Upcoming Events

Latest Conversation

James Bradley's Deep Water is a mind and heart-expanding book about our relationship to, and misunderstandings of, the natural world. It's meticulously researched, superbly written and bursting with insights that will change how you think about the oceans.

Past Guests

Jodi McAlister

Ashley Kalagian Blunt

Richard Fidler

Ailsa Piper

Shankari Chandran

James Bradley

Cadance Bell

Charlotte Wood

Heather Mitchell

Jim Moginie

Nick Bryant

Jodi McAlister Ashley Kalagian Blunt Richard Fidler Ailsa Piper Shankari Chandran James Bradley Cadance Bell Charlotte Wood Heather Mitchell Jim Moginie Nick Bryant

Francesca De Tores

Candice Fox

Marina Kamenev

Suzie Miller

Robyn Davidson

Stuart Coupe

Jonathan Seidler

Robbie Arnott

Ali Whitelock

Benjamin Stevenson

Francesca De Tores Candice Fox Marina Kamenev Suzie Miller Robyn Davidson Stuart Coupe Jonathan Seidler Robbie Arnott Ali Whitelock Benjamin Stevenson

"I was lucky enough to be invited as one of the first guests in 2024, I had not been to the venue before but I had been lucky enough to be interviewed by Michaela in the past. The venue was as charming as Michaela is, the warmth of the group and the expansive and intelligent conversation that ensued made the night extra special. Michaela has the special skill of making everyone feel heard, and she allows for conversation to flow easily. My book Prima Facie was covered a challenging area to chat about, and yet we had serious discussions and laughs along the way. It was like being in a soiree at a literary salon, interesting décor, arty types galore and the inclusiveness and intelligence of Michaela. This event sits uniquely in a venue whose walls have heard much chatter, and whose bar reminded me of one I would visit with my old Poppy. Fairy lights and ironic décor touches included, a very writerly, readerly venue and group."

Suzie Miller, award winning playwright and author
"The Petersham Bowlo Readers night was an enormously enjoyable and lively event. Michaela is a wonderful interviewer, who covered the depth and breadth of my book beautifully. There was so much energy and good humour in the room. I wish all literary events were like this."

Richard Fidler, author, broadcaster and co host of Conversations on ABC RN
"I’ve done a great many book promotion events but the Petersham Bowling Club conversation with Michaela Kalowski was a highlight of my Stone Yard Devotional book tour. With her deep research, warm intelligence and superb presentation skills, Michaela creates an evening of relaxed, intimate and insightful book talk for the author and audience alike. And the Club itself is one of my favourite venues – a perfectly sized room, beautiful lighting and great sound along with a super friendly vibe. I highly recommend the Readers: Books and Conversation series to all authors and publishers."

Charlotte Wood, Award winning Australian author, shortlisted for 2024 Booker Prize for Stone Yard Devotional
"There's something special about The Readers series at the Petersham Bowls Club. First there's the space: It's the best, most authentic bowls club you can imagine, perfectly preserved but carefully invigorated with modern ideas (and a modern menu). There's the community of the PBC: passionate, kind-hearted locals who turn up in big crowds to listen, talk, laugh, relax and be invigorated by literature. And there's the conversations on stage: vibrant, stimulating, joyous and profound. These events get to the heart of what books and writing mean to our culture. I wish every suburb in Australia had a PBC, with a series like this."

Robbie Arnott, award winning author
"It's always a privilege to be interviewed as part of a literary event, but a lot of the time, authors find themselves saying the same things, because there's so little time we can barely scratch the surface. That's what makes the Readers: Books and Conversation series at the Petersham Bowling Club so delightfully refreshing. It's so rare to have a conversation with room to breathe, where you can get deep and go in unexpected directions, and let the audience lead you to what they're really interested in hearing. The relaxed, friendly vibe created by the venue, and the incredibly thoughtful - and often fun! - questions from Michaela Kalowski make this feel more like a conversation than an interview: like we're all sitting down and having a drink together and chatting about books. As an author, it was the most wonderfully participatory and rewarding event I was part of last year - and I sincerely hope this is true for the audience as well."

Jodi McAlister, academic & author of romance and fantasy series