Author Talk with Lara Cain Gray & Lamisse Hamouda - Maryborough

Next date: Saturday, 14 November 2026 | 12:30 PM to 01:30 PM

Join award-winning memoirist Lamisse Hamouda and author and researcher Lara Cain Gray for a conversation exploring storytelling.

Drawing on their diverse backgrounds and writing practices, Lamisse and Lara will discuss how personal experiences, family histories, culture and community influence their work. From memoir and life writing to research-driven storytelling, they'll explore the challenges and rewards of transforming lived experience into meaningful narratives that resonate with readers.

Offering two distinct yet complementary perspectives on contemporary writing, this thoughtful discussion will delve into the power of stories to help us understand ourselves, connect with others and make sense of the world around us.

Suitable for all readers, writers, memoir enthusiasts and anyone interested in storytelling, creativity, identity and the stories that shape our lives.

About the Authors:

Dr Lara Cain Gray is a children's book specialist who has built her multi-discipline career through roles in libraries and museums, academic teaching and research, in Australia and the UK. Career highlights include the role of Australia and New Zealand Curator at the British Library, and her current position as Head of Publishing at non-profit education publisher Library For All. She has reviewed books in print and online for over 10 years and is a current judge for the CBCA Book of the Year awards. Her latest publication is The Grown-Up’s Guide to Picture Books, an A to Z guide to what makes a great picture book great. 

Lamisse Hamouda is an artist, writer, poet and workshop facilitator of Egyptian, Muslim & white-Australian (European) inheritances, based in Magandjin (Brisbane). Her debut book, The Shape of Dust won the 2024 National Biography of the Year Award and was shortlisted for the NSW Premier’s Literary Prize. Lamisse is a skilled facilitator of memoir and life-writing workshops, and has run workshops across Australia and Europe. She was a 2025 Keesing Studio Writer-in-Residence at Cité Internationales des Arts in Paris, and she is on the board with experimental arts and literary platform, Runway Journal. She is working toward her Master in Narrative Therapy and Community Work from the University of Melbourne. 

Maryborough Library | Saturday, 14 November 2026 at 12:30pm

Free. Bookings required.

Register Here

If the event is sold out, please keep checking for availability as cancellations may arise.

Please remember attendees under 12 years must be accompanied by a parent/guardian.

When

Location

Maryborough Library, 127-129 Bazaar Street, Maryborough, 4650, View Map