violence are becoming more complex and severe, and governments are not doing nearly enough to stop perpetrators weaponising technology and systems. Australians have taken to the streets again this year to demand that governments act.

In this urgent essay, Jess Hill investigates Australia's National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children to find out what's working and what's not – and what we can do to turn things around

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jess Hill is an investigative journalist and the author of See What You Made Me Do and the Quarterly Essay The Reckoning. She has been a producer for ABC Radio and journalist for Background Briefing, and Middle East correspondent for The Global Mail. Her reporting on domestic abuse has won two Walkley awards, an Amnesty International award and three Our Watch awards. See What You Made Me Do won the 2020 Stella Prize and the ABA Booksellers’ Choice Adult Non-Fiction Book of the Year.

Date:   Thursday 20 March

Time:   6:30pm

Venue: The Loft, 100 Boundary Street, West End 4101 QLD

Price:   $15.00

Lech Blaine

Manly Writers Festival 2025: Australian Gospel with Lech Blaine

In Australian Gospel: A Family Saga, acclaimed author Lech Blaine explores the fraught intersections of faith, family, and identity in a gripping memoir. On one side, Michael and Mary Shelley are devout fundamentalist Christians who reject what they see as the indulgences of Australian culture—sports, swearing, and alcohol. On the other, Lenore and Tom Blaine are publicans with a raucous, rugby leagueobsessed household, raising both their biological and foster kids, including Lech himself. This sensational tale, woven with Blaine’s signature wit and keen insight, chronicles these two families’ profound tensions and unexpected connections. It is a story of love, loyalty, and the clash of worldviews, offering an unflinching look at the ties that bind and the beliefs that divide.
Host: Steve Cannane

Date:   Saturday 29 March

Time:   10:45am

Venue: Darley Smith Building & Courtyard, St Matthew's Anglican Church, The Corso, Manly

Price:   $22.00

Shireen Morris

Manly Writers Festival 2025: Shireen Morris on Dispossession of Your Land

Almost 18 months after The Voice referendum, it is regarded as one of the key political failures of the Prime Minister and his government. We reflect on the emotional and cultural impact of this pivotal event and explore the heartbreak, resilience, and ongoing journey of Australians deeply affected by its rejection through Broken Heart by lawyer and adviser on Indigenous Constitutional recognition, Shireen Morris, and through two novels that explore the same themes: The Desert Knows Her Name by Lia Hills and The Leaves by Jacqueline Rule.
Host: Isabella Higgins 

Date:   Saturday 29 March

Time:   12:00pm

Venue: Darley Smith Building & Courtyard, St Matthew's Anglican Church, The Corso, Manly

Price:   $22.00

Aarti Betigeri

Manly Writers Festival 2025: Made In India with Aarti Betigeri and Sharon Verghis

The Indian diaspora in Australia is one of the country’s fastest-growing and most vibrant and diverse cultural groups. According to recent Australian Bureau of Statistics data, more than 700,000 Australians identify as having Indian ancestry, many of whom are first-generation migrants. Growing Up Indian in Australia, compiled by Aarti Betigeri, is a heartfelt, reflective account of navigating two worlds: the rich traditions of Indian heritage and contemporary Australian life. Betigeri and her contributors, including Manly local Sharon Verghis, capture the joys, struggles, and humour of straddling two worlds, also captured by the tales of Deep Gujral (Manjits and the Tandoor of Secrets) through his experience as a Sikh child at one of Sydney’s most conservative private boys’ schools to an event and restaurant enterprise catering largely, but not exclusively, to the Australian Indian community.
Host: Summer Land

Date:   Saturday 29 March

Time:   1:30pm

Venue: Darley Smith Building & Courtyard, St Matthew's Anglican Church, The Corso, Manly

Price:   $22.00

Ariane Beeston

Manly Writers Festival 2025: Resiience and Recovery with Ariane Beeston

Two deeply personal journeys that explore episodic mental health breakdowns, the path to recovery, and achieving a new equilibrium. Psychologist Ariane Beeston (Because I’m Not Myself, You See) provides an intimate look at her struggles with post-partum depression and hallucinations. Craig Semple (Getting Back Up Again) shares his experience after dealing with post-traumatic stress and severe depression following 25 years as a detective. Together, their memoirs illuminate what is needed to confront unexpected and unforeseen challenges and the courage to rebuild a fulfilling life.
Host: Tracey Kirkland

Date:   Saturday 29 March

Time:   2:45pm

Venue: Darley Smith Building & Courtyard, St Matthew's Anglican Church, The Corso, Manly

Price:   $22.00

Don Watson

Manly Writers Festival 2025: Navigating the Shifting Global Order with Don Watson and Dennis Glover

A thought-provoking discussion that unpacks how pivotal political events—like the rise of autocrats and the shifting power in Eurasia—are transforming geopolitical relationships and the world order as we know it. Our expert panel will delve into the profound implications of these shifts and their drivers. Drawing on their recent books and extensive political and international experience, our panellists will offer unique insights to help make sense of a rapidly changing world.
Panel: Damian Collins, Dennis Glover, Geoff Raby,
Don Watson
Host: Geraldine Doogue

Date:   Saturday 29 March

Time:   4:00pm

Venue: Darley Smith Building & Courtyard, St Matthew's Anglican Church, The Corso, Manly

Price:   $22.00

Hamish McDonald

Book launch: Hamish McDonald on Melanesia

Join us for a discussion with Hamish McDonald about his book Melanesia: Travels in Black Oceania.

ABOUT THE BOOK

An immersive journey through the tumultuous past and fascinating present of Australia's nearest neighbours
Stretching from Fiji in the east to New Guinea in the west, Melanesia is astonishingly diverse. Its islands are home to some 1200 language groups, many of them still isolated from the outside world. In Australia, this complex region tends to make the news only in times of crisis: military coups in Fiji, Kanak unrest in New Caledonia, rioting in Solomon Islands. Melanesia offers readers a deeper insight into the people and places behind these headlines, combining travelogue, history and astute political analysis.

By land and sea, Hamish McDonald travels from one end of Melanesia to the other. Speaking with locals from all walks of life, he uncovers the histories, values, aspirations and tensions that have shaped their communities. He examines the impact of outsiders: the Indians recruited to work in Fiji; the white "blackbirders" who kidnapped Islanders for the Australian cane fields; the Americans during World War II; the Indonesians in New Guinea. And he considers the big changes unfolding today, as shifting demographics and the growing influence of China produce a new balance of power across the region.

Vividly written, Melanesia is essential reading for anyone looking to understand this fascinating part of the world and its growing international significance.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Hamish McDonald is an award-winning Australian journalist. He has been correspondent and foreign editor for The Sydney Morning Herald and the Far Eastern Economic Review, reporting from the Pacific Islands, Indonesia, Japan, Hong Kong, New Delhi and Beijing as well as around Australia. His latest book is Melanesia: Travels in Black Oceania.

Date:   Monday 31 March

Time:   6:30pm

Venue: 193 Boundary Street, West End QLD 4101

Price:   $15.00