Ashley Hay will be in conversation with Tom Griffiths for his book Alice's dreaming. With opening remarks from Mithaka Elders, George Gorringe and Rainy McKellar.

ABOUT THE BOOK

An astonishing work of history about a girl and the Indigenous world she encountered

Early last century, Alice Duncan-Kemp grew up on a remote Queensland cattle station. Later she would write down her childhood memories of learning from Aboriginal women and men at home on their own Country. In her books, she evoked a rich parallel universe of storytelling and lore, which she felt privileged to witness. She also spoke of an informal local treaty that curbed the violence of the frontier.

What are we to make of 'Alice's dreaming' today? Master historian and writer Tom Griffiths takes us into – and beyond – this revelatory encounter. Through it we glimpse the turmoil of a complex and tragic frontier, and a remarkable story of survival and cultural resilience. In recent years, the Mithaka people Alice lived among and wrote about have reclaimed their Country, drawing in part on her writing to support their claims.

Alice's dreaming shows how moving, intimate – and unexpected – history can be.

Join us at Harry Hartog Mosman Bookshop at 6pm on the 24th of September to hear A.J. Mackinnon speak about his new novel Realms of Gold.

When A.J. 'Sandy' Mackinnon sailed a tiny dinghy through twelve countries from North Wales to the Black Sea, he survived pirates, the English Channel, international incidents and all the disasters, big and small, that can befall a little boat on a long voyage. Those adventures became his beloved bestseller The Unlikely Voyage of Jack de Crow.

Decades later, that trip is a happy memory and Sandy is firmly back on land – until a message from a stranger presents an opportunity too good to refuse. Sandy picks up where his first voyage left off, sailing and rowing single-handedly around the coast from Romania to Venice. From Istanbul to Ithaca, Mount Olympus to the ruins of Troy, he finds himself immersed in the legends of antiquity, plays chicken with mercurial border police, and is saved more than once by the kindness of strangers. He recounts it all with his unbreakable enthusiasm and self-deprecating humour, taking the reader on a hilarious and unforgettable adventure.

Imprint Books are delighted to host the launch of Mark Cully's new book, Waves of Plenty  – with ABC Radio National's Peter Martin, at the Wheatsheaf Hotel.

The definitive story of how immigration made Australia

Many Australians can trace family journeys to new lives in Australia. In this landmark work, Mark Cully tells the full story of immigration to Australia, from pre-colonial origins through colonisation, the gold rush, the post-war immigration boom, the end of the White Australia policy, and the modern policy of temporary migration.

Rigorously researched, the book dismantles persistent myths, gives human faces to statistics, and maps the forces that transformed a distant colony into one of the world's most diverse societies. He traces how immigration has changed Australia, making it bigger, younger, diverse, less provincial and more powerful.

This is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand where Australia came from, the fraught politics of immigration, and lessons for the future.

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 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. And he considers the big changes unfolding today, as shifting demographics 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. 
 

Whether you’re passionate about travel, fascinated by politics, or simply love hearing fresh perspectives that challenge the way you see the world, this is an evening not to be missed. 
Light refreshments provided.  

Mark Cully will be in conversation with Alan Gamlen on Mark's new bookWaves of Plenty: Immigration and the Making of Australia, thedefinitive story of how immigration made Australia.

Many Australians can trace family journeys to new lives in Australia. In this landmark work, Mark Cully tells the full story of immigration to Australia, from pre-colonial origins through colonisation, the gold rushes, the post-war immigration boom, the end of the White Australia policy, and the modern era of unbound temporary migration.

Rigorously researched, the book dismantles persistent myths, gives human faces to statistics, and maps the forces that transformed a distant colony into one of the world's most diverse societies. Cully traces how immigration has changed Australia, making it bigger, younger, richly diverse, less provincial and more powerful.This is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand where Australia came from, the fraught politics of immigration, and lessons for the future.

‘Mark Cully’s detailed and lively account of the waves of migration that have shaped Australia provides new insights into our society, our economy and our place in the world. Written with a researcher’s head but a (migrant) writer’s heart, it goes beyond the numbers to highlight the richness of the migrant experience and contribution. —Danielle Wood, chair of the Productivity Commission

Mark Cully was chief economist for the Department of Immigration and Citizenship and the Department of Industry, as well as chair of the OECD's Working Party on Migration. As head of macroeconomic policy in the Treasury, he led the design of the JobKeeper program during the pandemic. He is an expert panel member of the Fair Work Commission and a visiting fellow at ANU's Crawford School of Public Policy.

