Sita will be in conversation with Kathryn Favelle, Director of Reader Services at the National Library of Australia. Together, they will discuss amazing women, why history tries to forget them, and what we can do about it.

Following the ‘in-conversation’ session, guests can set-off on their own She Shapes History walking adventure. Guides will be ready to beguile with tales of awe-inspiring Australian women at the following nearby locations:

• National Library
• West Block Bunker
• Dorothy Tangney & Enid Lyons Statue
• Susan Ryan Statue
• Centenary of Women's Suffrage Fountain

Sita will also be available for book signing in the Foyer after the ‘in-conversation’ discussion.

Please note, only the ‘in conversation’ portion of this event will be livestreamed.

Program

11am to 12pm - In Conversation: Sita Sargeant, She Shapes History (livestreamed)

12 to 1pm - She Shapes History Walking Tour and book signing in Foyer

Attend in person

Entry to this event is free but bookings are essential.

Watch online

If you cannot attend in-person, the panel discussion will be available online. Please make a booking and we will send you a direct link to the livestream event via email. Or you can join through the Library's YouTube channel . 

About She Shapes History: Guided Walks and Stories About Great Australian Women

She Shapes History is a series of walking tours and vignettes that celebrate the accomplishments of women who made an impact on the small towns and big cities of Australia. Author Sita Sargeant has travelled the country to uncover tales of women who have so often been left out of the history books, to reframe well-known stories and let readers see the amazing histories around every corner of their own hometown or city.

The book features 30 cities and towns from across the country; from Coober Pedy to Hobart, Hahndorf to Rockhampton, and all of the major cities in between, each place has its own indelible identity, and a myriad women who left their mark there. Whether it's the underworld queens who ran Kings Cross, the businesswoman of African heritage and single mother of four who became the first recorded woman to vote in an Australian election, or the pioneering activist who founded Meals on Wheels (and just happened to be in a wheelchair), there are countless funny, heartbreaking, inspiring, and eye-opening stories of women who lived and thrived in these disparate and often challenging landscapes. There are 18 city walks included, one for each of the major cities, with easy-to-follow maps with stops that relay stories of women who affected change there. The book will have a fun and engaging scrapbook feel, with breakouts and vignettes that highlight amazing women that have helped to shape history.

About Sita Sargeant

Sita Sargeant is a tour guide, feminist, and history nerd promoting gender equality through tourism. Frustrated by the lack of recognition for the historical contributions of women and queer people, she founded She Shapes History, a tourism company offering entertaining and engaging historical walking tours in Canberra, Sydney, and Melbourne. She Shapes History: Guided Walks and Stories About Great Australian Women is her debut book. 

About the She Shapes History walking tours

She Shapes History is a social enterprise dedicated to closing the gender respect gap through tourism. Founded by Sita Sargeant in 2021, it transforms how history is told by uncovering erased and overlooked stories of women and bringing them to life in a fun, engaging, and accessible way.