The Chestnut Tree Bookshop
An environmentally sustainable independent bookshop (and café) for book lovers committed to reforestation. The Chestnut Tree is honoured to operate on the land of the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung and the Bunurong of the Kulin Nation (West Footscray, a.k.a. #wefo in the inner west of Melbourne).
General Book Club
Between Wednesday 15 January 2025 and Wednesday 19 November 2025
Our General Book Club welcomes all readers for a fun and cozy night in the store to discuss great books!
Our pick for January is 'Madwoman' by Chelsea Bieker. Brave, hilarious and full of surprising twists, Madwoman is a story about violence, recovery, and Clove's refusal to be defined by her worst experiences.
Please register before attending.
We ask that if you can no longer attend that you cancel your booking as we have a waitlist.
Your donations contribute to nibbles and our awesome staff who run the show!
The Chestnut Tree Bookshop
Decolonise Your Shelf Book Club
Between Thursday 23 January 2025 and Thursday 27 November 2025
Our book club aims to broaden your reading list by reading books written solely by First Nations and People of Colour. Everyone is welcome.
Wine and nibbles are provided.
Our pick for January is 'The Mighty Red' by Louise Erdrich which tells a story of love, natural forces, spiritual yearnings, and the tragic impact of uncontrollable circumstances on ordinary people's lives.
We please ask that you cancel your registration if you can longer attend as we have a waitlist.
The Chestnut Tree Bookshop
Decolonise Your Shelf Book Club
Between Thursday 2 May 2024 and Thursday 28 November 2024
Our book club aims to broaden your reading list by reading books written solely by First Nations and People of Colour. Everyone is welcome.
Wine and nibbles are provided.
We please ask that you cancel your registration if you can longer attend as we have a waitlist.
Our pick for our November book club is 'Praiseworthy' by Alexis Wright.
"Praiseworthy is an epic set in the north of Australia, told with the richness of language and scale of imagery for which Alexis Wright has become renowned."
The Chestnut Tree Bookshop
General Book Club
Between Wednesday 24 April 2024 and Wednesday 20 November 2024
Our General Book Club welcomes all readers for a fun and cozy night in the store to discuss great books!
Our pick for November is 'The Empusium' by Olga Tokarczuk.
Please register before attending.
We ask that if you can no longer attend that you cancel your booking as we have a waitlist.
Your donations contribute to nibbles and our awesome staff who run the show.
The Chestnut Tree Bookshop
Parents & Bubs Book Club
Between Wednesday 17 April 2024 and Wednesday 20 November 2024
Join us for a monthly catch up at the Chestnut Tree for parents from the inner west community. Bubs are welcome and hot drinks are available.
Our pick for October is 'Want: Sexual Fantasies by Anonymous' by Gillian Anderson.
The Chestnut Tree Bookshop
Crafting Night at The Chestnut Tree Bookshop
Between Tuesday 20 August 2024 and Tuesday 19 November 2024
Join us for a cosy night of knitting & crochet at The Chestnut Tree Bookshop. Bring your own crochet or knitting supplies and work on your project in our cosy space.
Hosted by Emily Bird and The Chestnut Tree.
The Chestnut Tree Bookshop
Junior Book Club
Between Thursday 2 May 2024 and Tuesday 12 November 2024
Dive into amazing stories with fellow young readers! Join us for lively discussions and book-inspired fun.
The chestnut tree bookshop
Storytime with Kim Drane: Lucy Loves Bugs
Wednesday 25 September 2024
Join us these school holidays for a special author led story time and guided drawing workshop!
Kim Drane is the author and illustrator of new picture book 'Lucy Loves Bugs' which will be read during the story time.
Explore the wonderful world of bugs with Lucy, from backyard bees to kitchen ants, and discover fascinating facts about the incredible insects living alongside us.
The Chestnut Tree Bookshop
In Conversation with Jumaana Abdu
Friday 13 September 2024
Join us at The Chestnut Tree for an In Conversation with Jumaana Abdu and Dr. Mariam Tokhi to discuss Jumaana’s brand new novel, Translations.
Jumaana Abdu is a Dal Stivens Award winner and an alumnus of the Wheeler Centre Next Chapter program. Her work features in Thyme Travellers (Roseway Publishing), an international anthology of Palestinian speculative fiction. She has been published in Kill Your Darlings, Westerly, Griffith Review, Meanjin, Liminal, Overland, Debris, and New Australian Fiction 2024. By day, she is also a medical doctor.
Hot drinks will be available for purchase. Don't miss this opportunity for an insightful conversation between these two accomplished professionals!
The Chestnut Tree Bookshop
Teacher's and Educator's Night at The Chestnut Tree Bookshop
Tuesday 23 July 2024
Inviting primary school teachers and educators to a very special teacher's evening at The Chestnut Tree where they can enjoy a glass of wine, browse books and discuss the transition to the new phonics based literacy curriculum.
Special Guest Lia Matheson
Lia is a Literacy Coach and tertiary educator in the field of literacy theory and practice. She is passionate about weaving the magic of literature into educational practices.
