December 8's ANU/Canberra Times meet the author event from 6pm to 7pm, Chris Hammer will be in conversation with Michael Brissenden on Chris's latest book Treasure and Dirt, an engrossing, standalone, outback noir thriller from the award-winning author of the international bestsellers Scrublands, Silver and Trust. Cinema. Kambri Cultural Centre ANU. Registrations at anu.edu.au/events.

December 13's ANU/Canberra Times meet the author event from 6pm to 7pm, Andrew Leigh will be in conversation with ANU Vice Chancellor, Brian Schmidt, on Andrew's new book What's the Worst That Could Happen? Existential Risk and Extreme Politics. Andrew Leigh looks at catastrophic risks and how to mitigate them, arguing provocatively that the rise of populist politics makes catastrophe more likely. Cinema Kambri Cultural Centre ANU Registrations at anu.edu.au/events.

Actor Claudia Karvan will explore the stories that have shaped our nation's identity in Books That Made Us, a three-part documentary premiering on Tuesday, November 23 at 8.30pm on ABC TV and ABC iview. She will meet Richard Flanagan, Alexis Wright, Helen Garner, Tim Winton, David Malouf, Kate Grenville, Christos Tsiolkas, Thomas Keneally, Liane Moriarty, Trent Dalton, Kim Scott, and Melissa Lucashenko.

On November 22, ACT finalists in the Australian Poetry Slam Audrey McCormick and Sophie L. Meredith aka Oli will feature at That Poetry Thing at Smith's Alternative. Audrey McCormick is a student poet who started performing more than three years ago, although she has been writing poetry for more than half her life. Her poems draw on a combination of the hilarious, and at times daunting, experiences of growing up. Sophie L. Meredith, aka Oli is a gender-queer poet, teacher and scholar living on Ngunnawal lands in Canberra. Their first chapbook We're Going Ahead Without You was published by Ginninderra Press in 2019. Oli loves slam poetry and offers spoken word workshops professionally and is a regular NSW finalist of the national Australian Poetry Slam (APS) competition. For tickets go to smithsalternative.com.

Join The Book Cow for the Canberra launch of Tank Water by Michael Burge, who will be in conversation with Nigel Featherstone on November 24. It tells the story of James Brandt who didn't look back when he got away from his rural hometown as a teenager. Now, he's returned to Kippen for the first time in 20 years because his cousin Tony has been found dead under the local bridge. The news that Tony has left him the entire family farm triggers James's journalistic curiosity - and his anxiety - both of which cropped up during his turbulent journey to adulthood. Book at Eventbrite.

The National Portrait Gallery and The Curatoreum in partnership with Penguin Books will host the official Canberra launch of Omar Musa's Killernova. Grappling with his heritage, Musa charts a journey through the colonial history of South-East Asia, environmental destruction, race in Australia, the isolation and addiction of COVID lockdown, family, lost love and, ultimately, recovery. November 27, 1pm and 3pm. Bookings from portrait.gov.au.

A Brush with Poetry Bonus: Room and Zoom is on November 28. Hear contemporary and traditional voices at the free open mic soirée. Café on Queen. 15 Queen St, Binalong 1.30 for 2pm. Link to zoom on Binalong Arts Group Inc Facebook page or email. Bookings essential via robynsykespoet@gmail.com / 0401 289 178. All welcome.

The National Library of Australia is reopening its locations and events in stages. From Monday, November 29, the Library's Main Reading Room and Special Collections Reading Room will be open Monday to Saturday from 10am to 5pm. The Main Reading Room will open on Sunday from 1.30pm to 5pm. The Friends of the National Library Lounge will be open seven days from 10am to 5pm. Normal operating hours will resume early in 2022. For more information and updates, visit nla.gov.au.

Finally, the Lifeline Book Fairs are returning (with COVID restrictions, of course). The next one is scheduled for December 17-19 at Thoroughbred Park; then comes the 50th birthday celebration Lifeline Book Fair on February 11-13, 2022. lifelinecanberra.org.au.

For consideration for Litbits, email litbits@canberratimes.com.au by 5pm Monday.

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