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NEWS
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A log of our activities for 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023,
2024, 2025 and links to competition results for 2022, 2023 and 2024.​​
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2025
Donation to Indigenous Literacy Foundation.​​​
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August 4. Entries close for 2025 writing competition.
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2024
Donation to Indigenous Literacy Foundation.​
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November 16: Awards event at MIRA for 2024 BookNest writing competition
​Results here​​
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November 3: Twilight market stall, from 4pm in Community Centre, Falls Rd
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November 1: The winner of the 2024 BookNest art prize was the painting "Looking Back" by Michael Dally.
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August 4: Launch BOOK SWAP free street library, with new notice board, on corner of Murchison St and Pack Rd, outside bakery. Developed in partnership with TAG and Marysville Men's Shed.
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July 29: Entry for 2024 Writing Competition closed.
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June 8: BookNest stall in afternoon market in Community Centre (from 2pm) as part of Marysville Winter Festival.​
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May 20: Opening date for entries to 2024 Writing Competition
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April 2024: Established online presence on Biblio for selling special books. Ended December 2024 due to insufficient benefit.
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March 9: Stall at Twilight Market.
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January 26, 2024: Successful stall at Twilight Market.
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2023
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November 11 2023.
Awards event at MIRA for 2023 Writing Competition. Click here for results.
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November 5 2023.
Successful evening stall at Marysville Twilight Market.
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November 3, 2023.
BookNest again sponsored a prize, for a local artist, at the 2023 Marysville Art Show. This year the winner was Kerri Hollingsworth with a decorated chair titled regeneration, symbolising recovery from fire.
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May 22, 2023 to July 31 2023.
Entry dates for 2023 Writing Competition.
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January 28, 2023.
Awards event at MIRA with over 60 attendees. Announcement of results of 2022 writing competition with presentations of certificates and readings and overview comments from our judge Jo Scicluna. Main results here. More about event.
Results with links to entries here.​
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Donations to Indigenous Literacy Foundation, Marysville Primary School, Buxton Primary school.
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2022
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November 11, 2022.
Entries for writing competition closed. Judging commenced.
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November 1, 2022.
The BookNest prize at the Marysville Art Show was won by Karen McGregor for her thread painting of a rainbow lorikeet.
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August 2022.
Establishing BookNest Writing Competition (click here for details) for local writers.
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August 1 2022.
Inaugural meeting of BookNest Writing Group. Subsequent meetings on 15, 29 August.
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2022.
BookNest have again made donations to Marysville Kindergarten and Marysville and Buxton Primary Schools to support children's reading and writing.
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2022.
BookNest have again made a donation to the Indigenous Literacy Foundation.
The Indigenous Literacy Foundation provides books and reading materials for remote indigenous communities.
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2021
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11 am October 31, 2021.
Launch of Community Art Library. at MIRA as part of ArtsFest.
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Cup day weekend, 2021.
Art show. The BookNest prize at the 2021 Marysville Art Show was awarded to Alexandra-based author and illustrator Bev Aisbett for her painting All the Little Souls. A gallery of her work is at
https://www.bevaisbettartofanxiety.com/bevs-gallery.html
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In between lockdowns: 2021
Community Art Library. BookNest received a donation from Rosemary Mangiamele of several hundred art books for a community browsing collection in MIRA. BookNest is contributing to the costs of building shelving, a task that was undertaken by a group, led by Bon McNamara, at the Men's Shed.
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Planned 2021.
Local writers. A series of afternoon and evening events with recently published local writers. Plans on hold after first two events due to pandemic restrictions.
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April 30, 2021.
6pm to 8pm at MIRA. Second local writers event.
A Different Kind of Seeing. Marie Younan and Jill Sanguinetti.
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April 10, 2021.
1pm to 3pm MIRA.
Book launch of The Other Side of the World, by Anne Richey who talked about
her book and the process of publishing. This was the first of our local writers events.
Anne's book is available from MIRA or Kindle edition from Amazon.
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January 26, 2021.
Third anniversary - low key due to Covid restrictions.
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January 2021.
Donation to Indigenous Literacy Foundation.
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2020
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November 21, 2020.
Re-opened, operating primarily on outside tables, once restrictions were relaxed and travel from Melbourne permitted.
November, 2020.
Covid-safe plan developed.
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November 2020.
Donations to Marysville and Buxton Primary Schools and Marysville Kindergarten to support reading and writing activities.
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June 27-28, 2020.
Re-opened for weekends in school holidays with a very successful first weekend, but bad weather prevented us opening on the following weekend, and then came the Melbourne lockdown.
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March 21, 2020.
BookNest shop closed in response to Covid19 pandemic.
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February 2020.
Donation to Indigenous Literacy Foundation.
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2019
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November 23, 2019.
Reading our writing. At MIRA. Nine participants from our writing workshops read pieces of their work. Click here for program.
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November 11, 2019.
Seven steps to writing young adult and children's stories. The last of our writing workshops. Presented by award-winning author Elizabeth Fensham, author of nine novels for children and young adults.
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November 2-6, 2019.
Marysville Art Show. The Marysville BookNest sponsored a prize which was won by Monbulk artist Dianne Bloemhoff for the painting "Spring Welcome".
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October 2019.
Donations to Marysville and Buxton Primary Schools and Marysville Kindergarten to support reading activities.
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October 2019.
BookNest was again a sponsor of the Jazz and Blues weekend.
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August 20, 2019.
Writing about things that matter. Our fourth writing workshop, with Israeli-Australian author Lee Kofman.
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June 25, 2019.
Writing poetry. Our third writing workshop with poet, educator and performer Emilie Zoey Baker.
