SHELF-Company Book discussion on The Yield by Tara June Winch

Keep us company on the SHELF.

Join our book discussion for reading, reflection and connection.

Some books stay with us long after we close the cover. Some help us find words for experiences we have struggled to express. And sometimes, talking about a book with others helps us see ourselves and our world a little differently.

That is the invitation behind SHELF Company, my monthly online bibliotherapeutic book club.

Bring your book, your cuppa and your curiosity. You don’t need literary expertise or a polished opinion. You just need a willingness to spend some time in the company of a book and other readers.

Our first read post my PhD is The Yield

We’re beginning with The Yield by Wiradjuri author Tara June Winch, a novel exploring family, Country, language, grief, dispossession, identity and returning home.

I’m listening to the audiobook for the forth time and still picking up things I missed before. That is one of the pleasures of reading. The words may stay the same, but what we notice can change.

Hearing what someone else noticed can open another door.

Moving beyond “Did you like it?”

There is nothing wrong with discussing whether we enjoyed a book. In SHELF Company, we’ll also explore what happened within us as we read.

I’ll facilitate our discussion through the five domains of my SHELF-Care framework:

• Share: What stayed with you, and what would you like to share?
• Hope: Where did you find hope? Where was it challenged?
• Express: What feelings or experiences did the book help you put into words?
• Learn: What did you learn about yourself, other people or the world?
• Friends: How can we support each other moving forward, drawing on what we have read and heard?

These are invitations to reflect. There are no marks for having the cleverest answer, and you won’t be expected to disclose personal experiences.

You are welcome to contribute, listen and share only what feels comfortable.

There is room for you here

Print, e-books and audiobooks all count as reading.

Eat your dinner. Enjoy your cuppa or glass of wine. If the kids drift through, that is life. You don’t need a perfectly quiet house to belong.

We do ask everyone to be mindful of what others may overhear and to respect fellow readers’ privacy. Our conversation will make room for different perspectives and lived experiences, with respect for the Aboriginal voices, Country and histories at the heart of this book.

This is a facilitated space for reflection and connection. It is not group therapy.

Download the discussion guide

I’ve prepared a The Yield discussion guide that brings together the four stages of bibliotherapy and the five SHELF-Care domains.

Use it to make a few notes before we meet, reflect at your own pace or continue thinking afterwards. You don’t need to complete it to join us.

Download The Yield SHELF-Care discussion guide PDF

When we meet

SHELF Company meets online through Microsoft Teams on the last Wednesday of each month, except December.

Our first discussion is:

Wednesday 28 October 2026

• 7.30 pm Sydney and Melbourne time, AEDT
• 6.30 pm Brisbane time, AEST
• 6.00 pm Northern Territory time, ACST

Join SHELF Company on Microsoft Teams

Read slowly this month. Notice what moves you. Invite a friend who loves reading, meaningful conversation or both.

Come and keep us company on the SHELF.

👵🎓 Megan Bayliss
Social work supervisor. PhD in psychoeducation and bibliotherapy. Creator of the SHELF-Care framework.