Who: All ages
When: Thursday 18 September | 6.30-9pm
Where: Borland Foyer, The Joan
Tickets: $5 per person. Bookings are essential. Poets Run This! 

The Australian Poetry Slam (APS) is giving the bullhorn back to the bards. The word nerds. The oral storytellers. The quiet thoughtful ones. The romantics. A poetry slam is a place for all voices. 

Join the nation-wide search for the people’s poet. It’s APS 2025 – The Election Special. Local poets get two minutes to wow with their ideas in a form of spell casting called Slamming Poetry. They electrify your imagination. 

Then the audience sends two of these writers to represent Penrith in the Sydney Final with nothing but the mic, words and deep exhales of honesty. Who will make it to the National Final at the Sydney Opera House? You decide! 

The National Winner or ‘Slambassador’ for 2025 will win a prize worth $20,000, including publication and a tour of Austral-Asia, sharing their creative thoughts and inspiring people everywhere to speak their own poetry. 

So what are you waiting for? Poets get ready to wrap your fingers around the mic and strut your stuff! 

Keen to perform? Please purchase a ticket using the ‘buy tickets’ button and arrive at the theatre at least 15 minutes prior to the performance start time to sign up. Poets of all experience levels are invited to enter, and must perform in their residing state or territory and nearest heat. Full APS ‘25 rules can be found at www.australianpoetryslam.com/rules 

Prefer to watch? You don’t have to compete, join the audience and watch the slam in action – simply click the ‘buy tickets’ button to book now. 

Hosted by DEFNE 

DEFNE is a queer Turkish-Australian multidisciplinary artist with a style that’s definitely hers. She is the Creative Director and Host of West Side Poetry, a monthly hybrid slam in Parramatta and online. DEFNE has featured at State Library NSW, Art Gallery NSW, Story Week, ‘23 Adelaide Writers’ Week, and been published in UNSWeetend. Her Bankstown Grand Slam team performance at the Sydney Opera House won bronze. She performed her poetry and song show, “DEFNE Opens Up”, at Flight Path Theatre, and her play, “Stomach It”, under OutLoud’s Levitate Mentorship. DEFNE’s work explores relationships in all their forms—be it romantic, familial, platonic, or with ourselves and mental health, abuse, and culture. The world’s her runway as she overruns it with shared vulnerability and revolutionary intimacy. 

Doors open/poet sign-up at: 6pm 

Slam starts at: 6.30pm 

Content Warning: Most Poetry Slams are all ages and some content may not be suitable for children. Performances may include strong language and / or adult themes. 

Supported by: The Australian Government through Creative Australia, and the NSW Government through Create NSW. Also supported by Ubud Writers and Readers Festival, Mumbai LitFest, Singapore Writers Festival and Byron Writers Festival. 

Click here to book now

Who: 16-25 year olds and 16-100 year olds
When: Thursday 2 October
Where: The Mondo, outside Penrith City Library
Tickets: Free. Bookings are essential. 

Want to feel confident behind the wheel? Whether you're a new driver or been driving for years, these hands-on workshops are for you!  

Young Adult
16-25 years old

10.30am-12.30pm 

This workshop will help young people feel confident and comfortable popping the bonnet of their car. Learn essential automotive skills, build confidence and independence on the road. 

Galmatic specialises in delivering interactive, hands-on car maintenance workshops. The workshops provide people of all age and genders, from teenagers to seniors with essential automotive skills, building confidence and independence on the road. 

Click here to book for Young Adults

For all ages
16-100 years old

1pm-3pm

Led by the experts at Galmatic, you'll gain practical automotive skills in a fun, interactive environment. Their workshops empower people of all ages and genders, from teens to seniors, helping build confidence and independence on the road. 

Click here to book for All ages

WHO: 16+
WHEN: Wednesday 30 July - 17 September  | 2-4pm 
WHERE: Penrith City Library
TICKETS: Free. Bookings are essential.

Join us for this nationally recognised, accredited training with Nepean Community College (RTO: 1223).

Learn to set goals for work, find job advertisements, how to apply for jobs (covering written communication and verbal communication), role plays of interviews to prepare and brush up on communication skills, identifying requirements for job applications, drafting documents such as cover letters and resumes, receive feedback on application documents and interview skills to build on skills.

This course goes for 8 weeks. each Wednesday from Wednesday 30 July, to Wednesday 17 September. Booking for the first session is confirmation of attendance at all 8 sessions. 

