What's On

Talks and workshops for adults and young adults with a stimulating program of creative minds, and the 12th Annual Monash Short Story Competition.

Nicki Greenberg - Comic art

Saturday 5 July 2pm – 3pm
Glen Waverley Library
112 Kingsway, Glen Waverley.

Nicki Greenberg is a writer and illustrator with a special interest in sequential art narrative - a fancy way of describing comics. Nicki's first books, The Digits series, were published when she was fifteen years old, and sold more than 380,000 copies.

At seventeen, Nicki fell in love with The Great Gatsby. Almost ten years later, she set out to pay tribute to F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel by interpreting it in comic art form. It took more than six years to complete this enormous labour of love. Nicki lives in Melbourne with her husband, stepson and two bad cats. In her spare time she works as a lawyer.

Bookings essential on 9560 1655 Bookings open 7 June
Location and map

Frank Jones - Songwriting

Sunday 13 July 2pm – 3.30 pm(changed from Sat. 12 July)
Clayton Theatrette
Cooke Street, Clayton.

A terrific opportunity to pick up some expert tips and advice from guitarist and songwriter Frank Jones. Frank will also discuss the life of a songwriter and what motivates him.

After completing an architecture degree, Frank started his first band, which led ultimately to his most successful and influential outing, the legendary folk rock band The Whirling Furphies. It was on the Furphie's first album Lizard Tree that Frank's iconic song about Melbourne and its infamous river, My Brown Yarra, was first released. He has a songwriting deal with Mushroom, and has had success with one of his songs, He loves me not, on a Renee Geyer album.

Booking fee $4.40 (inc. gst). Bookings essential on 9544 0668 Bookings open 14 June
Location and map

Terry Jaensch - Poetry

Saturday 19 July 1.30pm – 3pm
Oakleigh Library
148 Drummond St, Oakleigh.

Terry Jaensch was born in Swan Hill, and grew up for most part in St. Joseph's Home, a Ballarat orphanage. Terry has worked as a teacher, dramaturg, festival director and writer-in-community for the City of Boroondara. He has been published widely both in Australia and overseas.

His poetry has also been anthologised in New music: an anthology of contemporary Australian poetry, alongside major Australian poets such as Les Murray, Bruce Dawe and Dorothy Porter.

Booking fee $4.40 (inc. gst) Bookings essential on 9563 4138 Bookings open 21 June
Location and map

Arnold Zable -Writer

Saturday 2 August 2pm – 3pm
Oakleigh Library
148 Drummond St, Oakleigh.

Arnold Zable is an award winning writer, storyteller, educator and human rights advocate. Arnold's bestselling novel Cafe Scheherazade, depicts the lives of former refugees who now meet in a coffee shop in a seaside suburb in Melbourne. The Fig Tree, is a book of true stories set in Greece, Eastern Europe, inner Melbourne and outback Australia. His novel Scraps of Heaven, is set in the post-war immigrant community of Carlton. His forthcoming novel Sea of many returns, will be published in June 2008.

Booking fee $4.40 (inc. gst) Bookings essential on 9563 4138 Bookings open 5 July
Location and map

Barry Heard - Writer

Tuesday 12 August 7pm – 8pm
Mount Waverley Library
41 Miller Cres, Mount Waverley.

Barry Heard was conscripted in Australia's first national service ballot, and served in Vietnam as an infantryman and radio operator. After completing his national service he returned home, where he found himself unable to settle down. He had ten different jobs in his first ten years back, worked as a teacher for a further ten years, and then held several mid-managerial posts before succumbing to a devastating breakdown due to severe post-traumatic stress disorder.

Since recovering, Barry has decided to concentrate on his writing. His first book Well done, those men, dealt mainly with his Vietnam war related experiences, and was voted in the top 5 of the State Library of Victoria's 'Great Summer Read' titles in 2008.

Booking fee $4.40 (inc. gst). Bookings essential on 9807 5022. Bookings now open
Location and map

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