Castlecliff Library marked four years of bringing books to the Castlecliff community, on June 9, with cake and drinks in the afternoon for children and an evening celebration at the Duncan Pavilion.
Annette Scarfe coordinates the volunteers and organised the 4th birthday celebration event with support from Sonny Tamihana from the main Davis Library and Progress Castlecliff.
Forty people attended the event to celebrate the occasion, share kai and hear author Rachel Dore talk about her writing process, and read excerpts from her recently published novel A Respectable Veneer. Leslie Stead from Paiges Bookshop displayed copies of Rachel Dore’s novel for purchase and signing by the author.
Set in 1954, the book tells the story of a young woman who moves to Palmerston North to start a new life. Rachel talked about aligning the story to that time and place and researching the background details of the town as it was then. She invited questions from the very attentive audience and one of these was about tackling “writer’s block” – that blank when nothing seems to work and the words and stories fail to come. Rachel felt that it was best to approach this as a “pause” while remaining confident that the muse will eventually return rather than becoming despondent and giving up.
The Castlecliff Library is run by a small team of volunteers and is open Wednesdays to Sundays from 10am to 4pm. It holds a broad selection of fiction/ non-fiction titles, adult, teen, children’s books, and toys and provides a community hub where all are welcome.