Professor Alan Gamlen is the Founding Director of the ANU Migration Hub and a Professor in the School of Regulation and Global Governance at ANU. He has worked on issues of human migration, mobility, and identity for two decades and held related appointments at Oxford University Stanford University, the Max Planck Society, the Japan Centre for Area Studies, Monash University and Wellington University. From 2010-2020 he was Founding Editor-in-Chief of the journal Migration.

The vote of thanks will be given by Elizabeth Collett, a Global Fellow at the Migration Policy Institute and a member of Australia’s Ministerial Advisory Council on Skilled Migration

Books will be available for signing from 5.30pm and again after the event.

Hosted by Avid Reader, 6.00pm for a 6.30pm start | 60 mins

Anne Tiernan will be in conversation with Waleed Aly for his Quarterly Essay: Time of Monsters. 

ABOUT THE BOOK

In this wonderfully clarifying essay, Waleed Aly examines what happened to liberalism. As a set of ideas, it offered formal equality and guaranteed freedoms. But more and more, we live in a post-liberal world.

Aly looks and how and why this has happened. He discusses what has taken liberalism's place as we tackle thorny questions of freedom of speech and equality of opportunity. And he examines the limits of liberalism, the rise of illiberal democracy and the new battles over identity.

This is a supple and original essay about the forces transforming our politics.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Waleed Aly is a writer, academic, lawyer, broadcaster and lecturer in politics at Monash University. He is the author of People Like Us and Quarterly Essay 37, What’s Right? With Scott Stephens, he co-hosts Radio National’s The Minefield program.

Anne Tiernan will be in conversation with Waleed Aly for his Quarterly Essay: Time of Monsters. 

In this wonderfully clarifying essay, Waleed Aly examines what happened to liberalism. As a set of ideas, it offered formal equality and guaranteed freedoms. But more and more, we live in a post-liberal world.

Aly looks and how and why this has happened. He discusses what has taken liberalism's place as we tackle thorny questions of freedom of speech and equality of opportunity. And he examines the limits of liberalism, the rise of illiberal democracy and the new battles over identity.

This is a supple and original essay about the forces transforming our politics.

Waleed Aly is a writer, academic, lawyer, broadcaster and lecturer in politics at Monash University. He is the author of People Like Us and Quarterly Essay 37, What’s Right? With Scott Stephens, he co-hosts Radio National’s The Minefield program.

We are delighted to host the launch of Matt Lloyd-Cape's guide to solving Australia's housing crisis, Our Place.

Australia has faced a housing crisis before – and solved it. We can do it again. In Our Place, leading policy expert Matt Lloyd-Cape cuts through the noise, showing exactly how our housing system broke. Drawing on the latest research, he reveals that although social housing tenants, renters and first-home buyers are worst affected, the whole of society suffers in a housing crisis. From the rise of far-right politics to intergenerational inequality, the housing crisis is reshaping the nation.

Matt Lloyd-Cape joined the progressive think tank Per Capita in 2019, and in 2022 he was the founding director of the Centre for Equitable Housing, where he is now the principal fellow. He is a prominent commentator and adviser on housing issues.

The legendary Kate Grenville discusses her new mystery The Country Schoolmaster with Toni Jordan.

Entry includes a copy of the book and refreshments  

Join us at Albert Park Yacht Club to hear from author and raconteur extraordinaire A.J. 'Sandy' Mackinnon on his new book Realms of Gold.

When A.J. 'Sandy' Mackinnon sailed a Mirror dinghy through twelve countries from North Wales to the Black Sea, he survived pirates, the English Channel, international incidents and all the disasters, big and small, that can befall a little boat on a long voyage. Those adventures became his beloved bestseller "The Unlikely Voyage of Jack de Crow".

Decades later, that trip was a happy memory and Sandy was firmly back on land – until a message from a stranger presented an opportunity too good to refuse. In "Realms of Gold" Sandy picks up where his first voyage left off, sailing and rowing single-handedly around the coast from Romania to Venice. From Istanbul to Ithaca, Mount Olympus to the ruins of Troy, he finds himself immersed in the legends of antiquity, plays chicken with mercurial border police, and is saved more than once by the kindness of strangers. He recounts it all with his unbreakable enthusiasm and self-deprecating humour, taking the reader on an hilarious and unforgettable adventure.

Doors open at 7pm, and Sandy's talk commences at 7:30pm.