Riverina Readers Festival x The Growers Hub
June 26’
On Saturday 27 June, 2026, our Reading Team operated a second-hand booksale at The Growers Hub in Wagga Wagga, NSW.
This sustainable space has been created for the purpose of selling and raising the profile of local producers and homemade goods, therefore it was the perfect environment to connect with new readers and educate our community on the methods of generating a circular book economy.
Thanks go to our Riverina Readers and Collins Bookseller Wagga Wagga for their kind donations.
Work in Progress: an Eastern Riverina Arts program
June 26’
On the evening of Friday 26 June, 2026, our Reading Team took the opportunity to share our festival’s history, learnings and progress thus far in planning our 2026 Festival event at Eastern Riverina Arts - The Station. In front of a local audience, our Reading Team member Maddy, interviewed Manager of the Wagga Wagga City Library, Christine Bolton, and long-standing local Festival supporter and author, Gabrielle Tozer.
A Weekend with Emma Pei Yin
Feb 26’
On Friday 20 and Saturday 21 February, 2026, our Reading Team welcomed Emma Pei Yin for an evening author talk, hosted at the Museum of the Riverina - Botanic Gardens Site and our first writing workshop held at the Wagga Wagga City Library, our ongoing Festival Partner.
Emma’s debut novel When Sleeping Women Wake has been a national and international success, with new readers travelling from Canberra and Melbourne to experience this unique creative weekend with her.
The incredible support and enthusiasm generated by fiction writers at Emma’s sold out writing workshop, demonstrated these opportunities are something our Riverina region is seeking.
Jane Austen’s 250th Birthday Celebration
Dec 25’
On Tuesday 16 December, 2025, our Reading Team welcomed over 110 Riverina Readers into the CSU Playhouse Theatre to celebrate Jane Austen’s 250th Birthday with a screening of the 2005 Pride & Prejudice film, accompanied by cake and homemade iced tea in the parlour (foyer) and a touch of croquet.
Readers were encouraged to dress in their finest outfits, with two prizes going to best dressed and runner up.
Prizes were kindly donated by the Riverina Co-Op and Fiction Distillery - all the way in Adelaide. Bookselling was thanks to Gateway Bookshop and magnificent digital illustrations were created by Sara Wilson (@sml_fry).
Riverina Readers Festival 2025: Opening Doorways
July 25’
On Saturday 12 July, our Reading Team welcomed 16 Australian authors to the Wagga Wagga City Council - Civic Centre, to discuss how they metaphorically explore opening new worlds, relationships and characters to Riverina Readers through fiction.
Accompanied by Collins Booksellers Wagga Wagga and Jack of Hearts Photography at the event, readers could also explore local hospitality options with their 20% discount at the Birdy Crew and Birdy Bar on Baylis Street, while wandering through Council’s Festival of W activations between sessions.
Our Opening Doorways festival would not have been possible without the support of Wagga Wagga City Library, Riverina Party Hire, Hachette Publishing, Bolinda Audio Publishing, Penguin Randomhouse Publishers and a number of local supporters.
Sugar & Spice: An 18+ Evening of Books
Nov 24’
On Thursday 7 November 2024, our Reading Team welcomed 4x bestselling self-published and traditionally published romance authors to the intimate Lantern Room at Wagga’s oldest gentlemen’s club, The Riverina Club.
An audience of 60 heard about all things mafia, fantasy, historical, LGBTQIA+ and fan fiction romance from USA Times bestselling author Eden Summers, Lauren Searson-Partrick, Alivia Fleur and Abra Pressler.
Riverina Readers has the opportunity to purchase physical books and e-books from each author, supporting them directly and one lucky reader went home with a brand-new raffled off Kindle Paperwhite, thanks to Riverina Readers Festival.
Riverina Readers Festival 2024: Warmed by Words
Jul 24’
On Saturday 13 July, our Reading Team welcomed 13 Australian authors to the CSU Playhouse, Wiradjuri Country, to discuss their writing lives, readerships and methods of storytelling.
Accompanied by Collins Booksellers Wagga Wagga, Maybe Mabel and Jack of Hearts Photography, our attending readers have the opportunity to purchase new books, enjoy warming drinks on a sunny winter day and have special moments captured on camera.
Our Warmed by Words readers festival would not have been made possible without the support of Foundation of Rural and Regional Renewal, Eastern Riverina Arts, Inland Rail, Transgrid, Wagga Wagga City Library and a number of local supporters.
An Evening With Tony Park
Feb 24’
On Wednesday 21 February 2024, our Reading Team welcomed Australian and internationally bestselling author Tony Park. Held at the Museum of the Riverina - Botanic Gardens Site, the Community Space was full of avid historical fiction readers. President Mel, and Tony spoke about his pilgrimages in South Africa, how this inspired his writing and his passions in animal conservation. Book sales for this event were supported by Two Brown Cats Bookstore.
An Evening Of Romance
July 23’
On Saturday 15 July 2023, we held our very first Riverina Readers Festival event. Our newly formed Reading Team welcomed Karina May, Emma Grey, Clare Fletcher & Brooke Hill to Eastern Riverina Arts - The Station on Johnson Street, Wagga Wagga. All four traditionally published authors spoke all about love, romance, writing and life experiences.
Our Reading Team
Jul 23’
On Thursday 27 July 2023, the Riverina Readers Festival officially became an Incorporated Organisation.