Course outline:
Apply communication skills (BSBCMM211)

• Interview prep
• Identifying work goals and interests
• Written communications
• Scenarios for communication
• Roleplays

Click here to book now

Who: Adults with beginner and intermediate English speaking skills.
When: Thursdays 31 July - 25 September
Where: Penrith City Library
Tickets: Free. Bookings are essential. 

Are you interested in improving your English skills? Join us for this 9-week course with Nepean Community College (RTO #1223) for beginner or intermediate English speakers. The course will run for 9 weeks from Thursday 31 July to Thursday 25 September 2025. Registering is confirmation of attendance for those 9 weeks.

On registration, participants must visit Nepean Community College between 28-30 July, 9am-5pm. Please bring along a form of ID such as a Driver Licence or Medicare Card to create a Unique Student Identifier for class.

This training is funded by the NSW government for citizens/permanent residents, or those with a humanitarian or refugee visa. Tea, coffee and light refreshments provided. Please advise us on 4732 7891 if you have accessibility requirements for this program.

Level 1 (Beginner)

9.30-11.30am | Course Code: RTO#1223

This course for beginner English speakers will focus on developing sentences, basic spelling, pronunciation and understanding abbreviations. Previous exposure to English is essential to fully grasp this content. 

Click here to book for Level 1

Level 2 (Intermediate)

12-2pm | Course Code: RTO#1223 - VU22386 Engage with texts of limited complexity for personal purposes 

This course for intermediate English speakers covers different types of text, identifying information in English texts, understanding the purpose of texts and communication, and using descriptive details. Activities will include bilingual dictionary/vocab lists, reading texts to understand and identify certain characteristics of characters, identifying different kinds of text and their audience and creating personal texts for social interaction. 

Click here to book for Level 2

Who: Adults with disability
When: Saturdays 16 August – 20 September | 10am-12pm 
Where: Penrith City Library
Tickets: Free. Bookings required

Varuna, the National Writers' House is bringing Writer's Space back! Join us for this free, 6-week program at Penrith City Library. The program will run each Saturday from 16 August to Saturday 20 September. Booking for the first session is confirmation of attendance at all 6 sessions. This program welcomes writers with disability at all levels of experience, working in any genre.

Facilitated by Fiona Murphy and co-facilitated by former Writer's Space participant Shannon Anima, each session of this free writing course will focus on a different theme – from idea generation to developing compelling characters. Using writing prompts and exercises, we’ll spend time writing in a fun and supportive environment. We will also chat about the writing life, including submitting work for publication and how to stay motivated!

In the final week, there will be a special Q&A session with a guest writer.

About Fiona Murphy
Fiona Murphy is an award-winning writer and editor. Her work has appeared in ABC, The Saturday Paper, The Guardian, Big Issue, among many other publications. Her memoir, The Shape of Sound, was highly commended in the 2022 Victorian Premier's Literary Awards.

About Shannon Anima
Shannon Anima is a psychotherapist and emerging writer. Recent accolades include a Varuna Flagship Fellowship, Varuna Writers Space Fellowship, WestWords Writer-in-Residence, WestWords-Varuna Residency, Dentro la Terra Residency Italy, Ireland Writers’ Residency; shortlist the Deborah Cass Award, the Tasmanian Women’s Fiction Prize, and a Mascara Varuna Residency; longlist the Spark Hardie Grant prize. She has published short stories in Australia and Canada.

This program is generously supported by Penrith City Library, Create NSW and the Australian Government Department of Social Services.

Please note: Penrith City Library is required to pass on the contact information of those booking for this program to Varuna Writers' House, as part of the grant-funding requirements. Information will be used for program feedback, further opportunities for participants and statistical purposes.

Who: Adults
When: Sunday 5 October | 2-3pm
Where: Penrith City Library
Tickets: $5 per person. Bookings are essential.

Benjamin Stevenson is an award-winning stand-up comedian and USA Today best-selling author. He is the author of the globally popular ‘Ernest Cunningham Mysteries’, including 'Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone', which is currently being adapted into a major HBO TV series, and the sequels: 'Everyone on This Train is a Suspect' and 'Everyone This Christmas Has A Secret'. His books have sold over one million copies in twenty-nine territories and have been nominated for nine ‘Book of the Year’ awards.

Join us to celebrate the release of 'Everyone in this Bank is a Thief' at Penrith City Library. The new instalment of the million-copy bestselling mystery series.

