As we near the end of two relentless years I want to take this opportunity to thank every person that has attended a Readings online event. We have hosted close to 200 events and entertained over 20,000 people. From the bottom of my heart, thank you to all the authors who willingly engaged in our program. Thank you to all the publishing houses that made every move possible. I want to especially thank those people who wrote to me about our program and encouraged us to continue. Thank you to the Readings staff that sent books out and about, delivered books by hand (that’s you Mark Rubbo), who attended events, hosted events, and allowed the Readings program to thrive. All of you made me happy. All of you made it worthwhile.

Of course, our programming continues. We finish the year with some exceptional events that will help us to define the landscape we find ourselves in. This year, Australia’s #MeToo moment erupted in the national parliament. In her electrifying Quarterly Essay, Jess Hill, the acclaimed author of See What You Made Me Do, traces the meaning of those events and what could happen next. Hopefully hearing Hill speak (online, Tuesday 30 November) will give you the right words to express your dismay.

We finish the year with stories of courage. The Asylum Seeker Resource Centre has created a beautifully illustrated book, Seeking Asylum: Our Stories, which captures the stories of those who have lived the experience of seeking asylum. In their own voices, contributors share how they came to be in Australia, and explore diverse aspects of their lives: growing up in a refugee camp, studying for a PhD, changing attitudes through soccer, being a Muslim in a small country town, campaigning against racism, surviving detention, holding onto culture, dreaming of being reunited with family. There are stories of love, pain, injustice, achievement, and everything in between. It seems right to finish the year’s programming with an event that will impart some perspective and encourage compassion (online, Wednesday 1 December).

I’m already looking forward to seeing you in one of our shops, amongst a crowd of readers, smiling. Stay safe and keep reading.

Chris Gordon is the programming and events manager for Readings.