February 9: Canberra author Robert Hood will discuss his new horror crime novel Scavengers with Cat Sparks at the Book Cow at 6.30pm. See: bookcow.com.au.

February 11: Dinuka McKenzie will discuss her new crime novel Taken with Barbie Robinson at the Book Cow at 3pm. See: bookcow.com.au.

February 14: At Muse at 8pm, the Translations Book Club embarks on a journey of scientific discovery with Chilean author Benjamin Labatut's novel, When We Cease to Understand the World (trans. Adrian Nathan West). See: musecanberra.com.au.

February 15: At 6pm, the Friends of the National Library of Australia will host an online live Zoom discussion with award-winning writer Dervla McTiernan, author of the Cormac Reilly series. This discussion will be facilitated by Anna Steele. The access link will be emailed to all attendees one week prior to the event, with a reminder sent the day before. $10 Members/$15 non-members. See: nla.gov.au/events.

February 16: At 6pm in an ANU/Canberra Times meet the author event, Melbourne law professor Rebecca Giblin and American best-selling author Cory Doctorow will be in conversation with Andrew Leigh on their new book, Chokepoint Capitalism, which documents how big tech and big content have captured creative labour markets and how we can win them back. Manning Clark Auditorium, Kambri Cultural Centre, ANU. Registrations at anu.edu.au/events.

February 22: At 6pm in an ANU/Canberra Times meet the author event, Don Watson and Chris Wallace will be in conversation on Watson's new book, The Passion of Private White, that describes the meeting of two worlds: that of the intensely driven Vietnam veteran and anthropologist Neville White, and the world of hunter-gatherer clans in remote northern Australia. Cinema, Kambri Cultural Centre. ANU Registrations at anu.edu.au/events.

February 22: The first Capital Letters reading night for 2023 is on at the Drill Hall Gallery at the Australian National University at 6pm for 6.30pm. It features Merlinda Bobis, Kathryn Hind, Paul Magee, Aline-Mwezi Niyonsenga and Beejay Silcox. Entry is $10. More information: phone Alice Grundy on 0401 845 442 or email capitallettersCBR@gmail.com.

February 22: At Muse at 6.30pm, the OzLit Book Club will discuss Gail Jones's World War I-set novel Salonika Burning. See: musecanberra.com.au.

March 7: At 6pm in an ANU/Canberra Times meet the author event, Maria Thattil will be in conversation with Kim Rubenstein on Thattil's new book, Unbounded. Manifesting a life without limits, part inspiration, part memoir, offering a path towards active growth, fearless self-love and liberation. Cinema, Kambri Cultural Centre. ANU Registrations at anu.edu.au/events.

March 8: At 6pm in an ANU/Canberra Times meet the author event, Chris Wallace will be in conversation with Tanya Plibersek on Wallace's new book, Political Lives. Australian Prime Ministers and their Biographers, an intimate history of image-making and image-breaking in national politics. Manning Clark Auditorium, Kambri Cultural Centre, ANU. Registrations at anu.edu.au/events.

Every Tuesday at 11am the Book Cow, 47 Jardine Street, Kingston holds a storytime and music session. See: bookcow.com.au.

Submissions are now open for the Text Prize for Young Adult and Children's Writing, an annual $10,000 prize awarded to an outstanding unpublished manuscript. Eligible writers can also enter the Steph Bowe Mentorship for Young Writers, an initiative designed to nurture and encourage a writer under the age of 25. Submissions for the Text Prize close on February 20, The winner will be announced in mid-2023 and will receive a publishing contract with Text and a $10,000 advance against royalties. See: textpublishing.com.au.

The Tough Guy Book Club Canberra meetings for the first half of 2023 are as follows (all on Wednesdays): March 1, April 5, May 3, June 7. The club meets from 7pm to 9.30pm at King O'Malley's, 131 City Walk, Canberra. President of the Canberra chapter is Adam Bartlett - phone 0468 942 182. See: toughguybookclub.com.

The first Canberra Lifeline Book Fair for 2023 will be on at Exhibition Park in Canberra from Friday, February 10 to Sunday, February 12 to raise money for the local phone crisis service. It will have a huge range of fiction and non-fiction books, magazines, sheet music, records, CDs, DVDs, games and more. Entry via gold coin donation and tap and go. See: lifelinecanberra.org.au.