Upcoming events
Book Launch: Australian Gospel by Lech Blaine
Join us for the launch of Lech Blaine's Australian Gospel. Lech will be joined in conversation by his siblings: Steven Blaine, John Blaine, Hannah Blaine and ABC journalist Ellen Fanning.
Australian Gospel is a gripping true story about the tangled fates of two couples and the foster children trapped between them. Michael and Mary Shelley were Christian fanatics. Three of their children – Steven, John and Hannah – were placed into foster care with Lenore and Tom Blaine. The Blaines were working-class publicans in country Queensland. In 1992, Lenore Blaine gave birth to a miracle baby named Lech. Australian Gospel is the book that Lech was born to write: a love letter to his colourful parents and foster siblings. Today, Steven is an accountant in Perth. John is a car salesman in Bundaberg. Hannah is a neuropsychologist in Alice Springs. Lech is an author and essayist based in Sydney.
Lech Blaine is the author of the memoir Car Crash and the Quarterly Essays Top Blokes and Bad Cop. He is the 2023 Charles Perkins Centre writer in residence. His writing has appeared in Good Weekend, Griffith Review, The Guardian and The Monthly.
Date: Saturday 9 November
Time: 3:00pm
Venue: Avid Reader, 193 Boundary Street, West End QLD 4101
Price: This is a free event.
Decarbonising the Australian Economy with Ross Garnaut
Decarbonising the Australian Economy: The future of iron ore and other carbon intensive industries
Steel, cement, concrete and aluminum produce 15% of industrial greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. Replacing coal with green hydrogen is one way these industries may survive. In this forum, a panel of engineering and policy experts discuss our dilemma and what Australia needs to do to capitalise on the shift to a low-carbon economy.
Join us at the Public Economics Forum for lunch and contribute to this vital discourse on Australia’s economic transition towards a sustainable future.
Date: Monday 11 November
Time: 12:00pm
Venue: National Portrait Gallery, King Edward Terrace, Parkes ACT 2600
Price: $45.00
Writers @ Stanton: Lech Blaine and Australian Gospel
Michael and Mary Shelley are Christian fanatics who loathe their fellow Australians – especially their 'reckless indulgence of alcohol and obsession with idiotic ball sports'. Lenore and Tom Blaine are working-class Queensland publicans raising a large family in a raucous, loving, sports-obsessed home.
There's just one problem. Lenore and Tom are foster parents to three of Michael and Mary's children, who were removed from the Shelleys as infants. And the Shelleys are prepared to do anything to get them back. Anything.
Australian Gospel is the true story of Lech Blaine's family, a stranger-than-fiction tale that is heartbreaking, hilarious and altogether astonishing.
Lech Blaine is the author of the memoir Car Crash and the Quarterly Essays Top Blokes and Bad Cop. He is the 2023 Charles Perkins Centre writer in residence. His writing has appeared in Good Weekend, Griffith Review, The Guardian and The Monthly. His forthcoming book is Australian Gospel.
Organised in partnership with Constant Reader Bookshop.
Date: Tuesday 12 November
Time: 1:00pm
Venue: Stanton Library, Level 1, 234 Miller St, North Sydney, NSW 2060
Price: This a free event.
Mother India: Gender and the diaspora with Aarti Betigeri
Join us for a fascinating panel discussion that will explore the issues faced by Australian women with Indian heritage. What are the roles and expectations of women in India and how do these play out among the Indian diaspora in Australia?
The panel includes the editor of Growing up Indian in Australia, Aarti Betigeri, and selected contributors from the book. Growing up Indian in Australia is a compilation of stories reflecting the diversity and experiences of Australians with Indian heritage.
Entry is free to this event but bookings are essential. A book signing in the Foyer will follow this event.
The event will be available to view live online via the Library's Facebook and YouTube pages. You do not need to book a ticket to watch the event online.
Date: Tuesday 12 November
Time: 6:00pm
Venue: National Library of Australia Theatre, Parkes Place West Canberra 2600, Australia
Price: This is a free event.
Book Launch: Let's Tax Carbon with Ross Garnaut
Join us for the launch of Let's Tax Carbon by Ross Garnaut.
