Shared Reading Organisation

03/03/2026

Our latest blog article is a personal reflection from Christopher Smith on courage and the power that comes with learning to sit with discomfort and self-doubt...

A personal reflection on courage and the power of learning to sit with discomfort and self-doubt...

02/03/2026

💛 Evidence shows shared stories can reduce loneliness, strengthen connection, and boost wellbeing.

Do you work in a library, support employee wellbeing, or community services?

Our Shared Reading Facilitator Training is based on a unique model of social bibliotherapy. It equips participants to lead inclusive, low-pressure Shared Reading groups using carefully curated stories and poems as the focus. This frameowrk is proven to to create calm, welcoming spaces where people feel seen and connected.

Our Shared Reading approach is especially popular with librarians, community workers, and organisations because it:

✔️ Aligns with library and community values
✔️ Requires no prep or literary expertise
✔️ Works with diverse community groups
✔️ Supports improvements in social connection and wellbeing
✔️ Leads to improved self-cofidence and feelings of happiness
✔️ Proven to reduce loneliness

If this sounds like something your library, organisation, or community would value, please get in touch to find out more.

📅 Next courses start: Friday 3rd April / Tuesday 7th April
📍 Live Online via Zoom

Find out more: www.sharedreading.org.au/courses

01/02/2026

Happy New Year to all of our Shared Reading friends and family! We hope you had a peaceful and nourishing festive season and have been able to start the new year with a sense of hope and optimism. As our first post for the year, we’d like to share a reflection Chris wrote a few years ago. We enjoyed revisiting these thoughts on gratitude and the act of letting go as we open up to the possibilities a new year brings. We hope you do too…

“I am beginning to understand that my reactions to what people say and do are to do with the ways in which I have been conditioned – that when I am triggered I have a choice between identifying with the flood of thought and emotion that emerges, or observing it and letting go. When I choose the ...

10/11/2025

📣 Help us bring more people together through stories! ✨
We have just launched our annual fundraising campaign to help more people find connection, comfort and community through Shared Reading. If you'd like to help, please donate now: https://chuffed.org/project/155782-support-shared-reading-nsw

At Shared Reading NSW we believe in the power of great stories to heal, connect and strengthen communities. We’re on a mission to reduce loneliness, improve mental wellbeing and build meaningful connections across the State.

Shared Reading is simple but powerful — people sit together, listen to great literature, and talk about what it means to them. It reduces loneliness, supports mental wellbeing and creates a sense of belonging for people of all ages and backgrounds.

Your donation will help us:
✅ grow free community reading groups across NSW
✅ train more facilitators so more groups can start
✅ reach people who are isolated or doing it tough

💛 Every contribution makes a real difference.
📢 If you can’t donate, please share this post or comment below — it helps more than you know.

Thank you for believing in the power of stories. Together, we can turn pages into places of belonging and change lives, one story at a time.

Help Us Bring the Power of Shared Reading to Communities Across NSW.

09/11/2025

Failure is one of the things we fear the most. In this article we share a reflection prompted by 'The Owl Ba**er' a short story by Jeanette Turner Hospital....

Failure is one of the things we fear the most. If we have ‘nothing to show’ for our lives then who are we, and what was the point?...

26/10/2025

Announcing New Men's Groups! We are very excited to share that we are starting some new social groups specifically for men who love a good story!...

Our new 'Life, the Universe & Stories' Men's Groups are an opportunity for men to get together, listen to great stories by great writers, and talk about life, or whatever else comes up.

We read a short piece of literature together — nothing too heavy — and let the conversation go where it wants to. You don’t need to be a reader and there’s no homework. You can even just sit back and listen. It’s simply a time to relax, hear a story or two, have a laugh, reflect on things, enjoy a cuppa and a bit of good company. But you never know, you might even discover the meaning of life!

These new men's groups have been created for men over 50, or thereabouts, but younger blokes are very welcome too. If you enjoy a good story and would like to give it a go, please register your interest via the link below, or just come along on the day.

