Jane Messer author

Friends — I’m delighted that my article Fly Away Home has been featured in The Big Issue.

It’s rewarding to see Fly Away Home reaching new readers and opening up new conversations alongside Raven Mother.

Warm thanks to the team at The Big Issue, to the many TBI street vendors, and to everyone who has been reading, sharing and responding so thoughtfully.

If you spot the issue out in the wild, I’d love to hear what you think. Thank you to everyone who has contacted me so far!

💖 Reading these messages from readers has meant a great deal to me.

So many have responded to the book’s mix of personal story, history, and the political, and to its attention to grief, forgiveness, identity, and the way family stories are carried forward across generations. I’m especially touched by the care and thoughtfulness in these reflections.

Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read, reflect, and write to me. It’s been a privilege to hear from you.

There are no more seats available for the SWF talks, but I've got others coming up soon at the Willoughby Literary Festival, Lane Cove Library, Five Dock Library, Harry Hartog's at Mosmon, South Coast Writers Festival, Melbourne Jewish Book Week, Canberra Writers Festival, and more.

Bookings and details: https://linktr.ee/janemesserauthor

Wonderful news to receive this week. The Conversation has published a book review of 'Raven Mother: War, Family and Inheritance, a memoir'

“There is a beautiful relationship between father and daughter at the heart of this book, and through this journey of writing it, a healing between her father and his long-dead mother that is, to my mind, an incredible gift.”

It feels especially meaningful to see the book finding its way into wider conversations around history, family, memory, and inheritance.

🔍 Read the full review: https://shorturl.at/1Vs2s

There are no more seats available for my SWF talks, but I've got others coming up over the coming weeks and months at Lane Cove Library, Five Dock Library, Willoughby Literary Festival, Harry Hartog's at Mosmon, South Coast Writers Festival, Melbourne Jewish Book Week, Canberra Writers Festival, and more.

Bookings and details: https://linktr.ee/janemesserauthor

I’m thrilled to be appearing at the Sydney Writers' Festival this May. Checkout these two events:

📍 22 May — Close to Home
A conversation led by Michaela Kalowski with myself (Raven Mother) and Katia Ariel (Ferryman: The Life and Deathwork of Ephraim Finch)
Tickets from $20.

📍 24 May — Jane Messer: Raven Mother
A deep dive into the writing of Raven Mother: War, Family and Inheritance.
Free entry.

I’d love to see you there.

Bookings and details for Close to Home: https://shorturl.at/m2Cv5
Bookings and details for Jane Messer: Raven Mother: https://shorturl.at/qKjEW

Thank you to everyone who came along to the Brisbane event at Avid Reader Bookshop.

It was such a thoughtful evening, with the courtyard full of people who truly engaged with the book and its themes. I’m especially grateful to Susan Johnson for such a wonderful conversation.

A very special thank you as well to the team at Avid Reader Bookshop for the welcome and support, and to Karen at Books@Stones Corner bookstore and Dymocks Brisbane for stocking Raven Mother and inviting me to sign copies.

I'm looking forward to more insightful conversations this month
💬 Sydney Writers' Festival : May 22 and May 24
💬 Lane Cove Library book talk, with Cynthia Banham: May 28

More info at my Linktr.ee: https://linktr.ee/janemesserauthor

Cynthia Banham and I are speaking about our new books at a few gigs including on June 17 at City of Canada Bay Libraries - Five Dock Library, home to many wonderful Author Talks.

We will be talking about 'Raven Mother' and 'Mother Shadow', sister titles in many ways. Each traces the half-told stories and silences passed down from mother to children, across generations, until they are finally uncovered and given voice.

🐦‍⬛ Raven Mother: War, Family and Inheritance, a memoir, NewSouth Publishing, March 2026
🩶 Mother Shadow: A Meditation on Maternal Inheritance, Upswell Publishing, April 2026

This is a free event but bookings are required for catering: https://shorturl.at/kcq4z

Books will be on sale on the night.

So many writer friends have been publishing the past couple of months. Here's a share. Congratulations to (us) all.

📚 Cynthia Banham's history and memoir, Mother Shadow: A Meditation on Maternal Inheritance (Upswell Press)
* Join Cynthia and me at one of our upcoming in-conversation events, including Willoughby Literary Festival, Lane Cove Library or Five Dock Library Author Talks. Check my Linktr.ee in bio for details. *

📚Johanna Bell with a wonderful graphic verse novel 'Department of the Vanishing' (Transit Lounge)

📚 Fiona Kelly McGregor with the q***r historical novel, 'The Trap' (Pan MacMillan), hot on the heels of her stunning historical q***r novel 'Iris'.

📚 Debra Adelaide's novelised reflection on her friendship with the late Gabrielle Carey, 'When I'm Sixty Four' (UQP)
+ two debut poetry collections which I just gobbled up in ways that poetry just shouldn't be read!

📚 Lulu Houdini with 'ma-li' (Hachette Australia)

📚 SJ Burton with 'Boston Poems' (Cordite Books)

It's week, so the perfect time to focus on some of the Sydney and Melbourne bookshops that I've been able to get to.

It was great to meet with the booksellers and sign copies at Kinokuniya Sydney, Harry Hartog Bookseller Bondi Junction, Abbey's Bookshop, Hill of Content Balmain, Gertrude & Alice Cafe Bookstore Bondi, Berkelouw Paddington Bookstore, Readings in Carlton and Malvern, PaperBack Bookshop Bourke St Melbourne, Dymocks Melbourne Collin St, Hill of Content Bookshop Bourke St Melbourne, Jeffreys Books, Avenue Bookstore Albert Park.

With Global Book Crawl happening now until 26 April, it’s the perfect time to wander into your local bookshop and see what you might discover.

📚 I'm heading to Avid Reader Bookstore in BRISBANE in a couple of weeks.
🗓️ Friday May 8. Love to see you there, 6pm.
🐦‍⬛ I'll be talking to writer SUSAN JOHNSON about writing, Raven Mother, mothering and much more
💬 DM me for a comp ticket or book via TryBooking.

"It is rare to find this willingness to respect and grieve for the tragedies of both Jews and Palestinians"_Sandra Hogan, The Newtown Review of Books.

Fresh from ABC’s Conversations with Richard Fidler — I'll be in Brisbane on 8 May at Avid Reader Bookshop to speak about my new book 'Raven Mother: War, family and inheritance: a memoir'.

I'll be in conversation with writer Susan Johnson.

Book now: https://shorturl.at/gi8da