A new path for Australia, by eminent economist and author of the bestselling Superpower.
Could Australia become a full-employment, renewable-energy superpower? Ross Garnaut says yes, and it starts with taxing carbon. A levy on the big polluters will help fund Australia to become a carbon-free energy giant, lower the cost of living and assist the world to cut emissions.
In this path-breaking book Ross Garnaut makes two linked arguments. He focuses on the underpinnings of successful social democracy and traces when economic policy has worked for Australia and when it hasn't. He leads off with a critique of the Albanese government – is this a case of policy half-done, or a government sailing at half-mast?
His second argument is about the low-carbon opportunity that Australia has before it. Garnaut brings to bear his unrivalled expertise on industrial development, here and internationally. He calls for a new Carbon Solutions Levy. Getting this right is a way to secure the economic base of Australia's social democracy.
A thought-provoking book by a visionary thinker.
Date: Wednesday 13 November
Time: 6:30pm
Venue: 193 Boundary Street, West End QLD 4101
Price: $15.00
Books at the Brewery: Lech Blaine and Australian Gospel
We’re delighted to welcome Lech Blaine to The Taproom in November. We are fans of his Quarterly Essay contributions and his memoir Car Crash was an incredible read, described by Trent Dalton as ‘A heart-soaring act of literary bravery’.
Lech’s new book, Australian Gospel: A Family Saga, is a dark comedy about the tangled fates of two couples and the children trapped between them
Michael and Mary Shelley are Christian fanatics who loathe their fellow Australians – especially their 'reckless indulgence of alcohol and obsession with idiotic ball sports'.
Lenore and Tom Blaine are working-class Queensland publicans raising a large family in a raucous, loving, sports-obsessed home.
There's just one problem. Lenore and Tom are foster parents to three of Michael and Mary's children, who were removed from the Shelleys as infants. And the Shelleys are prepared to do anything to get them back. Anything.
Australian Gospel is the true story of Lech Blaine's family, a stranger-than-fiction tale that is heartbreaking, hilarious and altogether astonishing.
Lech will be in conversation with Chris Donnelly.
Date: Wednesday 13 November
Time: 6:30pm
Venue: Shedshaker Brewery, 9 Walker Street, Castlemaine 3450
Price: $15.00
ANU Meet the Author: Let's Tax Carbon with Ross Garnaut
Ross Garnaut will be in conversation with Barry Jones on his new book Let's Tax Carbon: And Other Ideas for a Better Australia, tracing a new path for Australia
Could Australia become a full-employment, renewable-energy superpower? Ross Garnaut says yes, and it starts with taxing carbon. A levy on the big polluters will help fund Australia to become a carbon-free energy giant, lower the cost of living and assist the world to cut emissions.
In this path-breaking book, eminent economist Ross Garnaut makes two linked arguments. He focuses on the underpinnings of successful social democracy and traces when economic policy has worked for Australia and when it hasn't. He leads off with a critique of the Albanese government – is this a case of policy half-done, or a government sailing at half-mast?
His second argument is about the low-carbon opportunity that Australia has before it. Garnaut brings to bear his unrivalled expertise on industrial development, here and internationally. He calls for a new Carbon Solutions Levy. Getting this right is a way to secure the economic base of Australia's social democracy. A thought-provoking book by a visionary thinker.
Dr. Ross Garnaut AO is the professorial research fellow in economics at the University of Melbourne. In 2008, he produced the Garnaut Climate Change Review for the Australian government. He is the author of many books, including the bestselling Dog Days, Superpower and Reset. Ross has held senior roles in universities, business, government and other Australian and international institutions.. He is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Sciences and a Distinguished Fellow of the Economic Society of Australia.
The Hon. Dr. Barry Jones AC (b. 1932) is a politician, lawyer, writer and former Labor Minister between 1983 and 1990 holding the portfolios of Science, Prices and Consumer Affairs, Small Business and Customs. Barry is the only person to have been elected as a Fellow of all four Australian learned Academies. He was a member of the executive board of UNESCO in Paris from 1991 to 1995 and was National President of the Australian Labor Party from 1992 to 2000. Jones has written a number of influential books, of which the best known are the international best-seller Sleepers, Wake!: Technology and the Future of Work, and the Dictionary of World Biography.