Nepean Men's Shed
Friday 31 Oct and Friday 14 Nov
10.30am-12.30pm
18 Simeon Rd, Orchard Hills

Katoomba RSL
Tuesday’s from 11 Nov to 16 Dec
3.00pm-5.00pm
86 Lurline St, Katoomba

Springwood Sports Club
Thursday’s from 13 Nov to 18 Dec
4.00pm-6.00pm
83 Macquarie Rd, Springwood

You can find out more and register your interest on our website here: https://www.sharedreading.org.au/groups

Or feel free to get in touch with Christopher Smith on 0468 346 834, email [email protected]

Our groups are facilitated by trained volunteers and based on the practice of ‘social bibliotherapy’ - a framework that's proven to reduce loneliness, improve mental wellbeing, and build community connection. For many people it's just a great way to relax, others find it insightful and enriching, and for some, our groups have been life-changing.

Find out more about us at https://www.sharedreading.org.au/

Life, the Universe & Stories groups are a different kind of social group. They are relaxed get-togethers that centre around the reading, reflection and discussion of great short stories and poetry. Our groups are run by trained facilitators both in-person and online. They are an enjoyable way to rel...

23/10/2025

So, what does it mean to care?... At just over a thousand words, 'Thank you Ma’am' by Langston Hughes is a masterpiece of economic storytelling. He makes us care so much about the two characters that we cannot help but flesh them out.

This is the essence of storytelling, to make the reader care. If they care, they’re engaged, they read on. Interestingly, caring is the theme of this particular story, how people care for one another, and how situations develop in which people start to care. So, what does it mean to care?...
... continue reading this article on our blog on 'Life, the Universe and Stories'...

A reflection on 'caring' prompted by Langston Hughes' masterpiece of economic storytelling 'Thank you Ma'am'... At just over a thousand words, Thank you Ma’am by Langston Hughes is a masterpiece of economic storytelling. He makes us care so much about the two characters that we cannot help but fle...

14/08/2025

Would you like to help improve Men’s Mental Health and reduce loneliness in our community? Join Shared Reading NSW as a volunteer facilitator to lead groups for men.

Many older men face the risk of social isolation, loneliness and declining mental health. Our ‘Shared Reading’ groups are based on the practice of ‘social bibliotherapy’ and are proven to reduce loneliness, improve mental wellbeing, and build community connection.

As a volunteer facilitator, you will make a profound impact by encouraging conversations, creating connections, and nurturing friendships — key factors in overcoming isolation, improving overall wellbeing, and increasing feelings of happiness.

Leading a Shared Reading group is not only enjoyable and rewarding for volunteers, but also a powerful way to change lives. You can help make our community a more supportive place for older men to thrive. We provide complete training to ensure you feel confident in your role.

If you enjoy a good story and would you like to make a positive difference to the lives of others in your community, please get in touch to find out more or register your interest today.

Men who are interested in becoming a Shared Reading facilitator, or participating in a men's group in the Blue Mountains can find out more by calling Christopher Smith on 0468 346 834, emailing [email protected] or visiting https://www.sharedreading.org.au/

You can register your interest in volunteering here: https://www.sharedreading.org.au/volunteer

Volunteer led Shared Reading Groups will be running across the Blue Mountains from October. They will be free to join and open to all men. Men over 50 are especially encouraged to join.

You can find out more and register your interest in joining a group here: https://www.sharedreading.org.au/event-details-registration/new-blue-mountains-mens-groups

14/08/2025

We are very happy to share that we have secured funding to launch a new program to support Men's Mental Health in the Blue Mountains...

A shared reading initiative that supports men's mental health in the Blue Mountains has received a funding boost.

15/07/2025

🎬 Watch our new short film now: https://youtu.be/CHUpPouqdVs ‘Life, the Universe & Stories’ reveals how ‘Shared Reading’ is fighting the loneliness epidemic and transforming lives.

In aged care, mental health and community settings, this simple group practice is doing something extraordinary: helping people feel heard, valued and connected — often for the first time in years.

📖 Through the power of literature, read aloud and discussed in a group, Shared Reading creates safe spaces for people to reflect, share and find meaning — together.

🎥 This 26-minute documentary is a must-watch for anyone working in aged care, mental health and wellbeing or community support who wants to see a practical, human-centred approach to reducing social isolation, building connection, and increasing feelings of happiness.

👉 Watch the film now on YouTube: https://youtu.be/CHUpPouqdVs

09/07/2025

Our Short Film Documentary has been released! Watch 'Life, the Universe and Stories' now on YouTube...

LIFE, THE UNIVERSE & STORIES - The Story of Shared Reading NSWA documentary film by Nick Agafonoffwww.authenticvideo.com.auCan books change lives? Follow th...