Celebrate International Women's Day
International Women’s Day (IWD) is celebrated around the world on 8 March each year. It is a special day to recognise women's achievements, to build support for women’s rights, and to continue the ongoing global fight for gender equality.
The theme for IWD this year is ‘March Forward: For ALL Women and Girls.’ You can learn more by visiting UN Women Australia’s website.
Read on to find about our special International Women’s Day library programs, or check out some of our suggested resources to learn more about gender equality and discover simple things you can do to support and celebrate the women in your life. All genders welcome.
Library programs
History through film, special edition (ages 18+)
In celebration of International Women's Day, this month's featured ‘History Through Film’ documentary is 'Abortion, Corruption and Cops: The Bertram Wainer Story'. Catch a free screening at the library! Bookings are required.
In 1967, a young woman came to Dr Wainer's Melbourne surgery seeking emergency medical attention for a backyard procedure gone wrong. For Dr Wainer, this was the start of a long campaign to overturn laws that made terminations a criminal offence. In the process, he uncovered a tangled web of corruption, crooked deals and secret affairs.
Please note, this documentary covers themes that may upset some viewers. Please read the event description to decide if this program is right for you.
Monday 3 March, 2pm to 3.30pm, Melton Library & Learning Hub
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Pendant-making workshop (ages 18+)
Make your own personal pendant with guidance from local indigenous artist, Mandi Barton. Mandi is a Yorta Yorta Woman and Creative Designer who combines her artistic experience and wellbeing knowledge to create culturally safe spaces for the community.
In this hands-on, mindful workshop, Mandi will show you how to use traditional materials and techniques to create a pendant that is unique to you and your personal story. Bookings are required.
Wednesday 5 March, 1pm to 3pm, Melton Library & Learning Hub
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Storytelling in art workshop (ages 18+)
Make your own unique artwork with guidance from local indigenous artist, Mandi Barton. Mandi is a Yorta Yorta Woman and Creative Designer who combines her artistic experience and wellbeing knowledge to create culturally safe spaces for the community.
In this hands-on, mindful workshop, you will make a unique piece of artwork using symbols, icons and words that reflect a personal story or memory. Bookings are reuquired.
Thursday 6 March, 10am to 12pm, Caroline Springs Library & Learning Hub
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Author Talk: ‘Outrageous Fortunes’ with Lucy Sussex (ages 13+)
Author, Lucy Sussex, introduces 'Outrageous Fortunes' - the gripping story of Australia's first female crime writer and her career-criminal son.
When Mary Fortune arrived in Melbourne in 1855, she was determined to reinvent herself. 'The Detective's Album' was the first book of detective stories to be published in Australia and the first by a woman to be published anywhere in the world. Her work appeared in magazines and newspapers for over forty years – but none of her readers knew who she was. She wrote using pseudonyms, often adopting the voice of a male narrator to write about 'unladylike' subjects.
When Mary died in 1911, her identity was nearly lost. In 'Outrageous Fortunes', Megan Brown and Lucy Sussex retrieve Fortune's astonishing career and discover an equally absorbing story in her illegitimate son, George. While Mary was writing crime, George was committing it, with convictions for theft and bank robbery. In their intertwined stories, crime fiction meets true crime.
Come and learn more in this fascinating discussion with the author. Bookings are required. Copies of 'Outrageous Fortunes' will be available for purchase on the night.
Thursday 6 March, 6.30pm to 7.30pm, Melton Library & Learning Hub
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Free film: Moana (all ages)
As part of our International Women’s Day celebrations, Melton City Libraries will be showcasing films and resources that highlight women and girls, and the important role that they play in our history and society.
Bring the whole family to enjoy 'Moana', an animated musical adventure set in ancient Polynesia. Moana, the strong-willed daughter of a chief of a coastal village, is chosen by the ocean itself to reunite a mystical relic with the goddess Te Fiti. (PG, 113 mins). Bookings are required.
Saturday 8 March, 1pm to 3pm, Caroline Springs Library & Learning Hub
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Free film: Hidden figures (ages 12+)
As part of our International Women’s Day celebrations, Melton City Libraries will be showcasing films and resources that highlight women and girls, and the important role that they play in our history and society.
'Hidden Figures' is a biographical drama about three African-American mathematicians who worked at NASA during the Space Race, facing both racism and sexism with grace and determination. (PG, 127 mins). Bookings are required.
