Lunch Hour Talks

Thursday 21 August 2025

Sarah Gilbert is the author of Unconventional Women: the story of the last Blessed Sacrament Sisters in Australia (MUP, 2024), a work of oral history. She will talk about how the book came about, the process of making it, as well as the story it tells.

Sarah Gilbert is a writer, producer and oral historian from Sydney. She began her career as a copy girl at News Ltd before moving to New York where she worked as a feature writer at the New York Post. She returned home to work as a reporter in current affairs television but soon moved to Argentina where she wrote for Lonely Planet and Time Out. She works as a writer/producer across documentary film, television and podcasting, with a particular focus on Australian history.

Sarah’s writing has been published in the Sydney Review of Books, the Sydney Morning Herald, the Wall Street Journal and Marie Claire, and her television work has appeared on the ABC, SBS, the History Channel and the Smithsonian Channel. 

Sarah currently runs Impact Studios, a podcast production house at UTS, and she is the books columnist at Galah magazine. She lives in Darlinghurst with her husband and their two children.

Where –  The meeting room at the Customs House Library, at Circular Quay. 31 Alfred St – at Circular Quay, opposite the station. Take the lift (back LH corner of the foyer) to the second floor.
When –  The talk will begin at 12.15, The room is open from 11.30 for tea/coffee/sandwiches.
Entry – $20 JSNWL members $25 non-members
PLEASE BOOK BY NOON Monday 18 August 2025
Phone the library on (02) 9571 5359 or email .au

Image credit: Fernanda Pedroso

Thursday 19 June 2025

Join Sita Sargeant on a journey through Australia as she uncovers the stories of over 250 extraordinary women and places that have shaped our country’s history. In this talk, Sita will share insights from her travels across the country while researching She Shapes History: Guided Walks & Untold Stories About Great Australian Women (Hardie Grant Publishing).

With a special focus on stories from Sydney and New South Wales, Sita will reveal how these histories inspired the development of her newest walking tour in Sydney. Her talk delves into the journey of uncovering unsung heroines, the challenges of sharing women’s stories through tourism, and the experience of travelling solo across Australia for six months to research women’s history. It offers a fresh perspective on the narratives that have shaped our country and how they continue to shape our lives today.

Sita Sargeant is a tour guide, feminist, history nerd, and the founder of She Shapes History, a tourism company working to promote gender equality by making women’s and queer history engaging, accessible, and relevant through historical tourism. She is also the author of She Shapes History: Guided Walks & Untold Stories About Great Australian Women.

Where –  The meeting room at the Customs House Library, at Circular Quay. 31 Alfred St – at Circular Quay, opposite the station. Take the lift (back LH corner of the foyer) to the second floor.
When –  The talk will begin at 12.15, The room is open from 11.30 for tea/coffee/sandwiches.
Entry – $20 JSNWL members $25 non-members
PLEASE BOOK BY NOON Monday 16 June 2025
Phone the library on (02) 9571 5359 or email .au