Join Samuel Leighton-Dore in conversation with Cheek Media CEO Hannah Ferguson to celebrate the launch of his new book, Wow It’s All A Lot, and the opening of his Smile Tile exhibition.

This is a book for anyone going through a tough time.

A collection of thirty-two glazed ceramic-tile artworks, it’s a heartfelt celebration of not quite having life figured out.

It’s about celebrating the middle bits – the messy, awkward, uncomfortable bits – while navigating our way through the uncertainties of life.

When Samuel Leighton-Dore began rolling out clay tiles and engraving words into them, he had just been diagnosed with complex post-traumatic stress disorder. After years spent in therapy waiting rooms, searching for meaning, encouragement and guidance, he turned to art to better understand who he was and why he was, slowing down to rediscover the joy and humour in the everyday.

Samuel’s artwork and writing celebrate all the messy bits of trying to navigate our busy lives. Life, like the tiles themselves, can be hard and fragile, so it’s okay to be a ‘work in progress’ and not have everything figured out all the time. His writing is relatable and comforting, like the world’s biggest hug from a friend. It’s also funny, sad, hopeful, inspirational and ultimately drawn from his own experiences with mental health and human connection.

6pm arrivals for 6:30pm start.

RSVP in store, by phone: 02 9262 7996, email or via Eventbrite.

Don’t forget to check out Sam’s “Smile Tiles Exhibition” in Kinokuniya’s Wedge Gallery, 27th July – 14th August, and create your own ‘smile tile’.

Samuel Leighton-Dore is an artist, author and screenwriter based on the Gold Coast, Australia and the creator of the Smile Tiles. He has written for publications including SBS Voices and produced illustrated mental-health campaigns for ReachOut, Man Cave and the University of Queensland. His ceramic works have been acquired as part of the Gold Coast City Collection and twice selected for the biennial North Queensland Ceramic Awards. He and his husband run Sad Man Studio, a boutique animation studio focussed on creating queer-centric animated stories with heart and humour.