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Helen Garner- How to End a Story: Collected Diaries 1978-'98

Author In Conversation

2026-01-23 18:00:00 2026-01-23 19:00:00 Australia/Melbourne Helen Garner- How to End a Story: Collected Diaries 1978-'98 Helen Garner's acclaimed three volumes of diaries are collected here in one sumptuous book, revealing the life of one of the world's greatest writers. Geelong Library and Heritage Centre (The Dome) - Wurdi Youang (Level 5)

Friday, January 23
6:00pm - 7:00pm

Add to Calendar 2026-01-23 18:00:00 2026-01-23 19:00:00 Australia/Melbourne Helen Garner- How to End a Story: Collected Diaries 1978-'98 Helen Garner's acclaimed three volumes of diaries are collected here in one sumptuous book, revealing the life of one of the world's greatest writers. Geelong Library and Heritage Centre (The Dome) - Wurdi Youang (Level 5)

Helen Garner's acclaimed three volumes of diaries are collected here in one sumptuous book, revealing the life of one of the world's greatest writers.

Helen Garner’s acclaimed three volumes of diaries are collected here in one sumptuous book. Spanning two decades—from the publication of her lightning-rod debut novel in the late 70s, to the throes of a consuming affair in the late 80s, and the messiness and pain of a disintegrating marriage in the late 90s—the diaries reveal the life of one of the world’s greatest writers.

Devastatingly honest and disarmingly funny, How to End a Story is a portrait of loss, betrayal, and the sheer force of a woman’s anger—but also of hard work and resilience, moments of hope and joy, the immutable ties of motherhood, and the regenerative power of a room of one’s own.

Helen will be in conversation with Jayne Tuttle.

About the author

Helen Garner writes novels, stories, screenplays and works of non-fiction. She is the winner of the Melbourne Prize for Literature, the Windham Campbell Prize for Non-Fiction, the Australia Council Award for Lifetime Achievement in Literature and the Australian Society of Authors Medal. Her books include Monkey Grip, The Children’s Bach, The First Stone, Joe Cinque’s Consolation, The Spare Room, This House of Grief, The Season, How to End a Story: Collected Diaries, which won the prestigious Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction, and The Mushroom Tapes, with Chloe Hooper and Sarah Krasnostein.

Tickets $20 or $10 for concession/students

Book sales (including pre-signed copies) will be offered at the conclusion of the event.

If you need any assistance in order to participate in this event, please contact events@grlc.vic.gov.au at least two weeks prior to the event date.

AGE GROUP: | Adults |

EVENT TYPE: | Author Talks |

TAGS: | recommended |

Geelong Library and Heritage Centre (The Dome)

Phone: (03) 4201 0600

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Geelong Library and Heritage Centre (The Dome)

Mon, Dec 15 9:00AM to 5:30PM
Tue, Dec 16 9:00AM to 5:30PM
Wed, Dec 17 9:00AM to 8:00PM
Thu, Dec 18 9:00AM to 5:30PM
Fri, Dec 19 9:00AM to 5:30PM
Sat, Dec 20 10:00AM to 5:00PM
Sun, Dec 21 10:00AM to 5:00PM

Tel: (03) 4201 0600

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