Book Trails
Connecting diverse authors with cafes & community over a cuppa
Celebrating local authors
12 Authors, 5 Cafes, 2 Saturdays
Rainbow Crossing Inc’s Book Trails are designed to bring local authors directly to book lovers in relaxed, welcoming community spaces, inviting dedicated readers to discover not only their next favourite novel, but perhaps their new favourite café too.
The Book Trail began in 2021 as a creative collaboration between Rainbow Crossing Inc, AB Street Library, and passionate local businesses. The concept was simple yet powerful: host intimate author talks inside independent cafés along Queen Street in Campbelltown, creating opportunities for readers to meet writers face-to-face, hear the stories behind the stories, and engage in genuine literary conversation.
Across two Saturdays, twelve author talks unfolded in five bustling cafés, each packed with curious readers, coffee lovers, and culture seekers. The atmosphere was warm, accessible, and electric, breaking down barriers between authors and audiences, and breathing new life into Campbelltown’s local arts scene. The inaugural Book Trail was widely celebrated as a major success and a game-changer for how literature could be experienced in the community.
Highlights of the inaugural book trail
Turning cafes into chapters
Reflecting on the impact, Rainbow Crossing Inc Chairperson Brian Laul (who designed the trail) said, “Book Trails was about reimagining where stories belong. By taking authors out of traditional spaces and into cafés, we created moments of connection between writers, readers, and local businesses that felt genuine, accessible, and deeply human.”
Ash Rahman and Kamal Pasha, co-founders of AB Street Library echoed this sentiment, adding, “We’ve always believed libraries should live beyond four walls. Book Trails proved that when you meet people where they already gather, stories travel further, conversations deepen, and communities grow stronger.”
Building on this momentum, Rainbow Crossing Inc is now expanding the Book Trail across the Macarthur region, with the next chapter beginning along Argyle Street in Camden, continuing to connect stories, people, and places, one café at a time.
