Books at the Bowlo
Presented in collaboration with Club Lambton.
Calling All Booklovers!
What to expect:
- 6 pm – 7 pm: Host your regular book club or simply catch up with friends over a meal while chatting about your latest read.
- 7 pm – 8.30 pm: A conversation and Q&A with local authors. We talk about their books, inspirations and literary journey. Hosted by Nina Cullen and Katherine McLean.
Event Details
Cost
Entry is free. Lucky door prizes with every meal purchase.
Bookings
Book ahead to secure your table! Call Club Lambton on 02 4957 3272 or book online here.
Walk-ins also welcome.
Preorder The Book
Copies of the monthly featured book can be ordered via Betty Loves Books! This book will be available for collection at the event, as well as prior to the event.
Coming Up: Tuesday 10 February
Not My Shame by Martina Zangger
A testament to the power of female courage and strength, this intensely personal memoir reveals how one woman confronted her dark past and broke free from lifelong trauma bonds. Not content with only healing herself, author Martina Zangger has dedicated her life to helping other sexual assault survivors as they navigate both their healing journeys and the complexities of the criminal justice system. Her frankness in narrating her startling life choices displays the potency of shedding shame and the freedom that follows.
Sexually abused by her grandfather and uncle as a small child, Martina’s early years became the foundation for a life of struggles and wrong turns. Like many victim survivors, Martina kept her trauma a secret—a suppression that led her into sex work and ultimately into the grip of the notorious cult of the Indian guru Rajneesh.
For decades, Martina believed she was a magnet for abusers; that the sexual violence she endured was somehow her fault. But healing has allowed Martina to bravely face the tragedies she once buried, and to place the blame where it belongs. No longer silenced by shame, Martina’s greatest discovery is that love doesn’t have to be dangerous, that it can be respectful and kind instead.
This is her story, and it is a story of hope for all survivors.
Martina Zangger
I divide my time between Awabakal Land and Woromi Lands and am a passionate feminist and social justice advocate. I am an introvert who loves reading, napping, knitting, tapestry and spending time with my women friends and in nature. Trees are my inspiration, teaching me to remain steady in stormy weather, with my roots deep into mother earth. I’m a (sometimes cranky) partner and the mum of a twenty-six-year-old daughter, who is also a fierce feminist and social worker. I am blessed to have their unwavering support. I adore my two dogs and I don’t drink alcohol, a hard-won decision that has improved the quality of my life significantly.
Co-Hosts
Nina Cullen
Nina Cullen is a Newcastle writer and reader. Her prize-winning writing has appeared in Australia and overseas in publications including Australian Book Review, The Big Issue Fiction Edition, Meniscus, Island, Sleepers Almanac, Taste – Fresh New Writing, Imagining Ourselves, the Sydney Morning Herald and the Guardian. She is also part of the Newcastle Writer’s Festival Story Hunter program, taking creative writing into primary schools in the Newcastle/Hunter region. You can read her monthly Bedside Bookstack reviews at ninacullen.com and say hi on both Instagram and X at @ninakcullen.
Katherine McLean
Katherine is the Director of Hunter Writer’s Centre. Katherine has over 20 year’s experience in leadership positions in arts and non-profit organisations, working across artistic disciplines such as theatre, puppetry, community cultural development, and digital storytelling. She has a great love for story and often spells it with a capital ‘S’ to give it the importance it deserves.
Program Partners
