You’re invited to Trust Women: Feminist Book Club, a free literary event series featuring intimate conversations between authors and curious conversationalists. These events are open to all — no matter whether you’ve already devoured the book or if it’s still sitting in your ‘to be read’ pile. Expect fascinating insights into the writing process, deep dives into big ideas, and thought-provoking discussions on gender, power, and history.
In our first book club events, we’ll explore the life and legacy of Australian feminist icon Beatrice Faust with author Judith Brett, talk to Alyx Gorman about the truth behind the ‘pleasure gap’, and confront Australia’s hidden history of Black convicts and slavery with Santilla Chingaipe. All sessions are free, and everyone is welcome.
Coming up:
Fearless Beatrice Faust: Sex, Feminism and Body Politics with Judith Butler and Sally Warhaft [BOOKED OUT]
📅 5pm, Wednesday 30 April
📍 In-person: The Wheeler Centre (176 Little Lonsdale St, Melbourne VIC 3000)
Judith Brett AM, Emeritus Professor of Politics, La Trobe University
Sally Warhaft, broadcaster, anthropologist and writer
‘Beatrice Faust,’ said Helen Garner, ‘is not scared of anybody.’
Beatrice Faust was a fearless feminist, activist, writer, and intellectual. She founded the Women’s Electoral Lobby, campaigned for abortion law reform, and shaped Australia’s feminist landscape from the 1960s through to the neoliberal 1990s. But behind her bold public persona lay a complex, troubled inner life—marked by chronic illness, addiction, and a deeply unhappy childhood.
In Fearless Beatrice Faust, award-winning biographer Judith Brett explores Faust’s fight to change both herself and the world around her. Join us for an illuminating conversation between author Judith Brett and broadcaster Sally Warhaft, about a woman who refused to be a victim.
Note: this event is booked out. Join the waitlist here.
All Women Want with Alyx Gorman and Georgia Grace
📅 7pm AEST, Monday 2 June
📍 Virtual
Alyx Gorman, journalist and Guardian Australia Lifestyle Editor
Georgia Grace, sexologist and author
‘An impassioned and galvanising rally-cry against mediocre sex.’ — Benjamin Law
Alyx Gorman’s groundbreaking book, All Women Want, exposes the ‘pleasure gap’, why so many straight women aren’t satisfied in the bedroom, and what to do about it. Drawing from over 130 interviews and ‘field reports,’ Gorman dismantles the myths, marketing, and moralising that distort our understanding of sex.
Joining her is celebrated sexologist Georgia Grace, author of The Modern Guide to Sex, for a frank and insightful discussion about pleasure, equality, and how we can all demand more.
Black Convicts: How Slavery Shaped Australia with Santilla Chingaipe and Sita Sargeant
📅 12pm AEST, Wednesday 2 July
📍 Virtual
Santilla Chingaipe, journalist, filmmaker and author
Sita Sargeant, author, and founder of She Shapes History
‘The defining read of the decade. This is a work of global significance.’ — Meanjin
The story of Australia’s Black convicts has been all but erased from history. In Black Convicts, journalist and filmmaker Santilla Chingaipe uncovers their lives, tracing Australia’s hidden links to slavery and the global forces that shaped our penal system.
Shortlisted for the 2025 Stella Prize, this groundbreaking work challenges how we think about Australia’s past, and our present. Hear Santilla Chingaipe in conversation with Sita Sargeant (founder of She Shapes History, feminist walking tours), discussing the experiences of Black convict women and girls, exposing the intersections of race, gender, and labour exploitation in colonial Australia.
All events are free, and all are welcome. Stay tuned for more event announcements!