What if an Agatha Christie style murder mystery happened inside OCEAN'S ELEVEN… Ten suspects. Ten heists. A puzzle only Ernest Cunningham can solve. I’ve spent the last few years solving murders. But a bank heist is a new one, even for me. I’ve never been a hostage before. The doors are chained shut. No one in or out. Which means that when someone in the bank is murdered, hostages become suspects... Turns out, more than one person planned to rob the bank today. You can steal more from a bank than just money. Who is stealing what? And are they willing to kill for it?

Purchase a book from our QBD Books pop-up on the night to have it personally signed.

Benjamin Stevenson will be in-conversation with Wai Chim, Chinese-American-Australian author and Australian Survivor contestant.

This event will be Auslan interpreted. 

Please advise us on 4732 7891 if you have accessibility requirements for this program.

Who: Adults and students.
When: Tuesday 14 October | 1-5pm
Tuesday 28 | 11am-5pm
Where: Penrith City Library
Tickets: Free. Bookings are not required. 

Explore local support options for mental wellbeing.

Connect with local organisations, explore helpful resources, and discover ways to support your mental wellbeing at Penrith City Library.

Browse interactive stalls, chat with professionals, and find support for yourself or your loved ones. This free, inclusive event is open to everyone—whether you're seeking information, looking to connect, or simply want to learn more about mental health in a welcoming space.

Headspace Penrith provides free information, support and services to young people, aged 12 - 25, and their families and friends.
More info on Headspace here.

Uniting Family and Carer provide education and training, one-to-one support, and support groups to help ensure you have the tools you need in your caring role.
More info on Uniting Family and Carer here.

Neami Nepean-Penrith provides individual and group services to support wellbeing and mental health challenges, alongside housing and homelessness support. More info on Neami here.

Who: Adults
When: Wednesday 15 October | 11am-12.30pm
Where: St Marys Library
Tickets: Free

Are you working beyond pension age? Join us to discover your options with Services Australia staff. This session will help you understand how this can impact your super and what options are available to make the most of your retirement savings. Our representative will be on hand to discuss and answer questions you have on the following topics: 

• Are you considering or still working past pension age? 
• The income test for Age Pension 
• How can you use the Work Bonus to your advantage 
• Super and Tax considerations 
• Finding the balance 

Tea, coffee and light refreshments provided.

We are committed to fostering an inclusive and accessible environment for all. If you require any accommodations to attend this event, please contact 4732 7891.

Click here to book now

Who: Adults
When: Tuesday 14 October 2025 | 2.30-4pm
Where: Penrith City Library
Tickets: Free. Bookings are essential.

Join us to find out more about superannuation for women from qualified Services Australia staff. Whether you are a stay-at-home mum, working, retired, or returning to the workforce this talk will help you to manage your superannuation more effectively.

Our representative will be on hand to discuss and answer questions you have on the following topics:

• What is superannuation
• Types of Super Funds
• Investment considerations
• Super contributions
• Salary Sacrifice
• Downsizer Super
• Choice of Funds
• Access to Super
• Services Australia assessment

Tea, coffee and light refreshments provided.
We are committed to fostering an inclusive and accessible environment for all. If you require any accommodations to attend this event, please contact 4732 7891.

Click here to book now

Who: Adults
When: Various dates and times
Where: St Marys Library
Cost: $10
Repair. Re-wear. Reuse.

Join us for Textile Mending Workshops at St Marys Library!

Over 90% of clothing sent to landfill in Australia could be reused or recycled. These hands-on workshops allow you to turn worn garments into loved favourites again. 

Whether you're patching jeans, fixing seams, or learning to slow down your fashion habits, this is your invitation to reimagine your wardrobe — and reduce waste. 

Here’s what’s included: 

- Visible mending techniques like sashiko and applique 
- Workshops suitable for beginners and intermediates
- All tools and materials provided 

For more info & full schedule of workshops visit penrith.city/events. 

Let’s repair what we have, re-wear what we love, and reuse what we can — together.

Funded by the NSW Environment Protection Authority, supported by Penrith City Council. 

Who: 12+ (Under 16’s with adult supervision) 
When: Group 1 - Wednesdays 15, 22, 29 October and 5 November
| 5:30-7pm
Group 2 - Wednesdays 12, 19, 26 November and 3 December
| 5:30-7pm
Where: St Marys Library
Tickets: $20 for all 4 weeks

Discover the fundamentals of 3D printed design in this beginner friendly program. Over 4 sessions you will develop the core skills and techniques required to create exciting 3D printed designs:

Week 1 - Learn the basics – Explore 3D printing technologies and gain foundational skills in TinkerCAD.
Week 2 - Solid structures – Build your skills further to create solid structures suitable for 3D printing.
Week 3 - Moving Parts – Develop precision modelling skills by creating and incorporating moving parts.
Week 4 – Finished Design - Put your new skills to the test with a final project.

