A guest post from author and library lover Michael Winkler
In 2025, during the seemingly endless wait for 2026 publication of our novels, Wayne Marshall and I hatched a plan. Once our books were in the world, we would travel to towns we loved and places that linked to our books’ locations, and chat with locals.
Book festivals are wonderful things – but there are a lot of Australians who do not have ready access to them. We decided to meet rural and regional readers where they live.
The best conduit to local readers, of course, is public libraries. We are both lifelong library lovers. I grew up in small country towns, and Wayne lives in Bacchus Marsh. We know how pivotal libraries are to communities – gathering points, connection-creators, access portals to literature and learning.
Our novels – Wayne’s Henry Goes Bush and my Griefdogg – are very different, but joined by the habitual descriptor ‘unconventional’. Before we left, some people who don’t spend time outside the borders of big cities wondered how country folks would cope with discussing literary fiction. The answer? Easily.
The first leg of our trip took in Benalla, Bendigo, Beechworth and Barham, as well as the non-alliterative Wodonga and Echuca. My novel is set on the Murray River, and Wayne is a passionate fisherman, so it made sense to spend time beside that mighty waterway. (Our next leg will take us deep into Henry Lawson country, visiting New South Wales libraries in Wagga Wagga, Bathurst, Mudgee and Dubbo before a final Victorian library in wonderful Wangaratta.)
We were already firm believers in the excellence of librarians, but our experiences exceeded our expectations. We met delightful library people at every stop. Some of the very best included Ramey Hengen who interviewed us at Benalla and came up with questions no-one else has ever asked; Julie Skeggs who steered the ship at Beechworth and sent us away with local wine and full hearts; Wodonga’s Lauren Salathiel who promoted the heck out of our event and showed off the superb library and gallery complex; Jenny Mustey, an Echuca gem; and at the Barham branch library over the border, Rhonda Bramich who rallied readers from both sides of the border, gave us a gift bag and provided lunch.
Who attends library events in country towns? Interesting and interested people. Libraries change lives, wherever they are located, but libraries outside the city are invaluable to their communities. It was a privilege to spend time in important spaces with outstanding people.
Wayne didn’t catch many fish, but we made a lot of friends. Libraries are good for that, too.