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UNSPEAKABLE THINGS UNSPOKEN: On Censorship and Book Bans
a three-part series with Murmur Library

3/09/2025–3/09/2025
1:00 PM–2:30 PM
Arts Lab, Level 1, Arts & Cultural Building, (Building 159) University of Melbourne
UMSU Gallery

Brought to you by the SSAF

SESSION ONE
Wednesday 3 September, 1-2.30PM

Arts Lab, Level 1, Arts and Cultural Building, Monash Road, Building 159 (MAP)

SESSION TWO
Tuesday 9 September, 1-2.30PM
Murmur Library, 11 Hope Street, Brunswick (MAP)

SESSION THREE
Wednesday 17 September, 1-2.30PM
Arts Lab, Level 1, Arts and Cultural Building, Monash Road, Building 159 (MAP)

RSVP NOW

Who decides what stories we’re allowed to read, and why?

Across libraries, school, and publishing houses, books are being challenged, censored, and quietly removed. From queer coming-of-age novels to First Nations history and speculative fiction, the stories that reflect marginalised voices are often the first to be banned. 
But censorship doesn’t just affect books, it impacts people. Authors are deplatformed. Librarians face harassment. Teachers lose jobs for assigning certain texts. Journalists are blacklisted for speaking their truth. The act of silencing stories is never neutral, it’s a tool of control.

Join Murmur Library in exploring the politics of censorship, past and present. Through collaborative reading, creative zine making, and interactive activities, we’ll unpack why certain books are labelled “dangerous”, who gets silenced, and how communities resist. Come ready to read, question, and create.



Murmur Library is a decolonial community library that centres Black, Indigenous, and culturally diverse voices. Through its carefully curated collection of books, zines, and media, Murmur challenges the dominance of white literary traditions and creates space for stories too often silenced


You may be interested in...
Ritual Objects with Claire
25th August 1pm - 3pm
Arts Lab, Level 1, Arts & Cultural Building, (Building 159) University of Melbourne
Join artist Claire de Carteret for this special clay workshop in the Arts Lab.
Grant Writing with Caspar Connolly
27th August 1pm - 3pm
Arts Lab, Level 1, Arts & Cultural Building, (Building 159) University of Melbourne
Join Caspar Connolly for this Grant Writing workshop for artists!
Everything Paper: a paper making workshop with Caspar Connolly
3rd September 1pm - 3pm
Arts Lab, Level 1, Arts & Cultural Building, (Building 159) University of Melbourne
Learn how to turn discarded material into paper with this hands-on workshop!

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11am—5pm Monday—Friday during semester.

GEORGE PATON GALLERY
Wurundjeri Country
Level 1, Arts & Cultural Building (B159)
University of Melbourne, VIC 3010

CONTACT

03 8344 6966

gpg@union.unimelb.edu.au

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George Paton Gallery (opens in a new tab)

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