Independently Owned, Locally Grown, Community Loved
By Richard Evans, President, Whitsundays Writers Festival
Somewhere in the Whitsundays, at this very moment, a book is lying face-down on a bedside table, a bookmark frozen at page 67 and an owner quietly pretending they will return to it soon.
If this sounds familiar, you are not alone. Most readers have an unfinished-book collection of some kind: a physical TBR (to be read) pile, an e-reader library of "currently reading" titles that haven’t moved in months, or simply a mental list of books they meant to get back to.
We often begin books with the best intentions: a holiday purchase, a book-club choice, a gift, an acclaimed novel, or a title everyone insists we "should" read.
Somewhere along the way, we start believing that finishing is compulsory because the book was expensive, or recommended by a friend, or won a prize. But reading is not a moral test, and life is too short, and the shelves too full, to treat every unfinished novel as a personal failing.
The truth is simpler and kinder: reading tastes are personal, and timing changes everything. A book loved by thousands may still not work for one individual, and a book that feels impenetrable at 25 may speak powerfully at 55.
There’s also a difference between challenging writing that rewards persistence and a book that is simply not connecting. Learning to tell the two apart is its own kind of reading skill.
Here in the Whitsundays, there’s an added layer to all this. We imagine a reading life of lounging on a boat, beneath a palm tree, or on a quiet veranda, but real life is busier: work, family, visitors, weekend sport, weather, travel, boating and the general pull of living outdoors.
Even in a region built around leisure, uninterrupted time can be surprisingly hard to find. Even paradise has laundry, errands and early starts.
So here is a gentle rule: give a book a fair chance, but allow yourself to stop when reading becomes obligation rather than interest.
Ask yourself: am I curious to know what happens next? Do I want to return to this book? Is it challenging me in a worthwhile way, or merely draining my attention? Could I try it again another time?
If the answer isn’t encouraging, consider a different format, an audiobook, large-print edition or e-book. Or reach for something shorter: a memoir, short stories, poetry, or an old favourite.
Libraries are perfect for this kind of guilt-free experimentation. Borrow, sample, return, and try something else.
So let the unfinished novel rest without reproach.
The real loss is not leaving one book at page 67. It is deciding, because of that one book, that reading is no longer for you.
If you have an unfinished book, or several, sitting quietly at home, the Whitsundays Writers Festival’s Stories by the Sea free community offers the perfect guilt-free solution.
Bring up to two of your pre-loved books to the Whitsundays Writers Festival Book Swap.
What: Stories by the Sea
When: Sunday 13th September, 3pm-4:30pm
Where: Whitsunday Marine Club, 7 Altmann Avenue
Tickets: FREE community event
Whitsundays Writers Festival
Richard Evans
Festival Director and President
hello@whitsundayswriters.com
Creative Connections Whitsunday
Glenda Brown
President
info@creativeconnectionwhitsunday.com
If you would like to submit a poem, creative writing piece, profile suggestion, event information, or share your creative story, please contact hello@whitsundayswriters.com
Fresh work has arrived at Creative Connections Whitsunday Community Gallery, bringing new artists, new ideas and plenty to discover on the walls and shelves this month.
Running to 14 September, the latest collection brings together watercolour, acrylic, mixed media, oils and photography. Some works capture the landscapes and wildlife of our region, while others explore colour, texture, people and the everyday subjects that catch an artist’s eye.
Perhaps most interestingly, the collection brings artists at very different stages of their creative lives together under one roof.
Experienced artists who have spent decades developing their practice hang alongside emerging artists finding their own style and, in some cases, exhibiting publicly for the first time. That mix is part of what makes a community gallery interesting. You never quite know what you’ll find, or whose work might stop you for a closer look.
Joining the Gallery this month is our youngest exhibitor to date, twelve-year-old Oliver Seddon-Brown.
Already developing a keen interest in landscape and wildlife photography, Oliver has an impressive eye for the moments that are easy to miss. Wildlife photography, in particular, requires patience. The subject rarely sits where you want it, the light changes quickly, and nature has little interest in waiting for the photographer to get organised.
Clearly, Oliver has learned to wait for the right moment.
Adding another dimension to the story, Oliver is exhibiting alongside his mother, Lucy Seddon-Brown, an accomplished local photographer whose latest collection is also new to the Gallery this month.
Presented on acrylic, Lucy’s photographs have a depth and clarity that gives the images an almost luminous quality. Displayed alongside Oliver’s work, they also tell a quieter story about creativity being shared between generations, while each photographer develops a perspective distinctly their own.
Handcrafted jewellery, ceramics, prints and other small works offer another way to discover the creativity of Whitsundays artists and makers. Many are one-off or limited pieces, making the Gallery worth revisiting even if you have been through the doors before.
Importantly, purchasing from the Gallery directly supports the artists who created the work, while helping our volunteer-run community gallery continue to provide a place for local artists to exhibit.
And you don’t need to be looking for something to buy.
Sometimes it’s simply enjoyable to wander through, see what people in your own community are creating and find the piece that makes you stop for a second look.
Conveniently located beside the Proserpine Museum, the Community Gallery makes an easy addition to a day in Proserpine.
Spend some time exploring the Gallery, wander next door to discover more of the district’s history at the Museum, then head into Main Street for coffee or lunch.
For visitors travelling through the Whitsundays, it’s also an opportunity to see a side of the region that goes beyond beaches and islands.
The August collection runs until 14th September.
Come in, take your time and see what catches your eye.
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