All branches of Monash Public Library Service will be closed on Monday 8 June 2026 for the public holiday.
Writer and doctor Olivia Ong joins WordFest to discuss her book Back on My Feet, a moving account of what happens when the healer becomes the one in need of care. Accustomed to being the clinician in control, in Back on My Feet Ong reflects on the profound disorientation of becoming a patient, relinquishing authority, confronting vulnerability and experiencing medicine from the other side of the hospital bed. She explores how illness reshaped her understanding of empathy, power and trust, and how learning to accept help challenged deeply held ideas about strength and independence. Thoughtful and compassionate, this in-conversation event offers rare insight into the human realities of healthcare, the emotional complexities of recovery, and how writing became a way to make sense of uncertainty, trauma and healing. Event details: Wednesday 10 June, 7pm Clayton Theatrette FREE. Bookings required.
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