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April 30, 2019.
Short story writing. Our second writing workshop, with novelist and short-story writer Cate Kennedy.
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February 26, 2019.
Writing a life. This was the first of our writing workshops, on writing memoirs, led by writer and human-rights advocate Arnold Zable. The series of five writing workshops is funded with generous support from the Marysville and Triangle Community foundation.
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2018
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November 28, 2018.
BookNest provide refreshments for Murrindindi Mobile Library On the Couch event at MIRA
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November 1-5, 2018.
Marysville Art Show. The Marysville BookNest sponsored a prize which was won by Yarra Valley artist Jerry Osadczuk for his painting, 'Soft Landing'. Again, with more people in town for the art show, we had a good weekend for sales.
October 19-21, 2018.
The 4th annual Jazz and Blues weekend was held in October and the Marysville BookNest was bronze sponsor of this weekend. Despite a wet start on the Saturday we had an excellent weekend of sales.
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January 26, 2018.
BookNest opened in replica of old police station.
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2024 Writing competition results
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OPEN AGE SHORT STORY
First Prize Wuthering Nights. Molly Love,
Second Prize Squealer. Molly Love,
Third Prize Into the Forest. Jenny Baker
Highly Commended
Cameron . Jenny Wilkinson
Pop. "A Taggerty Writer"
Il Segreto. Susan Cipriani
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OPEN AGE POETRY
First Prize The Quiet Goodbye. Megan Butland,
Second Prize Cemetery Gate, Yea. Jill Dwyer,
Third Prize The Old Man and the Typewriter. Andrea Cohen,
Highly Commended
Smoky Blue Haze. Athene Thompson,
Nature's Lament. "A Taggerty Writer
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YOUNG WRITERS
Equal First.
Sky Spirits. Indigo
Esprit de Corps. Charlie
PRIMARY
Bob and Barry. Mia, Best story overall
I got Spaghettified. Flynn, second best story overall
The Horrible Day. Lucas, third best story overall
The End of the World. Nate, Best story by a writer aged 9/10 years
Circus Gone Wrong. Eva, Best story by a writer aged 7/8 years
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From PRIMARY SCHOOL THAT ENTERED POEMS BASED ON COLOURS
Orange. Ella, Best poem overall
Green. Grace, Second best poem overall
Green. Betty, Best poem by a writer aged under 9 years
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Results of 2023 Writing Competition.
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Short Stories Open Age
1st Prize: Can you hear me. Jenny Baker
2nd prize: The fire-breathing teapot Molly Love
Commendations.
Forest friendship. Peter Barry
Roy writes home. Jill Dwyer
Letter from Mars. Jenny Baker
Young Writers
1st prize: Not entirely alone. Rose
2nd prize: Limestone. Freya
Commendation
Lost in my head. Freya
Triangle Junior Writer (Primary Years).
1st Prize: The sugar glider. Emmylou
equal 2nd prize: Back room. Dineth
equal 2nd prize: The new friend Shnooga and Mini Potato. Zara
Poetry Open Age.
1st prize: Goldtown cemetery. Jill Dwyer
2nd prize: Waiting. Molly Love
Commendations
Trees and tiny birds. Athene Thompson
The good life. Lyn Pope
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Results of 2022 Writing Competition.
Short Stories Open Age
1st Prize: "The Simple Test". Sarah Strong.
2nd Prize: "Difficult Decisions". Jenny Baker.
Special award
"MISO: the Green Cat". Indigo Russell.
Special mentions
"Change". Diedre Penhale.
"At the Exhibition". Jill Dwyer.
"Walking Away". Kath Stewart.
"The Gardener Takes the Vandal in B3". Molly Love.
Young Writer – Senior Category (to 18 years of age)
1st Prize: "In the Hands of Fate". Olivia Gourlay.
2nd Prize: "Crossing Paths". Rose McQueen.
Young Writer – Middle Category (to 15 years of age)
1st Prize: "The Before". Lilah Galbraith.
2nd Prize: "Midnight Melody". Olivia Gourlay
Encouragement award.
"Monolith". Charlie McQueen.
Triangle Junior Writer Category (Primary School Years).
1st Prize: "The Worst Nightmare". Ben Harris.
2nd Prize: "A Magical Land". Lincoln Goundar.
Special award.
"The Faraway Beach". Indigo Russell
Encouragement awards;
"The Baby Bird". Emmylou Ackerman.
"Near Extinction". Riley Cole.
"Slime Covered Earth". Leo Hogan.
"The Scorching Sea". Dean Smythe.
"Whales vs Aliens". Tarni Koster.
"The Army". Charlotte Pullen.
"The Evil Robot". Emmett Bibby.
"The Race". Louis Hill.
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Poetry Open Age.
1st Prize: "Sanctuary Road". Jill Dwyer.
2nd Prize: "Dying Light". Sarah Strong
Special award
"Floods". April Ravary.
Special mentions
"A Wish for Marysville". Michaela Del Castillo.
"A War Over Turf". Lucas McDonald.
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Reading Our Writing 23/11/2019
7.00pm Refreshments by Lilli
7.15pm Welcome MC - Jackie Mansourian
1) Eileen Slack - Poetry Rampaging Nature and A different drum
2) Raelene Bartlett - Memoir Her Nanna
3) Roger Gibson - Poetry
4) Lucy Franklin – Memoir Black Saturday
5) Elaine O’Shannessy – Poetry The Night-time Builders
Tayla Ann - Performance of her own songs
6) Beth Page – Poetry Came the Snow
7) Katherine McKintosh - Memoir
8) Jill Sanguinetti - Poetry
9) Bob McNamara – Short-story My Paris Haircut