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“Toast to this wonderful book” — Spirit of the Garden book launch

I believe that, if most of us were asked if we know what happens at a book launch, we would say, “more or less.” But if asked to explain that any further, we wouldn’t be able to.

With these half-formed preconceptions, I went to the National Library of Australia to see what a book launch looks like these days.

Before the Launch

I stepped off the bus near Lake Burley Griffin as the sun was going down. I looked up at the National Library, a building that rides the line between beautiful and imposing.

The NLA regularly hosts book launches to promote works they publish — in this case, Trisha Dixon’s Spirit of the Garden. Entry is free, so long as you book ahead.

Stepping through a vast auditorium and check-in QR Codes, I went down to the Library’s Theatre, ticket scanned from my phone.

The biggest surprise came before the launch had started. The theatre began to fill with people, and while there were vacant seats, soon dozens of people were sitting, making me glad I’d taken a photo before the view was obstructed.

This crowd was much larger than I’d expected (though I was by far the youngest person there). When I first entered the theatre and saw fifteen or so people, I thought there’d only be a few more through the doors. But instead, the theatre had more taken seats than vacant ones.

The Launch

The panel was seated at the front, a projector screen behind them ticking through a slideshow of picturesque gardens with attached captions — a small snippet of the book to entice the audience.

The author sat in the middle, with the facilitator to her right. This panel wasn’t just whoever the Library could round up, but included experts like Philip Cox, famous architect behind Canberra Stadium, Rod Laver Arena, and the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre (among others).

The facilitator started the discussion with a quote from the book — “I’ve never seen an unhappy looking gardener” — which seemed to be the funniest thing the audience had heard all week.

And then the panel jumped into it. They began by talking about Australia’s gardening history and our attempts to mimic English gardens, and the recent move towards native plants. This conversation was at times spiritual, at times intensely scientific, but always focused and interesting.

I hadn’t expected to be so interested; I live in a small apartment with no chance to garden. Yet as they talked, there I was, wishing I could start my own garden, even though I’d never even thought about it before.

Though, they are still here to sell something, so the discussion frequently circled back to points prefaced with “what I liked in your book…”

A phone ringing in the audience and a strange clicking noise for a few minutes were the only technical problems, with everything else running smooth.

Towards the end of the talk, attendants stood in the aisles with microphones, as the facilitator invited the audience to ask questions and comment — though only one person took her up on it.

After the Launch

When the discussion ended, we were all invited to head upstairs and “toast to this wonderful book,” with the Library providing free snacks and wine.

 

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A post shared by Trisha (Dixon) Burkitt (@trishadixonburkitt)

The crowd shuffled back into the foyer. Dixon went right to the signing table, a long line forming with people wanting to buy the book. The other panelists dispersed amongst the crowd, and the whole place was filled with dozens of conversations.

It seemed most people were interested in talking about their own gardens, but plenty happily chatted about how fascinating they found the earlier discussion.

The National Library has these sorts of events all the time. I recommend that anyone in living in Canberra keep their eye on the NLA’s event page. It’s free, fascinating, and open to all.

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