Emma Aisbett, Associate Professor ANU School of Law and Associate Director (Research) Zero-Carbon Energy for the Asia-Pacific Grand Challenge will give the vote of thanks.
This event is in association with Harry Hartog Bookshop. Books will be available for purchase. Pre-event book signings will be available from 5.30pm and again after the event.
Date: Thursday 14 November
Time: 6:00pm
Venue: 146 Ellery Cres, ANU Research School of Social Sciences (RSSS) Acton, ACT, 2601
Price: This is a free event.
Australian Gospel: Lech Blaine in conversation with Emily Westmoreland
Join us for a conversation between Lech Blaine and Emily Westmoreland to celebrate the release of Lech's new book, Australian Gospel.
Michael and Mary Shelley are Christian fanatics who loathe their fellow Australians - especially their 'reckless indulgence of alcohol and obsession with idiotic ball sports'.
Lenore and Tom Blaine are working-class Queensland publicans raising a large family in a raucous, loving, sports-obsessed home.
There's just one problem. Lenore and Tom are foster parents to three of Michael and Mary's children, who were removed from the Shelleys as infants. And the Shelleys are prepared to do anything to get them back. Anything.
Australian Gospel is the true story of Lech Blaine's family, a stranger-than-fiction tale that is heartbreaking, hilarious and altogether astonishing.
Hosted by The Sun Bookshop.
Date: Thursday 14 November
Time: 6:30pm
Venue: The Younger Sun, 26 Murray Street, Yarraville VIC 3013
Price: This is a free event.
A Day in Carlton: We Are a Racist Country with Erik Jensen, Alice Pung and George Megalogenis
Join Readings for 24-hours celebrating books, culture and community
Laura Tingle once famously said about Australia: ‘We are a racist country, let's face it. We always have been, and it's very depressing.’ Take that premise as a jumping off point and join Erik Jensen, founding editor of The Saturday Paper and editor-in-chief of Schwartz Media, as he asks activist and author Veronica Gorrie, author and academic Alice Pung, and Lord Mayor of Melbourne Nicholas Reece about their experiences in our own home town. Author and journalist George Megalogenis will open the discussion with an introduction to Australia’s social and political stats and facts – both past and present.
Date: Saturday 16 November
Time: 11:00am
Venue: Cinema Nova, 380 Lygon St, Carlton VIC 3053
Price: $25.00
A Day in Carlton: You are Your Family with Lech Blaine and David Marr
Join Readings for 24-hours celebrating books, culture and community
In Australian Gospel, Lech Blaine, one of Australia’s most brilliant writers, has written the story of his childhood – a gripping tale of the tangled fates of two couples and the foster children trapped between them. Here the old adage is true: fact is stranger than fiction. Australian Gospel is a family saga like no other – heartbreaking and hilarious.
David Marr, beloved Australian journalist, author, and host of ABC Radio National’s Late Night Live, will join Lech Blaine in a discussion about the ties that bind us.
The Readings Bar and Books will be open at the venue.
Date: Saturday 16 November
Time: 5:00pm
Venue: Church of All Nations, 180 Palmerston St, Carlton VIC 3053
Price: $25.00
High Noon: Drinks with Don Watson
A report of America that catches the madness and the politics of an election like no other.
In his Quarterly Essay High Noon (September 2024) Don Watson gives a deeply historically informed, characteristically mordant account of Donald Trump, Joe Biden and a divided country. Watson considers how things reached this pass, and what might lie ahead.
An essential analysis about a crucial moment of choice.
Don Watson is an acclaimed author. His books include the bestselling Recollections of a Bleeding Heart: A Portrait of Paul Keating PM, Death Sentence, Watson’s Dictionary of Weasel Words, Caledonia Australis, American Journeys, The Bush and The Passion of Private White. In addition to books and essays, including several on US politics for Quarterly Essay, he writes films and gives occasional talks on writing and language.
