Introducing The Readings Big Book Club: Bringing thinkers and readers together to explore great works of literature.

Our inaugural five-part Book Club series will occur weekly from Thursday June 18 to Thursday July 16 and explores Homer's The Odyssey. The series takes place at Cinema Nova and is hosted by Michael Williams, editor of The Monthly.

Each session, commencing at 6.50pm sharp, is guided by one of The University of Melbourne's leading academics, featuring a 35-minute lecture, followed by conversation and audience discussion:

June 18th - Dr Seth Robinson – The Odyssey: The Original Hero's Journey
June 25th - A/Prof K.O. Chong-Gossard – The Women in The Odyssey
July 2nd - Dr Tom Hercules Davies – Who was Homer?
July 9th - A/Prof Ika Willis – The Afterlives of The Odyssey
July 16th - Screening of Christopher Nolan’s 2026 film adaptation of The Odyssey

Online/virtual Big Book Club membership: $100

For the Big Book Club live event, please see separate listing.

Registration includes access to all four seminars and a copy of Homer’s The Odyssey (translated by Emily Wilson). Online membership grants access to a live video stream of each seminar.

Conditions:
By purchasing a membership to the Live or Online Big Book Club you agree to receive email correspondence regarding the event by the presenting partners. Email correspondence will include full information about the event including collection of your copy of The Odyssey as well as cinema ticket information, once tickets to the film go on sale. Please note that once The Readings Big Book Club has commenced (June 18, 2026), refunds and changes to your membership cannot be made.