for 2021
Join the annual conversation during the month of May in the regional town of Clunes.
Turn the Page
Turn the Page this May with a new month-long celebration of the book filled with author talks, presentations and thought-provoking conversations in the beloved historic Victorian township of Clunes this May.
PRE-BOOKING ESSENTIAL FOR ALL TALKS
A month-long celebration of books and writing
Across the month of May, we will be hosting three major, themed weekends of ticketed programs
Turn the page
- 29-30 May – For The Love Of Book Clubs – This is the first national weekend for book clubs with opportunities for members to meet other clubs, discover tactics and programs around building and boosting their own book-loving community.
15-16 MayPostponed to October 9-10, 2021 – Skilling Up; for Emerging and Experienced Authors – A weekend of building writers’ skills with talks in the Clunes Town Hall and highly participatory workshops in other venues. These will cover many aspects of book creation and the book industry.
29-30 MAY
Book Clubs’ Weekend
TICKETS FOR ALL SESSIONS
Join us on the first national weekend for book clubs and their fans. Meet other book club members and discover different tactics, opportunities and conversations around building and boosting your book-loving community.
Standard Weekend $150
Creative Clunes Members Weekend $135
Concession* Weekend $120
Single Session Tickets $15
*Concession Refers To Australian Pensioners And Healthcare Card, Carer Card, Full-Time Student Card And Australian Seniors Card Holders
SATURDAY 29 MAY
10.30am – 11.35am | CLUNES TOWN HALL, 98 BAILEY STREET
Setting the Scene (15min intro) Book Clubs Hub com is running the first national survey. Hear what more than 400 Book Clubs around Australia are doing – who are they, where are they and what are they reading, and many other questions. What do we know about book clubs here and overseas? Includes results of the first national book club survey, followed by:
Panel: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly of Book Clubs
Book Clubs each have their own personality and with that comes myriad positive and negative challenges. Hear from those with long standing book club experience. The aim of this amazing talk is for you to come away with great tips on how to set up, run and/or market your book club better. Please come prepared with your juicy questions for the panellists.
Chaired by Jennifer Hutchison, author and publisher
Panelists: Pam Kershaw, book club veteran, and Shay Leighton, founder and director, Tough Guy Book Club.
11.40 – 11.55pm | SUPPER ROOM, 98 BAILEY STREET
Join us for morning tea in the historic Supper Room of the Town Hall.
12pm – 12.45pm | CLUNES TOWN HALL, 98 BAILEY STREET
Connecting Authors and Book Clubs
Learn about how book clubs and authors can connect more for mutual benefit in a discussion led by Toni Jordan novelist, with Vikki Petraitis, true crime author and successful podcaster, and Lindy Cameron, author and independent publisher, Clan Destine Books.
Book Clubs Hub has already set up a searchable author register where book clubs can seek out authors that are happy to meet with them in person or online. This talk will explore what more can be done – all good ideas most welcome.
12.45pm – 1.45pm | CLUNES TOWNSHIP
Lunch break to explore and enjoy the local eateries of Clunes.
1.45pm – 3:00pm | CLUNES TOWN HALL 98 BAILEY STREET
Book Clubber Heather Horrocks, part of our Book Clubs Hub Steering Group, will wrangle those in the room so they can quickly learn about each other and then share the stories discovered as Tale From The Trenches……
Tales From The Trenches
Hear about the weird, wonderful and heart-warming range of experiences of book clubbers from around the country.
3.00pm – 3.20pm | SUPPER ROOM, 98 BAILEY STREET
Afternoon Tea in the historic Supper Room of the Town Hall.
3:30pm – 4.30pm | CLUNES TOWN HALL, 98 BAILEY STREET
Rare Books – Together is better
One of our aims is to think about how Book Clubs can help bring culturally diverse communities together. In this panel you will hear about working with older Australians, why there was a need to set a book club for south Asian women and how the vision impaired benefit from Book Club membership. Be inspired by our panellist stories, which include:
Richard Freadman, Emeritus Professor of English at La Trobe University and Adjunct Professor at Swinburne University specialising in life writing in health care settings
Daizy Maan, founder of Bold Punjab and start-up program manager at Deakin University
Sarah Bloedorn manager of Vision Australia Library.
Nathalie Jones, founding member of the Guide Dogs Victoria Ballarat Book Club.
