A Room of One’s Own: The Woman Writers Fund at State Library Victoria

From the world’s first novel by Lady Murasaki to one of the earliest examples of science fiction by Margaret Cavendish, women have been shaping literature from the very beginning.  

Join State Library Victoria curator Anna Welch for an introduction to the Library’s pioneering Women Writers Fund, established in 2021 with founding donations from Krystyna Campbell-Pretty AM and Helen Sykes, and subsequently also generously supported by the Helen Macpherson Smith Trust. The Fund enables the Library to collect the voices of women who have been under-represented in the State Collection for historical reasons.  

After a brief exploration of the Library’s collecting practice in its early decades, Anna will then introduce 10 highlights from the Women Writers Fund that bring its purpose alive and encourage engagement with both the Fund and the special display within World of the Book.

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About Melbourne Rare Book Week  

Rare Book Week is an annual, Melbourne-wide program of free talks and events that celebrate the importance of books, literacy and literature in our lives. It has become a key event in literary Melbourne’s calendar since 2012.