Red Kangaroo Books are delighted to welcome award-winning author Johanna Bell back to Mparntwe to celebrate the release of her novel Department of the Vanishing. Johanna will be in conversation with Tanya Heaslip for what promises to be a thoughtful and engaging event.

In-store at Red Kangaroo Books, Friday 31st July, 5.30pm

'Rare and resplendent. A full-bodied roar at the crimes of extinction and a psalm for the wonder of the living world.’ - Jennifer Mills

Set in a time of mass extinction, Department of the Vanishing blends documentary poetry, archival image, and narrative verse to explore the vital questions: Can we live in a world without birdsong and is it possible to create a new opus with the fragments left over?

‘A sexy, compelling and beautifully crafted elegy not only to birds but to feeling itself. The denouement is spectacular; I cheered and wept.’ - Angela O’Keeffe

‘Simultaneously fragile and furious, intimate and immense, Department of the Vanishing is a remarkable achievement.’ James Bradley

‘A wild little miracle of a book.’ Beejay Silcox

Buy your copy of Department of Vanishing here.

Photo credit: Jennifer Pinkerton

More info

Event Info

Date and time

Friday 31 July 2026
5.30pm - 6.30pm

Location

Red Kangaroo Books

45 Todd Mall, Mparntwe/Alice Springs

Get directions