STEMMinist Book Club
Jumaana Abdu I Melanie Cheng I Sarah Sasson I Caroline Ford
The STEMMinist Book Club was founded in 2018 and is dedicated to reading and discussing books related to feminism and STEMM (science, technology, engineering, medicine and maths).
The book club has over 5,000 members from 25 countries. As well as discussing great books, the book club provides a virtual discussion forum and support network for women and non-binary people working in these sectors.
Come along to this special Festival edition of the STEMMinist Book Club to discuss the phenomenon of GPs who write. Hosted by Caroline Ford with guests Jumaana Abdu (Translations), Melanie Cheng (The Burrow) and Sarah Sasson (Tidelines), all of whom are doctors with brilliant new books.
This event is presented by the Sydney Writers' Festival and supported by UNSW Sydney.
Please note the event time has recently changed.
UNSW SYDNEY X SYDNEY WRITERS' FESTIVAL
UNSW Sydney is the exclusive university sponsor and proud Premier Partner of the Sydney Writers’ Festival. Featuring UNSW academics and researchers on Sydney Writers’ Festival stages, this partnership brings together a shared vision of creativity, curiosity and thought leadership.
TICKETS & VENUE INFORMATION
Ticket Prices
Free (no booking required)
Venue Information
This event will take place live at Carriageworks. For all venue and visitor safety information, please visit Sydney Writers' Festival.
ACCESS
Wheelchair Access
All Festival venues are accessible, and provide wheelchair and level access. To book accessible seats at Carriageworks, please contact the Sydney Writers' Festival Box Office on 02 9256 4200 or email ticketing@swf.org.au.
Accessible Parking
Accessible parking is available at Carriageworks. Please call 02 8571 9099 for more information.
PUBLIC TRANSPORT & PARKING
Carriageworks is located at 245 Wilson Street, Eveleigh. This is a 10 minute walk from Redfern Station, City Road bus stops and Macdonaldtown Station. Catching public transport is strongly recommended as residential parking in the area is strictly limited, and the Sydney Writers' Festival offers shuttle bus services from Redfern Station at selected times. For more information on transport, visit swf.org.au or visit transportnsw.info.
CONTACT
Sydney Writers' Festival
For all event enquiries, contact the Sydney Writers' Festival on 02 9256 4200 or email ticketing@swf.org.au.
UNSW Centre for Ideas
For all other enquiries, contact the UNSW Centre for Ideas on 02 9065 0485 or email centreforideas@unsw.edu.au.
National Relay Service
The UNSW Centre for Ideas and Sydney Writers' Festival are happy to receive phone calls via the National Relay Service. TTY users, phone 133 677, then ask for the applicable organisations phone number (listed above). Speak and Listen users, phone 1300 555 727 then ask for applicable organisations phone number (listed above). Internet relay users, visit relayservice.gov.au, then ask for applicable organisations phone number (listed above).
Jumaana Abdu
Jumaana is the author of Translations (Vintage). She has received the Dal Stivens Award, the Patricia Hackett Prize and a Wheeler Centre Next Chapter fellowship. Her work features in Thyme Travellers (Roseway Publishing), an international anthology of Palestinian speculative fiction. She has been published elsewhere in Kill Your Darlings, Westerly, Griffith Review, Meanjin, Liminal Magazine, Overland, Debris and New Australian Fiction 2024. During the day, she is a medical doctor.
Melanie Cheng
Melanie Cheng is a writer and general practitioner. She was born in Adelaide, grew up in Hong Kong and now lives in Melbourne. Her debut collection of short stories, Australia Day, won the Victorian Premier's Literary Award for an Unpublished Manuscript in 2016 and the Victorian Premier's Literary Award for Fiction in 2018. Room for a Stranger, her highly acclaimed first novel, was published in 2019. Her latest work, The Burrow, was published in 2024.
Sarah Sasson
Sarah Sasson is physician-writer living on Gadigal and Bidjigal land in Sydney. She spent part of her childhood living in Chicago and Singapore and later studied and lived in Montreal and Oxford. Sarah's poetry, memoir and non-fiction have been published in Australia, the UK and the USA and have appeared in Meanjin, Kill Your Darlings and The Conversation. Longlisted for the Queensland Writers Centre Publishable Program and shortlisted for the Varuna House Publisher Introduction Program, Tidelines is her first novel.
Caroline Ford
Medical researcher and women's health advocate, Professor Caroline Ford leads research into gynaecological cancers and endometriosis. Her innovative philanthropic partnership with the Australian fashion brand Camilla and Marc has gained global attention and significant investment in ovarian cancer research. An enthusiastic reader, Caroline founded the STEMMinist Book Club in 2018, an international network of readers interested in topics related to science, technology, engineering, maths and medicine with a feminist focus. Caroline currently works at UNSW Sydney.