Murrumburrah-Harden Rotary launch first ever writer's festival

The Rotary Club of Murrumburrah-Harden are excited to announce their inaugural writer’s festival, with four authors coming to town in late November. The event – titled Inks and Echoes – will invite Macy Henderson to speak on grief in writing, Juliet Lautenbach on fantasy, local Gabby Chan on true life reporting and drawcard Chris Hammer on crime. Sixty tickets are available at a cost of $50 each, with the festival to be held at the Murrumburrah Courthouse on Saturday 28 November. Each author will be interviewed on stage, with time for questions from the audience afterwards. Rita O’Connor is the president of the Rotary Club, as well as being a familiar face at the Book Nook in Harden-Murrumburrah. She said the festival was out of finding a way to expand their passion for reading and writing “We’ve always had a literary focus,” Rita said. “Five years ago we decided to start a book giving program with local primary school kids. “We’re known for our push on literacy, and this is our way to include adults into our program.” Rita added that those who have bought tickets already come from Harden and surrounding towns and hopes to welcome readers from near and far to the event. As for the school program, it has expanded into the local high school, then preschool, as well as the nearby towns of Jugiong, Binalong, Wombat. Festival headliner Chris Hammer is best known for Martin Scarsden series that started with his 2018 book 'Scrublands', which has since been adapted into a television series. His novel 'Treasure and Dirt' was also featured on the screen, premiering on the ABC earlier this year. Harden local Gabby Chan is well known for her work 'Rusted Off', on the divide between city and country Australia. Juliet Lautenbach is the author of the Draconiad series, with its latest title 'Silver Wizard: A Time Travel Epic' to be published shortly, while Macy Henderson is an up-and-coming writer who recently published 'What the Grief? – A Memoir of Love'. Tickets are available via Humanitix and can be purchased via links on Murrumburrah Harden Rotary’s Facebook page. Those interested are encouraged to get on and purchase to avoid missing out once the courthouse is filled.