READING QUEENSLAND BOOK CLUB
facilitated by Professor Stephen Torre
About the book
Alaska, 2018, and Mike is a long way from home, nursing a wrecked knee and an unspoken grief, striking out into real estate and parenting his partner’s son. London, 1978, and Simon is an Australian fish out of water navigating adolescence during the Winter of Discontent, and drawn to an eccentric impresario next door. Washington, DC, 1928, and a retired US senator is interviewed about his time in Russia in 1916, and his mission to save a young heir to an empire. Vienna, 1809, and an Irish teenager on the run from the law takes refuge among composers as Napoleon besieges and shells the city. Hong Kong, 2019, and estranged brothers Mike and Simon reunite in midlife to face the secrets of the past, and reconnect in more ways than one.
Empires rise and fall, human lives play out, encounters, collisions and connections occur more than we can ever know – and yet, the unexpected can still happen.
Endlessly compelling and inventive, Empires is a masterful novel in five parts with boys and men at its heart. Spanning centuries and crossing continents, it explores the empires we build, the way we see ourselves, the narratives we construct and the interconnectedness of all things. This is Nick Earls at his finest.
(Source: Penguin)
Connect with the author, Nick Earls
As a feature of Reading Queensland, we will host an online Q&A session with the author every month. This tie-in event is your chance to put forth your questions to authors like Nick Earls directly, and gain valuable insight into their writing.
Q&A's are FREE to members of the Reading Queensland Book Club.
"A book club for writers"
Reading Queensland is a monthly book club showcasing new releases by Australian authors. We meet on the first Wednesday of every month from 6-8pm at Queensland Writers Centre to discuss the techniques and the elements of craft used in the monthly reading. Led by Professor Stephen Torre, we will examine our own responses as readers and writers, craft questions to the author, and gain a better understanding of genre and contemporary market conventions. Wine will be provided.
Learning Outcomes
This course is suitable for writers and readers of all levels.
You will learn how to:
Improve your intuitive understanding of the craft of writing by learning how to Read with Intent.
Analyse works through the lens of both a reader and a writer.
Identify genre and contemporary market conventions through practical exercises and discussions.
Engage thoughtfully with a broader range of works in a variety of genres.
Time and date(s)
3 November (Q&A on the 5 November)
1 December
Stephen Torre
The 2021 facilitator of Reading Queensland is Professor Stephen Torre, former Professor of English, writer, and executive director of the Foundation for Australian Literary Studies.
Get a Reading Queensland membership
Join us in November and December with a 2-month Reading Queensland membership:
Get free access to the monthly Reading Queensland Q&A events with leading Australian authors.
Have the ability to pre-submit your questions to the author before the event.
Get free access to the monthly Reading Queensland book club facilitated by Professor Stephen Torre.
Enjoy a glass of wine at the book club sessions (it's on us)
Get 20% discount on select readings through the SLQ Bookshop.
Queensland Writers Centre members can purchase a Reading Queensland membership at a discounted price.
Source: Penguin