Festival of Stories to take over Riverway, libraries this week
Date published: 16 June 2022
Book in this Thursday, Friday and Saturday to celebrate Townsville City Council’s Festival of Stories.
It doesn’t matter if you’re into novels, non-fiction or picture books – there will be something for you at the three-day festival, being hosted at Riverway and select libraries this year as part of the North Australian Festival of Arts.
Councillor Liam Mooney said Festival of Stories was jam-packed this year with exciting author talks, workshops and more.
“The Festival of Stories program is packed full of incredible workshops, author talks and family activities,” Cr Mooney said.
“The festival kicks off tonight with an evening with Jonathan Butler, author of The Boy In The Dress, who will share his experience researching his family and transforming that information into a compelling book.
“On Friday we’ll have family-oriented events like the Wilbur The Optical Whale Story Walk Launch, Stay and Play in the Park, and family arts and crafts prior to the Riverway Movie Night screening of The Croods: A New Age.
“We’ll also be hosting Launchpad for Business Success with authors Jayne Arlett, Dr Jo Lukins and Debbie Rains at Riverway Stadium. This event will take attendees through what it takes to thrive in business.
“Saturday will be non-stop action at Riverway and Thuringowa Library, including the One Title One Townsville The Cane Book Club event with author Maryrose Cuskelly.
“One Title One Townsville is the city’s largest book club. In the last three months, The Cane has been borrowed 534 times from our libraries and on our e-book platform.”
Cr Mooney said winners of the illustrious Short Story Competition would be announced on Saturday.
“We’ve had an incredible number of entries into our annual Short Story Competition –198 across four categories,” he said.
“Join us at the winners’ announcement and cheer on our up-and-coming local storytellers as we reveal who captured the theme in my backyard the best.”
Cr Mooney said Festival of Stories was a great boost for the arts in Townsville.
“This festival is a great addition to our city’s vibrant culture and is once again running as part of the North Australian Festival of Arts,” he said.
“This is a fantastic avenue for locals who either enjoy books or want to try their hand at writing them to learn more about the art of writing.”
