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The Library that Made Me

09 Oct
BOOK

ABOUT THE SHOW

Bruce Pascoe, Suzie Miller & Richard Glover in conversation with Phillipa McGuinness

Libraries are special places: they offer refuge and escape, connection and solitude, inspiration and peace. Celebrate the magic of these storied institutions with a conversation featuring four contributors from The Library That Made Me, an anthology of love letters to libraries everywhere.

PART OF BRISBANE WRITERS FESTIVAL

White logo with a bold geometric shape on the left and the text Brisbane Writers Festival in large, white, sans-serif letters on a black background.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Bruce Pascoe is an Aboriginal farmer and writer of literary fiction, non-fiction, poetry, essays and children’s literature, based on Yuin Country. His publications have won numerous awards. He is the author of the groundbreaking, bestselling book Dark Emu.

Suzie Miller is a multi-award-winning Australian/British writer whose international contemporary stories explore humanity and dismantle complex structural hierarchies. She holds academic qualifications in Science, Law, and Theatre, utilizing this diverse background to anchor her narratives in profound real-world stakes. Before pursuing her creative career full-time, Miller spent fifteen years practicing human rights and criminal justice law, an experience that heavily informs her sharp, empathetic focus on women and the legal system. Her phenomenal debut novel, Prima Facie —adapted from her smash-hit solo play—became an instant bestseller and has been translated into ten languages. Miller’s theatrical works continue to be staged globally, enjoying prestigious runs on London’s West End and Broadway, New York, as well as main stages in fifty different countries. She is married with two adult children and continuously migrates between her two homes in London and Sydney.

A person in a trench coat walks under an archway inside a building. Large teal text reads INTER ALIA, with SUZIE MILLER written in black beneath it.

Richard Glover is the author of the bestsellers The Land Before Avocado and Flesh Wounds. His new book is How to Ruin a Child, a journey into the hilarious and sometimes disturbing history of parenting advice in Australia.

Book cover for How to Ruin a Child by Richard Glover, featuring two young boys in yellow sweaters, one screaming and one frowning, against a blue background with review quotes.

Phillipa McGuinness is the editor of Openbook, the magazine of the State Library of NSW. She is co-editor of The Library That Made Me: 200 Years of the State Library of NSW (2026), and the author of The Year Everything Changed — 2001 (2018) and Skin Deep: The inside story of our outer selves (2022).

Text on a backdrop of stylized white bookshelves reads: THE LIBRARY THAT MADE ME 200 YEARS OF THE STATE LIBRARY OF NSW..

BOOK

PERFORMANCE DATES & TIMES

Fri 9 Oct 2026
2:00PM

VENUE

Brisbane Powerhouse

TICKETS

Adult
$29.90*
Concession
$25*
*$7.20 transaction fee applies to all ticket purchases

DURATION

60 minutes

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Suitable for all ages

18 months and under free on the knee; all other ages must hold a valid ticket

ACCESSIBILITY

  • wheelchair_accessible

Accessiblity Information at Brisbane Powerhouse

Presented by Brisbane Writers Festival in partnership with Brisbane Powerhouse

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Bruce Pascoe is an Aboriginal farmer and writer of literary fiction, non-fiction, poetry, essays and children’s literature, based on Yuin Country. His publications have won numerous awards. He is the author of the groundbreaking, bestselling book Dark Emu.

Suzie Miller is a multi-award-winning Australian/British writer whose international contemporary stories explore humanity and dismantle complex structural hierarchies. She holds academic qualifications in Science, Law, and Theatre, utilizing this diverse background to anchor her narratives in profound real-world stakes. Before pursuing her creative career full-time, Miller spent fifteen years practicing human rights and criminal justice law, an experience that heavily informs her sharp, empathetic focus on women and the legal system. Her phenomenal debut novel, Prima Facie —adapted from her smash-hit solo play—became an instant bestseller and has been translated into ten languages. Miller’s theatrical works continue to be staged globally, enjoying prestigious runs on London’s West End and Broadway, New York, as well as main stages in fifty different countries. She is married with two adult children and continuously migrates between her two homes in London and Sydney.

A person in a trench coat walks under an archway inside a building. Large teal text reads INTER ALIA, with SUZIE MILLER written in black beneath it.

Richard Glover is the author of the bestsellers The Land Before Avocado and Flesh Wounds. His new book is How to Ruin a Child, a journey into the hilarious and sometimes disturbing history of parenting advice in Australia.

Book cover for How to Ruin a Child by Richard Glover, featuring two young boys in yellow sweaters, one screaming and one frowning, against a blue background with review quotes.

Phillipa McGuinness is the editor of Openbook, the magazine of the State Library of NSW. She is co-editor of The Library That Made Me: 200 Years of the State Library of NSW (2026), and the author of The Year Everything Changed — 2001 (2018) and Skin Deep: The inside story of our outer selves (2022).

Text on a backdrop of stylized white bookshelves reads: THE LIBRARY THAT MADE ME 200 YEARS OF THE STATE LIBRARY OF NSW..