Don Watson will give members, potential members and guests an insightful perspective into the US Presidential election outcome, what it means for Australia and the broader implications.
Date: Thursday 21 November
Time: 5:30pm
Venue: Melbourne CBD
Price: $55.00
Mountain Festival 2024: From Yirrkala Bark Petitions to Treaty with Tom Griffiths
From the land-rights movement, to Treaty borne from the ashes of an unsuccessful referendum, Clare Wright (Naku Dharuk The Bark Petitions) and Inala Cooper (Marrul) discuss the long, powerful history of First Nations sovereignty and activism. With Tom Griffiths they will discuss the Yirrkala Bark Petitions and what this founding document can teach us about Australian democracy as we journey towards Treaty.
Date: Saturday 23 November
Time: 11:30am
Venue: Jubilee Hall, 52 Smith Street, Macedon VIC
Price: $30.00
Mountain Festival 2024: Joelle Gergis on Highway to Hell
Australia is in peril. Do we truly grasp the impact of a warming planet–in particular, what it will mean for our sunburnt country? Leading climate scientist, Dr Joëlle Gergis discusses her searing Quarterly Essay Highway to Hell, Australia’s fossil fuel reliance and the consequences on Australia’s future.
Date: Saturday 23 November
Time: 1:30pm
Venue: Jubilee Hall, 52 Smith St, Macedon VIC
Price: $30.00
Minority Report: George Megalogenis in conversation with Sarah MacDonald
George Megalogenis in conversation with Sarah Macdonald.
Australian politics is shifting. The two-party system was broken at the last federal election, and another minority government is a real possibility in the future. Politics-as-usual is not enough for many voters.
In this richly insightful essay, George Megalogenis traces the how and why of a political realignment. This is an essay about the teals, the Greens and the Coalition. In a contest between new and old, progressive and conservative, which vision of Australia will win out? But it’s also about Labor in power – is careful centrism the right strategy for the times, or is something more required?
In Minority Report, Megalogenis explores the strategies and secret understandings of a political culture under pressure.
Date: Tuesday 26 November
Time: 6:30pm
Venue: Gleebooks, 49 Glebe Point Road Glebe, NSW 2037 Australia
Price: $12.00
Meet the Author: George Megalogenis on The Minority Report
George Megalogenis will be in conversation with Niki Savva on his new quarterly essay Minority Report: The New Shape of Australian Politics
Australian politics is shifting. The two-party system was broken at the last federal election, and another minority government is a real possibility in the future. Politics-as-usual is not enough for many voters.
In this richly insightful essay, George Megalogenis traces the how and why of a political realignment. This is an essay about the teals, the Greens and the Coalition. In a contest between new and old, progressive and conservative, which vision of Australia will win out? But it's also about Labor in power – is careful centrism the right strategy for the times, or is something more required?
In Minority Report, Megalogenis explores the strategies and secret understandings of a political culture under pressure.
Date: Wednesday 27 November
Time: 6:00pm
Venue: The Australian National University, 153-11 University Ave Harry Hartog ANU Campus Acton, ACT, 2601
Price: This is a free event.
Meet the Author: David Marr on My Country
David Marr, one of Australia's foremost writers and thinkers, will be in conversation with Andrew Leigh on the updated edition of his book, My Country: Stories, Essays and Speeches
David Marr is the rarest of breeds: one of Australia’s most unflinching, forensic reporters of political controversy, and one of its most subtle and eloquent biographers. In Marr’s hands, reportage and commentary are elevated to artful and illuminating chronicles of our time.
My Country collects his powerful writing on religion, sex, censorship and the law; striking accounts of leaders, moralists and scandalmongers; and elegant ruminations on the arts and the lives of artists. This updated edition includes reflections on his award-winning history Killing for Country and his explosive investigation of George Pell.
‘This is a book of power and poetry, an essential documenting of this place and of the people, the ideas, the political and cultural transactions in it … Marr is an exceptional writer.’ —Jonathan Green
Date: Thursday 28 November
Time: 6:00pm
Venue: The Australian National University, 153-11 University Ave Harry Hartog ANU Campus Acton, ACT, 2601
Price: This is a free event.