Chaired by Maryanne Vagg, reviewer, programmer and librarian
5pm – 6.30pm | CLUNES TOWN HALL, 98 BAILEY STREET
The Remains of the Day
Drinks and nibbles for weekend ticket holders to celebrate a day of conversations.
SUNDAY 30 MAY
10am – 10.45am | CLUNES TOWN HALL, 98 BAILEY STREET
While most Book Clubs organise themselves, there are still many organised for them. Hear about the experiences of the Council for Adult Education, which started it’s book club to address isolation on solider settlements after World War II and now has thousands of members. Booktown partner, Readings, has run books club for many years out of its book stores and have a wealth of knowledge to share on running Book Clubs.
Maryanne Vagg, reviewer, programmer and librarian, who also established an online Book Club on the Gold Coast, will be joined by Angela Crocombe, manager of Readings Kids, and Bill Collopy, Manager, Council for Adult Education Book Club Operations.
10:45am – 11:15am | SUPPER ROOM, 98 BAILEY STREET
Join us for morning tea in the historic Supper Room of the Town Hall.
11.15am – 12:30 pm | CLUNES TOWN HALL, 98 BAILEY STREET
Headline Act: Kate Torney, CEO, State Library of Victoria
Many Book Clubs are run out of libraries. How does that benefit both the libraries and the readers? State Library of Victoria CEO, Kate Torrney, will address this question through her Key Note Speech, followed by an audience Q+A.
Leading us into: The Book of Tomorrow
Where to from here? How can we best support and encourage book clubs around Australia?
12.45 pm – 2.30pm | Literary Lunch Locally in Clunes with Guest Speaker TO BE ANNOUNCED; WATCH THIS SPACE!
For the love of book Clubs
May 29 & 30
Book Clubs Weekend Speakers
Book Clubs Hub Weekend
BOOK NOW!
More Info
Turn The Page Speaker Bios
First & Fifth Weekend in May
Turn The Page Traders
Our local book traders will be opening over the weekend
CREATIVE CLUNES POP-UP BOOK STORE
HUC & GABET
CLUNES MUSEUM
LANEWAY BOOKS
BIBLIOBURRO BOOKS
BOOM CLUNES
Watch now!
Life Cycle of The Book
the story of the book
Life Cycle of The Book
Short Stories
Creative Clunes has developed a project called the ‘Life Cycle of The Book’ where we produced some short films with stories and interviews around the book, from a germ of an idea to the end of the physical book’s life. Our aim is to promote our authors, publishers, libraries, book clubs and book sellers with this project, which is being supported by Creative Victoria.
Thank you to McPherson’s printing in Maryborough, the State Library of Victoria, Creswick Library, Readings Bookstores, Somekind Books, Pie Thief, Authors Vikki Petraitis and Emma Viskic, Bolinda audiobooks, Hardie Grant publishers and Westside Stories Book Club.
Music: “The Book I’m Not Reading” by Patty Larkin c 1997 BMG Songs Inc/Lost Lake Arts/Lamartine Music (ASCAP). pattylarkin.com
Author to Bookshop
What goes on behind the scenes between writing a book and then seeing it in bookstores? This video for the Turn the Page celebration of books in May 2021 at Clunes, Victoria, Australia
McPherson’s Printing
Step inside the extraordinary world of producing a book. Meet the book creators at McPherson’s Printing, legends of bookbinding and printing your favourite books, based in Maryborough, Victoria.
Hardie Grant
Take a look around one of Australia’s largest book publishers, Hardie Grant Publishing, and discover what goes on behind the scenes.
For The Month of May
Turn The Page Info
Turning the stereotype of rural towns on its head: from slow, dusty and dry to a hub of ideas and the arts.
Conversation and Ideas
Stay Overnight
Talks, Panels and workshops
Tickets
The People of Clunes
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Stay in Touch with Creative Clunes events, such as our annual Booktown festival, our online booktown on sunday and the clunes bi-annual ceramic award
Acknowledgment
We respectfully acknowledge the Dja Dja Wurrung people, traditional custodians of the land on which we celebrate the love of the book.
Creative Clunes pays respect to their Elders, past, present and emerging. We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of lands and waters across the Kulin nation and Australia and we recognise that Indigenous sovereignty has never been ceded.
What People Say About Us
Booktown opinions
Thanks To
Support
Creative Clunes Inc, the producers of the Clunes Booktown Festival, Booktown on Sunday, Book Clubs Hub and the Clunes Ceramic Award, is supported by the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria.
