The Library That Made Me - LIVE

An illustrious line-up of writers and creatives reflect on the formative library—or libraries—that shaped them as readers and writers. From tiny mobile school libraries to the Mitchell Reading Room or a childhood without a local library, hear about how these hubs of writing, reading and creativity sparked something magical in some of the world’s finest thinkers.

Melanie Cheng is a writer and general practitioner. She was born in Adelaide, grew up in Hong Kong and now lives in Melbourne. Her debut collection of short stories, Australia Day, won the Victorian Premier's Literary Award for an Unpublished Manuscript in 2016 and the Victorian Premier's Literary Award for Fiction in 2018. Room for a Stranger, her highly acclaimed first novel, was published in 2019. Her latest work, The Burrow, was published in 2024.