Not to be missed!   Alice’s amazing adventures in literary land   Born in Melbourne, Alice Pung was exquisitely named by grateful parents who only a month earlier had fled the Cambodian killing fields and landed in what her father saw as a “Wonderland”. From that prescient start, Alice has gone on to a remarkable writing career, recording and commenting on the Asian experience in Australia with award-winning works in both fact and fiction, the latest being “One Hundred Days”, described as her “greatest work yet.” A gifted and engaging speaker, she makes a special guest Mentone Public Library “Author For All Seasons” presentation.  Saturday March 2, at 11 am. Please note the change of venue to The Mentone Activity Hub corner Venice Street and Mentone Parade. Bookings:   https://www.trybooking.com/COVUX Or by  Bank Transfer to BSB 013 352, Acct no 009777676, Reference ‘Alice’. Or by Cash or Credit on the day. Entry $5. Email the library for more details at  m...

Alice Pung at Mentone Public Library Mentone Public Library’s 2024 author presentation series kicks off with a very special guest on March 2.  Internationally recognised author Alice Pung will outline her remarkable career, not only as an award-winning author but as a mentor to students in Australia and around the world. This includes as a guest lecturer at prestigious American institutions Brown University and Vassar College, as well as the University of Milan and Peking University. Alice is the author of best-selling works including the novels ‘One Hundred Days’ and ‘Her Father’s Daughter’, as well as a children’s series, and as editor of the anthologies ‘Growing Up Asian In Australia’ and ‘My First Lesson.’ “Alice has had her books published in the US, the UK, Germany and Indonesia,” library president Graeme Johnstone said. “We are thrilled to have a writer of her success and calibre to start our new season of author presentations.” For bookings and details, go to  https://...

Mentone Public Library would like to welcome you to 2024 Saturday library staff person Ethan has taken on the challenge of creating the flyers for the Mentone Public Library. We would like to show you the first one, a welcome flyer to remind you when we are open for borrowing and writing and to remind you to come in and borrow some great reads! Thanks Ethan!

Open Mic at Mentone Public Library  11am on 25 November 2023 See our catchy Facebook flyer/video below, or on Facebook for some creative inspiration. Entry only $5   Bookings via email mentonepubliclibrary@gmail.com

 How do they do it? Writers write. Artists draw. But cartoonists? They are the rarest of breeds, skilfully combining both. The topic. The line. The nuance. The gag.   In a break from our “author” tradition, Mentone Public Library proudly presents  Award-winning local cartoonist and caricaturist ALAN ROSE Outlining his career in one of the most challenging of the publishing arts: setting up the scenario and delivering the punchline. WHEN: Saturday, November 11. TIME: 11 am. WHERE: Mentone Public Library, Rear, 36 Florence Street, Mentone, 3194. BOOKINGS,   entry $5.00, via: Try Booking -   https://www.trybooking.com/CMTHG Or   Bank Transfer to BSB 013 352, Acct no 009777676, Reference ‘Rose’. Or Cash or Credit on the day. Let us know you are coming:  mentonepubliclibrary@gmail.com   ALAN ROSE: The Herald, Australasian Post, Sunday Observer, Juke Magazine, Recorder Newspapers UK; working alongside luminaries including Geoff Hook, WEG, Vane Lin...

Katie McMahon in An Author for All Seasons.  Interviewed by Graeme Johnstone Graeme Johnstone and Katie McMahon entertained us in a light-hearted conversation, covering Katie’s life journey as a writer from young days growing up in Frankston to her decision in India to go back to high school and train to become a doctor, touching on her current work in training doctors in communication, and her two psychological thriller novels. Graeme and Katie shared some of their favourite lines from the books, all the while showing the light-hearted sense of humour that makers for an enjoyable read. It was an inspirational event.   We sold more tickets than we had seats at the library this time, so we held it at the Mentone Activity Hub. It’s a great venue with a view of the park and only a short walk from our library.   Keep an eye out for another An Author for All Seasons event and our Annual General Meeting, both hopefully in November. Our next Open Mic event will be on 22 nd ...

Lover, Husband, Father, Monster and the art of coercive control What a pleasure it was to have Elsie and Graeme present with us on the difficult topic of coercive control on Saturday, 15 July, using their trilogy of books as a springboard for conversations. Graeme and Elsie Johnstone wrote three inter-connecting novels on this topic under the banner of ‘Lover, Husband, Father, Monster’, entitled ‘Her Story’, ‘His Story’ and ‘The Aftermath’. The works are best read in the order of 1 The woman’s perspective 2 The man’s perspective and 3 The views of those who it affected.  When they were working on these books, Elsie and Graeme decided to write every time it rained and being Ireland, they wrote a ‘bloody lot’. Their task was to find out ‘What drives two men on either side of the planet to commit such awful acts, both in Australia and Ireland, and how have their marriages come to this?’   The novel is set in Dublin, and it focuses on the marriage of Jennifer, a legal gr...