OPEN FROM 6PM // FREE ENTRY // SHOW STARTS 6.30PM Celebrated Australian author Laura McPhee-Browne, in association with Scribe Publishing, launches her new novel WORRY DOLL at the Brunswick Artists Bar, in conversation with wonder-host Beth Atkinson-Quinton. Laura and Beth will be joined by some writer friends who will read from WORRY DOLL: Luke Horton, Laura Elizabeth Woollett, Anna Snoekstra and Anna Kate Blair, and there will be book signings afterwards. WORRY DOLL is a love story without lovers, an obsessive riddle, a haunted poem. It is novel that plays with how we see and how we remember. It reminds us that reality is our own. On an ordinary day, two women meet on a train. Heloise—the older woman—lives with her boyfriend in Melbourne. Lacey—the other woman—is from Aotearoa and studies the clouds. What begins between them is an affair that will consume each of them in mismatched, maddening ways. A haunted and lyrical novel, Worry Doll explores desire, memory, and the delusion of love. Laura McPhee-Browne is a writer, social worker and counsellor living in Melbourne on Wurundjeri land. Her short stories have been published widely in Australia. Her first two novels, Cherry Beach (2020) and Little Plum (2023), were published with Text Publishing to critical acclaim. Her third novel, Worry Doll will be released with Scribe in 2026. Beth Atkinson-Quinton is the co-founder of the podcast network Broadwave and a freelance audio journalist and producer. She’s produced for The Guardian, ABC Radio National, SBS, Schwartz Media, the Wheeler Centre, Arts Centre Melbourne, and FBi Radio, among others. Brunswick-based publisher Scribe is a unique, independent publisher with a global reputation for publishing the very best in nonfiction and fiction both in Australia and on the world stage. https://brunswickballroom.com.au/brunswick-artists-bar/ TICKETING INFO Please have a digital or printed copy of your ticket ready on arrival along with a valid photo ID. Acceptable ID includes a current and valid Australian Photo Drivers Licence, State Approved ‘Proof of Age’ card or Passport. The Brunswick Ballroom strives to improve our practices when it comes to sustainability and to reduce our carbon footprint. We don’t sell or provide plastic water bottles. VENUE INFO THE BALLROOM MENU The kitchen will be serving The Ballroom Menu for this show. You can view the delicious offerings available by clicking here. ACCESSIBILITY The Brunswick Ballroom is Accessible. The Brunswick Ballroom has made significant improvements to accessibility by installing an Acorn Chairlift. (Model: New Acorn Indoor 180 Curved Stairlift.) VENUE FAQS To find out more about the venue, FAQs can be viewed by clicking here.