Thursday 13 March, 5.45pm to 8pm, Melton Library & Learning Hub
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Suggested resources
Fix the System, Not the Women by Laura Bates
Too often, we blame women for walking home alone at night, for not demanding a seat at the table, for not overcoming the odds that are stacked against them. This distracts us from the real problem: the failings and biases of a society that was not built for women.
Available in print, eBook and eAudio. Place a hold.
Women rising : the forces that hold us back, the tools to help us rise by Megan Dalla-Camina
In a landscape saturated with calls to fit in and adapt, ‘Women Rising’ invites women to reimagine the foundations of their world and forge a new path. Megan Dalla-Camina explores how women today continue to be limited and undermined by pervasive cultural ideas about how they "should" act and behave, and offers strategies we can use to craft a future of success.
Available in print. Place a hold.
Girls Don’t Play Sport by Chloe Dalton
Olympic gold-medallist, AFLW player and podcaster, Chloe Dalton, sets out to correct the lack of media coverage of women's sport. This book shines a light on respect, opportunity, representation and pay, all issues that continue to stall the progress of women's sports around the world.
Available in a print, and as an eAudioBook. Place a hold.
Taboo by Hannah Ferguson
An exploration of modern womanhood that weaves personal stories with opinions and advice on sex, friendship, family, career and beyond. Part memoir, part feminist manifesto, this book is designed to feel like a late-night conversation with your best friend.
Available in print and as an eAudioBook. Place a hold.
Not now, not ever : ten years on from the misogyny speech by Julia Gillard
Ten years on from Julia Gillard's Misogyny Speech, this book invites you to remember where you were then and explore where we are now.
Available in print and eAudioBook formats. Place a hold.
Women Living Deliciously by Florence Given
Florence Given’s book aims to help women ‘uncover the sense of awe and wonder that has been buried by the layers of shame, perfectionism and self-objectification that get piled on us by the patriarchy.’ This book unpacks the barriers facing modern women, and the internalised the belief that women’s bodies are things to be looked at instead of lived in.
Available in print. Place a hold.
The Time Has Come: why men must join the gender equality revolution by Michael Kaufman
A reassuring, empowering guide for men who want to welcome a feminist, gender-equal future. This book explores how a patriarchal culture that has given power to men comes at a huge cost to women, children, and, surprisingly, to men as well.
Available as an eBook, and coming soon in print. Place a hold.
Power : a woman's guide to living and leading without apology by Kemi Nekvapil
Respected executive and personal coach, Kemi Kekvapil has created a five-step process to help other women to build their power. Blending inspiring stories with reflective coaching practices, this book explores tools to navigate challenges like discrimination, burnout, and self-doubt.
Available in print and eBook formats. Place a hold.
Gigorou : it's time to reclaim beauty : First Nations wisdom and womanhood by Sasha Kutabah Sarago
‘You're too pretty to be Aboriginal' is a shocking statement Sasha Kutabah Sarago experienced at a young age. In this funny and reflective memoir, Sasha recounts her time as a beauty assistant, model and magazine editor, and explores the origins of ‘beauty’ more than 60,000 years ago. Through personal stories and First Nations wisdom, this book invites you to explore your relationship with beauty.
Available in print, and as an eBook or eAudioBook. Place a hold.
Men explain things to me by Rebecca Solnit
In this scathing essay, Rebecca Solnit explores what often goes wrong in conversations between men and women. She writes about men who assume they know things, or assume that women don't, including some of her own hilarious encounters.
Available as an eBook or eAudioBook and coming soon in print. Place a hold.
Resources for children and young adults
Fierce girls by Samantha Turnbull and Kim Siew
Australia is full of girls who dare to do things differently. Based on the ABC podcast of the same name, this beautifully illustrated book features stories of inspiring women including Julia Gillard, Jackie French, Layne Beachley, Celeste Barber and Evonne Goolagong Cawley.
Available in print. Place a hold.
A kids book about equality by Billie Jean King
Start the conversation about inequality and empower your children to do something about it. This book helps kids to notice when things are unfair, ask why, and do something about it.
Available in print. Place a hold.
Not here to make you comfortable : 50 women who stand up, speak out, inspire change.
Discover fifty women who did something brave, something disruptive, something exceptional, and inspired us to be more confident. This book aims to empower young girls to be true to their emotions and to stand up for themselves, and for what they believe in.
Available in print. Place a hold.