A love of trees brings acclaimed author to Maleny

Acclaimed Australian author and nature writer Inga Simpson will return to the Sunshine Coast hinterland on November 19 to share her passion for Australia's remarkable trees at Maleny Community Centre.

Presented by Outspoken, the evening will feature Inga in conversation about her latest book, A Tree-Lovers Guide to Australia, accompanied by photographs from her travels across the continent.

The book is the culmination of two years spent researching and photographing some of Australia's most beautiful, historic and rare trees, uncovering the stories behind them.

A former Sunshine Coast hinterland resident, Inga is recognised as one of Australia's leading nature writers and is the author of seven works of fiction, including Mr Wigg, Nest and Willowman.

Her acclaimed memoir Understory: A Life with Trees was shortlisted for the Adelaide Writers' Week non-fiction prize.An accomplished landscape and night-sky photographer, Inga combines her love of the natural world with a talent for storytelling.

Born in central western NSW, she has lived in Canberra, Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast hinterland before settling on the far south coast of NSW.

She holds doctorates in creative writing and English literature, the latter examining the history of Australian nature writing.For aspiring writers, Inga will also present a full-day workshop, Writing Nature, on November 20.

The workshop will explore techniques for bringing landscapes, plants and wildlife to life on the page, including evocative description, emotional connection and storytelling.

Participants will also consider writing from an ecological perspective and the challenges of communicating environmental messages through creative writing.

• Event details: Thursday, November 19, Maleny Community Centre. Doors open at 6pm for a 6.30pm start. Tickets $30, students $20.