Join us at Books@Stones on Thursday 4 December for a special event with local author Greg Bourke in-conversation with Bianca Millroy discussing Greg's debut novel Under Silkwood.

Beware the outsider who wants in. Beware the insider who wants out...

Darcy Grant, graduate teacher, arrives in steamy Far North Queensland in the 1980s to take up his first teaching job. Struggling with the frontier lifestyle, Darcy is drawn to a mother figure at the school, Frances Russo. Through Frances, he is welcomed to Silkwood, a tiny cane-farming hamlet. The Sicilian immigrants are friendly, but wary of the southern outsider. Darcy relies on rules and order, just like in his classroom, but he finds the power of attraction is greater. He takes a dangerous path within a community where honour is defended, while his actions trigger retaliation for unfinished family business.

About the author

Greg Bourke's career has focused on writing and expression, first as an English teacher, and later within corporate communications. Over many years, he has helped many families and people with their stories and memoirs. Greg was inspired to write a novel based in Far North Queensland, the scene of his first teaching post in the 1980s, when revisiting the region years later. His debut novel, 'Under Silkwood', was shortlisted for the Queensland Writers' Centre 2024 'Adaptable' program, and an excerpt from the novel was long-listed in the 2024 Sydney Hammond Memorial Short Story Award. Greg lives and writes in Meanjin/Brisbane.

Bianca Millroy (in-conversation) is a writer, editor and podcaster with a passion for Queensland stories. Hailing from Far North Queensland, on the scenic Atherton Tablelands, Bianca grew up with a love of reading and storytelling. Her creative work has been published in numerous publications, including Brisbane Bookshops, Writing Queensland (WQ), Science Write now, Visible Ink and more. In 2024, Bianca received the Scribe-Varuna Nonfiction Fellowship for her creative nonfiction manuscript, Caput Nebula (Head of Fog). Bianca lives and writes in Meanjin/Brisbane.

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All our events are free to attend, but bookings are required as seats are limited.