Balmoral Lecture Series with Sophie Gee
About
Queenwood is delighted to welcome acclaimed author, academic and podcaster Sophie Gee for an inspiring and thought-provoking Balmoral Lecture exploring the enduring power and relevance of reading.As co-creator of the celebrated podcast The Secret Life of Books (with Jonty Claypole), Sophie has built an international following for her fresh and illuminating approach to classic literature. Her work aligns deeply with Queenwood’s values and our commitment to nurturing a vibrant culture of reading through JustRead.
Bringing enthusiasm, intelligence and deep literary knowledge, Sophie encourages students to embrace complex, beautifully written fiction, especially the classics. She invites readers to ‘trust the process and have a simultaneously lighter and more committed relationship to being present with a page’, reframing reading not as obligation, but as discovery.
In this engaging session, Sophie will take students behind the scenes of classic literature, revealing how reading:
a) Builds empathy and emotional intelligence
b) Strengthens critical and analytical thinking
c) Fuels imagination and creativity
d) Deepens our understanding of human motivation in complex and ambiguous social situations
As Sophie notes, ‘People who read more fiction are more likely to have a nuanced and sophisticated understanding of human motivation in complex scenarios involving ambiguous and hard-to-interpret behaviour in the social world.’
Students will be encouraged to rethink their relationship with books - not simply as academic tools, but as lifelong companions in curiosity, enjoyment and personal growth. This lecture promises to inspire the Queenwood community to read more widely, think more deeply, and discover the rich ‘secret life’ that books offer beyond the page.
About Sophie Gee
Sophie Gee is an Associate Professor of English at Princeton University, specialising in 18th-century literature, and currently serves as the inaugural Vice-Chancellor’s Fellow at the University of Sydney (until 2027). A renowned author and literary scholar, her work explores the intersections of literature, history and culture.
She is the author of acclaimed fiction and literary criticism, including The Scandal of the Season, Making Waste, and The Barbarous Feast, and is the co-host of the widely respected podcast The Secret Life of Books.
Date
Wednesday 3 June 2026 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM (UTC+10)Location
Astra Theatre , 2088
47 Mandolong Road, Mosman NSW NSW 2088
Contact Form
Balmoral Lecture Series with Sophie Gee
Resend recently purchased tickets to our events to your email.
Enter email to start search
You can review the event organiser's terms and conditions here.