Join us in celebrating International Women’s Day 2023

Award-winning author Sheena Patel will be giving a book reading and taking part in a Q&A at the University of Brighton on 8 March 2023 as part of our International Women’s Day celebrations, in addition to events being hosted by our Schools. We hope you get involved.  

International Women’s Day seeks to challenge gender stereotypes and draw attention to bias, as well as celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women, including trans women. We celebrate all women, in all their diversities. Although the day centres women’s experiences, the support of allies in promoting equity is vital, and the events on offer are very much open to all.

The flagship event, hosted at City campus in collaboration with the University of Sussex, will see Ms Patel, author of I’m a Fan, explore the themes of race, gender, and power dynamics running through her prize-winning debut novel. 

Full details of this event, as well as other International Women’s Day events taking place across the University, can be found below.​​​​​​​

Flagship event: Book reading and Q&A with award-winning novelist Sheena Patel   

When: Wednesday 8 March 2023, 1pm-2.15pm
Where: Grand Parade in Room M2 (room is accessible via a lift)  
Open to: Public, staff, students
Book here: delegate.brighton.ac.uk/IWDSheenaPatel 

Sheena won the 2022 Foyles Prize for Fiction for I’m a Fan and was listed as one of the 10 best debut novelists for 2022 by The Observer. The Evening Standard called I’m a Fan ‘book of the year’, and reviewers have described it as brutal and brilliant in how it handles topics of inequality, feminism, and modern life. Through the lens of ‘fandom’, this book shows the impact of obsession on our sense of self. The book’s protagonist is full of fire, sucking you in to her perspective and leaving you hanging on to every word.   

After reading from her book, Ms Patel will take part in a Q&A session led by Dr Bea Hitchman, a senior lecturer and published author from the University of Brighton, and Dr Emma Newport, senior lecturer in English literature from the University of Sussex. 

Bea’s work focuses on gender, queer writing and historical fiction. Emma runs Sussex Writes, a creative writing programme which extends public access to creative writing and related areas of mental health, wellbeing and sustainability, through collaboration between the School of Media, Arts, and Humanities, local schools, and global partners. 

Please come along, even if you haven’t read the book! For those interested, copies of I’m a Fan are available to purchase after the event, with thanks to the Feminist Book Shop.  

Please be aware that the book contains strong language and deals directly with mature themes which may not be suitable for younger audiences; it is your own responsibility to decide if this event is suitable for you or your guests.   

No refreshments will be provided but there is a café open at Grand Parade.  

Please contact equality@brighton.ac.uk in advance of the event if you have any access needs, to ensure that we can accommodate you properly.  

 Further events: 

On the Change: a cultural history of the menopause in late twentieth-century Britain 

When:  8 March, 1pm-2pm
Where: Online, Menopause Cafe Teams Group (join code mvap8so)  

To celebrate International Women’s Day, Joanne Smith, Principal Lecturer in the School of Education, will be leading an online lunchtime talk from Dr Jill Kirby focusing on her work around the cultural history of menopause in late twentieth-century Britain. 

Dr Jill Kirby will explore how menopause was understood and experienced between the 1960s and early 2000s, drawing on Mass Observation testimony from women and men, as well as a small collection of letters and oral histories. She will discuss taboo, silence and secrecy as well as the details of women’s perimenopausal experiences. In doing so she will draw attention to the cultural norms about women’s health during this period and their influence on women’s attitudes and those of the people around them. 

Women in Leadership: Embrace Equity this International Women’s Day 

When: 8 March 2023, 1.30pm-4.30pm
Where: Room 103/104, Elm House, Moulsecoomb campus
Book here: www.ticketsource.co.uk/uobsbl/t-moezxva  

Join the School of Business and Law on International Women’s Day for an exploration into this year’s theme of embracing equity from a business and law perspective. 
They will be joined by leadership coach Aaron Eckhoff for a learning development session on equity, followed by a talk from our keynote speaker Professor Miranda Brawn.  

