I assume you are reading this because you love reading and you love bookshops. You love entering into a place where books are piled in shelves up to the ceiling because it is a habitat of endless possibilities. I assume you are reading this column because you have attended a Readings event, either online as we are currently running our events, or perhaps in the past at one of Readings’ beautiful premises or at one of our large events at a theatre, church hall, or beer garden.

Lockdown in Melbourne has meant I’ve missed wandering around our bookshops, touching titles, and talking with people who are able to recommend a new novel based on what I last read. Lockdown has also meant that I’ve missed you, the readers. It has been a joy to see you online; pouring yourself a drink as you snuggle down to hear an author talk about why they wrote a particular title and why they continue to work at their craft. Over the past few weeks, authors from all over the world have Zoomed in so that you, a reader, can understand a little more about their work and a little more about yourself. We have witnessed optimism and empathy, anger and pain, but above all we have allowed ourselves to be soothed by creators. We have been privy to immense generosity and kindness from so many writers.

This thoughtfulness comes at a cost, of course. It costs the authors valuable time away from their craft, and it costs us, Readings, time and money to create an innovative and interactive online program. I know it’s been a difficult and tiring year for everyone, but do spare a thought for those creators, those incredible people that can spin a thought into a story so that we can escape our collective exhaustion.

I assume you are reading this because you believe in the power of words. For that reason, Readings will continue to bring you excellent discussions. There are many amazing online events coming up with Louise Milligan, Don Watson, Jenny Hocking, Julian Burnside, Alice Zaslavsky, Maxine Beneba Clarke, and Michael Connelly, to name a few. It’s free to attend, you just need to book via the events section of our website here, but we do hope that, if you can, you support the authors and us by purchasing their books.

Do take care over the next few months. Fingers crossed I’ll see you soon amongst the shelves and, most importantly, amidst our very own wonderful community of readers and creators.

To see what’s on offer across our whole events program, visit our events calendar.