Tasmania Reads 2026

Connecting communities through Tasmania Reads

Tasmania Reads is an annual week-long celebration of reading and stories in all forms, engaging people to read more and supporting literacy in Tasmania.

Libraries Tasmania presents programs and events during the week to encourage Tasmanian reading culture, to connect people, and showcase the state’s libraries as welcoming places for all.  

Libraries Tasmania works closely with partners such as schools, local councils, book sellers and community organisations during the week.

Tasmania Reads is also about going out into communities engaging and connecting with people in comfortable environments.

Tasmania Reads in 2026

In 2026 Tasmania Reads ran from 22 March until 28 March with the theme Reading Connects Us All: Be Part of the Story.

Sixty events were held throughout the week with more than 2, 280 people attending.  Events included:

• author talks
• outreach activities
• book chats
• workshops.

Foundational to the week were events with broad and inclusive participation from across Tasmanian communities. Highlights included the following:

• A live-streamed Reading Culture Forum delivered in partnership with the University of Tasmania.
• A large-scale Zine Fair held in the foyer at 91 Murray Street, featuring over thirty stallholders and attracting more than 1,500 attendees.
• Presentations from the 177 Nations project, an exhibition that celebrates the diverse stories and journeys of international Tasmanians who now call the island state their home.
• Story Dog reading opportunities to encourage confident reading in children.
• Engagement with forty book groups statewide.
• A school-based zine exchange program.

Hands-on workshops engaged all age groups and featured established and emerging writers and illustrators, including:

alongside slam poetry performances including state finalist Tasha Matthews