Lia will share her knowledge around the way quality mentor texts and book choice can build amazing classroom experiences and even better outcomes for students.
Browse Oxford University Press offerings and speak with a specialised representative, Matthew Bowes who will present a range of sample texts available to view and order, including decodable texts and full texts for older primary school readers.
BONUS OFFER! 15% to all teachers on the night.
The Chestnut Tree Bookshop
Crafting Night at The Chestnut Tree Bookshop
Thursday 11 July 2024
Join us for a cosy night of knitting & crochet at The Chestnut Tree Bookshop. Bring your own crochet or knitting supplies and treat yourself to to a hot drink while you work!
Hosted by Emily Bird and The Chestnut Tree.
The Chestnut Tree Bookshop
Hana Assafiri: In conversation with Reem Sweid
Saturday 29 June 2024
Join us to hear Hana Assafiri discuss her new memoir 'Hana - the Audacity to be Free' with owner of The Chestnut Tree, Reem Sweid. Conversation to be followed by book signing.
Hana Assafiri is a much-loved and revered social activist and radical entrepreneur. Through the medium of food and dining in her renowned Moroccan Soup Bar, she has worked tirelessly to rectify the systemic and social barriers to women’s empowerment.
Hana’s memoir follows her childhood between Lebanon and Australia, her marriage, her attempts to leave, and her ensuing career in women’s services. In 1998, she opened the Moroccan Soup Bar, which would quickly become an iconic Melbourne institution—founded on the radical notion that marginalised women, together in the kitchen, can effect social change.
Hot drinks and nibbles provided - all proceeds from ticket sales donated to Djirra.
The Chestnut Tree Bookshop
Challenging Storytelling Conventions
Wednesday 26 June 2024
West Footscray Arts presents Sam Elkin and Nova Weetman in conversation about how they challenge storytelling and memoir conventions in their latest works. Sam's darkly humorous and groundbreaking memoir, Detachable Penis, is a genre-crossing work of queer literature. Nova's deeply personal memoir, Love, Death and Other Scenes, weaves the story of losing her partner of 25 years through a profound, complex story of love, parenting and writing. Join Sam and Nova in conversation with Jess Lilley in what will be an unforgettable conversation.
Ticket price includes drinks and snacks.
The Chestnut Tree Bookshop
Fact or Fiction? Navigating Publishing for New Writers
Wednesday 12 June 2024
Join West Footscray Arts for an exciting event: ‘Fact or Fiction? Navigating the Publishing Industry for New Writers.’
Get ready for an insightful discussion with Affirm Press Publisher Kevin O’Brien, esteemed author Kate Mildenhall, and Affirm Press debut author Ernest Price at The Chestnut Tree Bookshop in West Footscray. Gain valuable knowledge about the complexities of the book publishing process, from pitching your manuscript to its eventual publication.
The Chestnut Tree Bookshop
Open Mic Night Fundraiser for Palestinian Refugees
Friday 31 May 2024
An evening of spoken word in support of Palestine Australia Relief and Action. Come along to our open mic event to share song, poetry, or spoken word and to raise funds to assist Palestinian refugees.
Tea, coffee, and nibbles provided.
Find out more about PARA: https://para.org.au/
The Chestnut Tree Bookshop
WEFO The Movie: A screenwriting workshop with Stuart Page
Friday 17 May 2024
If you’ve ever been curious to find out more about the nuts and bolts of screenwriting, this workshop with West Footscray’s own Stuart Page is for you.
Stuart has worked on some of the country’s most loved TV series, including leading the script team on ABC's Total Control — earning him AACTA Awards nominations for Best Drama and Best Screenplay. Stuart has also picked up awards for his work on Wentworth and a nomination for The Doctor Blake Mysteries. And like all great Aussie screenwriters, he has done his time on Home and Away, Blue Heelers and Neighbours — among many more.
Join Stuart for an insightful and fun workshop that digs into the craft of screenwriting and guides you through writing your very own scene on WeFo’s Barkly Street strip.
Brought to you by Bad Writers Club, Chestnut Tree Bookshop and West Footscray Arts, with support from Maribyrnong City Council.
The Chestnut Tree Bookshop
The place has character
Friday 12 April 2024
Reading, researching and writing Melbourne's west.
Footscray is full of juicy secrets - and some stinky ones. In the 1880s, people even called it West Smellbourne. Thankfully, it's now known more for food, art and football than for rotting carcasses.
Join independent historian Liz Crash and writer Jinghua Qian as they talk about why local history gets a bad rap, how anyone can research around these streets, and share some of their favourite stories from the archives. All this in the lovely, fragrant surrounds of West Footscray's Chestnut Tree Bookshop and Café.
About your hosts:
Jinghua Qian is a writer often found worrying about art, queerness, history, China, diaspora and desire. Eir work appears in prose, verse, television and audio.
Liz Crash is an independent historian with a particular interest in bluestone (the best stone).
Liz and Jinghua both live in Footscray and together created Underfoot, a series of virtual audio tours uncovering the secret histories of Footscray.
The chestnut tree bookshop
