We are currently CLOSED.

Join as a Member

SMSA SMSA SMSA

News & Updates

Listen Again: Susannah Fullerton

Listen Again: Susannah Fullerton
November 4, 2025

🐾Cats, Quills & Curious Tales🐾

Literary gossip. Feline mischief. One utterly unmissable lunchtime event.

What do Ernest Hemingway, Charles Dickens and Colette have in common?
Answer: they were all gloriously, hopelessly, unapologetically owned by cats.

In her latest talk, literary historian and master storyteller Susannah Fullerton takes us on a whiskered romp through the lives of 17 great writers and the cats who curled up in their manuscripts, strutted through their salons, and left muddy pawprints across their genius.

This talk will be a riot of eccentric anecdotes, curious claws and literary love affairs – from Mark Twain renting kittens for companionship to Dr Johnson feeding oysters to Hodge, we meet the muses, mischief-makers and editorial assistants with no sense of deadlines behind the famous authors.

This lighthearted talk is purrrrrfect for lovers of literature, cats and quirky true tales. It’s paws-itively unmissable!

Membership

When you join SMSA as member, you get a wide range of benefits.

Access to the SMSA Library

We are home to a unique collection of books, a highlight being our Mystery and Crime section.

Able to borrow from the Tom Keneally Centre

We are honoured to be the home of Tom Keneally’s personal collection of books, many of which have been used as research for his own works.

Access to member only events

Join a members group, share your passions, learn new skills, make new friends and get involved.

Access to member only activities such as members groups

We provide a variety of member only events, these are relaxed social occasions to have fun and make new friends.

Join as a Member

Subscribe to stay up-to-date