Women’s History and a Forgotten Author
The Sydney Mechanics’ School of Arts is the oldest operating School of Arts in Australia. Their members form a lively community that has existed since 1833 and they are home to the longest running lending library. They have regular talks, readings and screenings. Covering everything from history and art to current affairs and literature, there’s always something on.
On Tuesday 20/8 the SMSA will be hosting historian Catherine Bishop who will look at some everyday 19th century objects and the stories they tell about women. Does a sewing machine, for instance, tell a story of a woman sewing for her family – or is it actually a story about women running dressmaking or millinery businesses? Often, what we hear depends on the teller, and perhaps, the listener.
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Then on Wednesday 21/8 in the Tom Keneally Centre, the SMSA will revisit the writing of Dal Stivens, one of Australia’s greatest authors, whom many people don’t know today. Dal Stiven’s contribution to Australian literature was huge. He published his first novel, Jimmy Brockett, in 1948. As a freelance writer, his short stories were regularly published in Lilliput, The Times Literary Supplement, The Observer and John O’London’s Weekly.
Dal Stivens