Miranda is a British financial executive and senior lawyer (plus non-practising barrister) who was named one of the top 10 most inspirational women of the decade by Brummell Magazine and The Sunday Times in 2020; she was also awarded Woman of the Year at the Women in Finance Awards 2019. Miranda will talk about how she came to be one of the first women of colour on the trading floor in London and share insights from her vast experience across business and the legal sector.  

Brighton and Sussex Medical School: a conversation about periods for every body 

When: 30 March 2023, 1pm-2pm
Where: Meeting House, University of Sussex campus
Register here: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/a-conversation-about-periods-for-every-body-tickets-551492387577 

Join Dr Chi Eziefuela, Senior Lecturer at BSMS, and Jane Dancey, Women’s Environmental Network (WEN), for a discussion about menstrual health. 

This relaxed, informal talk will look at the power of periods, the menstrual cycle at all ages, and how periods relate to every body – for those who menstruate and those who don’t. This fun and frank discussion is for everybody, and we encourage all to attend. 

There will be time for Q&A, and questions can also be submitted anonymously to the panel. 

School of Art and Media: International Women’s Day exhibition 

When: 8-11 March 2023
​​​​​​​Where: CCA Atrium Gallery   

The School of Art and Media will be hosting an International Women’s Day exhibition from 8-11 March exploring inclusive practice; how we find creative time and space; and the challenges and changes that impact on our work and identities. 

The exhibition will take place in Brighton CCA’s Atrium Gallery, with an opening event planned for the evening of Wednesday 8 March 2023.  

The exhibition will feature a range of artists and focus on collaboration, voices and visions. All students and staff are invited to contribute – the exhibition organisers are interested in exhibiting all forms of creative practice and visual art, including digital art, writing, sculpture, painting, drawing, print, film making, video, photography, audio work and textiles. Please contact l.fitzgerald@brighton.ac.uk if you are interested. 

School of Applied Sciences: coffee and cake morning for postgraduate students and staff

When: 8 March 2023, all day but coffee and cake is at 10am-11am
Where: Falmer campus, 6th Floor of the Cockcroft building, outside the kitchen area 

Join the School of Applied Sciences for a coffee and cake morning to view and discuss their poster campaign for International Women’s Day. The posters, which are celebrating forging change, will be available to view all day. 

Learning and Teaching Hub: ‘Bring, Swap and Donate’ event

When: 7 March 2023, 12pm-2pm

Where: Moulsecoomb campus, The Learning and Teaching Hub, Cockcroft Room 137

Join the Learning and Teaching Hub for a ‘Brighton, Swap and Donate’ event to raise money for Rise, a Brighton-based charity helping people affected by domestic abuse. Bring along a quality used item, such as clothes, books etc.. Have a browse, swap and an item and make a donation to Rise. There will be homemade cakes, tea and coffee (please bring your own cups).

 Commenting on the celebrations, Ruth Whittaker, Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Education and Students and the University’s Gender Equality Champion, said: ”I’m really looking forward to celebrating International Women’s Day with the University community on 8 March. I’m delighted that we will be welcoming Sheena Patel to the University, in partnership with the University of Sussex, to explore gender, race and power. I hope that as many members of our community as possible will be able to come along to Sheena’s book reading and Q&A to participate in this critically important discussion.” 

Catherine Ramshaw, Equality and Diversity Adviser, said: “International Women’s Day for me is about reflecting on the structural, cultural and economic challenges that women continue to face across the world, whilst also celebrating the achievements that women are making across different platforms and industries. What better way to celebrate this than the fantastic line-up of events being organised across the University, from art exhibitions and poster campaigns to explorations of women’s health and talks from women in business.” 

She added: “I am particularly delighted that we can welcome acclaimed author Sheena Patel to share with us a reading from her award-winning debut novel I’m A Fan and a talk on how she broke into an industry that had felt out of reach for her.”