Women the focus of Wheeler Centre talk

FEMINIST author Wendy McCarthy is coming to the Ballaarat Mechanics Institute as part of a partnership with Melbourne’s home of literacy and ideas, The Wheeler Centre.

Following the recent release of McCarthy’s memoir, Don’t Be Too Polite, Girls, she will be in conversation in the Minerva Space with women’s rights activist Tierney Khan.

BMI board director Paula Nicholson said McCarthy is a strong, long-term advocate for women and girls, and their voice.

“Wendy is a woman who has always been heard, and she has managed to negotiate ‘how to be heard’ across the decades,” she said.

“Tierney Khan has also achieved great things as a young woman of mixed race, successfully communicating how and why women need to continue to push for their rightful place in the world.

“Different times require different messages, but it is vital these messages have clarity and resonance across the generations. These two women will come together to inspire an audience of diversity and to set the record straight on what feminism really means now and into the future.”

The first Wheeler Centre talk the BMI hosted in November of 2019 was sold out, featuring high-profile barrister and refugee advocate Julian Burnside AO QC.

Next week’s event with McCarthy and Ms Khan will be the third in the series, aimed at a slightly different audience.

“We think this will be a terrific event for teenage girls, as well as adults, and have had a lot of interest from the schools around town,” Ms Nicholson said.

“We love to cover diverse topics. Our events program suffered in the last two years, so it’s important for us to be appetising and intriguing to a wide demographic.”

The BMI is aiming for the talk to be inclusive and accessible through ticket pricing and an Auslan interpreter. Visit bit.ly/3NKNe4J for tickets.