Due to the technical nature of this program, basic computer skills are essential. The age requirement for this program is strictly 12+, any participants under 16 years of age must be accompanied by an adult. Refunds will not be issued for missed sessions.  

Book Group 1    Book Group 2

Who: Adults with beginner and intermediate English speaking skills.
When: Thursdays 16 October -11 December
Where: Penrith City Library
Tickets: Free. Bookings are essential. 

Are you interested in improving your English skills? Join us for this 9-week course with Nepean Community College (RTO #1223) for beginner or intermediate English speakers. The course will run for 9 weeks from Thursday 16 October to Thursday 11 December 2025. Registering is confirmation of attendance for those 9 weeks.

On registration, participants must visit Nepean Community College between 13-15 October, 9am-5pm. Please bring along a form of ID such as a Driver Licence or Medicare Card to create a Unique Student Identifier for class.

This training is funded by the NSW government for citizens/permanent residents, or those with a humanitarian or refugee visa. Tea, coffee and light refreshments provided. Please advise us on 4732 7891 if you have accessibility requirements for this program.

Level 1 (Beginner)

9.30-11.30am | Course Code: RTO#1223

This course for beginner English speakers will focus on developing sentences, basic spelling, pronunciation and understanding abbreviations. Previous exposure to English is essential to fully grasp this content. 

Click here to book for Level 1

Level 2 (Intermediate)

12-2pm | Course Code: RTO#1223 - VU22364 Participate in simple spoken interactions 

This course for intermediate for English speaker covers pronunciation, information order, communication skills, sentences and tenses, and identifying information. Activities will include conversational exchanges to convey information, preparing for conversations, sharing information, learning new words.  

Click here to book for Level 2

Who: People aged 16+
When: Wednesdays 22 October-10 December | 2-4pm
Where: Penrith City Library
Tickets: Free. Bookings are essential. 

Interested in learning basic computer skills? Join us for this nationally recognised accredited course with Nepean Community College (RTO:1223).

The course covers basic skills for using a computer including; understanding devices (printers, monitors, audio/video devices, USB and memory devices), basic internet use (URLs, searching tips and tricks), creating folders and storing files, adding and removing programs, security and passwords, ergonomics, creating basic documents, different file types, antivirus software, finding videos online, and basic online safety.

This course goes for 8 weeks, each Wednesday from Wednesday 22 October to Wednesday 10 December. Booking for the first session confirms attendance at all 8 sessions.

Course Outline:
BSBTEC101 Operate digital devices
· Understanding devices
· Basic Internet use
· Adding and removing programs
· Creating basic documents and different file types

NSW government funding is available for eligible students (Aus/NZ citizen/perm resident, or those with a humanitarian or refugee visa, over 15 not enrolled in school or those with a humanitarian or refugee visa).

Tea, coffee and light refreshments will be provided.

Please advise us on 4732 7891 if you have accessibility requirements for this session.

Click here to book now

Who: People aged 16+
When: Tuesday 28 October | Session 1: 11:30am–12:30pm
Session 2: 1-2pm
Where: Penrith City Library
Tickets: $5 per person. Bookings are essential

Join us for a special Yoga for Mental Health session with Suzanne from Glenbrook Yoga in recgnition of Mental Health Month!

This gentle and restorative practice is designed to help reduce stress, improve emotional balance, and support overall mental wellness. Whether you're new to yoga or a seasoned practitioner, this session offers a peaceful space to reconnect with yourself and find calm through movement and meditation.

Suzanne Ellis is a fully qualified Yoga Teacher, Yoga Therapist, Naturopath, Nutritionist, Somatic Exercise Yoga Coach and Meditation teacher.

There are two back-to-back sessions of this workshop at 11:30am and 1pm. Please only book one session. This program is designed for adults and students aged 16 years and older.

Please advise us on 4732 7891 if you have accessibility requirements for this session.

Click here to book now

Who: Adults
When: Thursday 30 October | 6.30-7.30pm
Where: Penrith City Library
Tickets: $5 per person. Bookings are essential.

Join Australian author, Judy Nunn as she discusses her new novel Pilbara at Penrith City Library.

About Pilbara:
A stunning tale about loyalty and survival from a master storyteller. In this ancient, harsh place, faint hearts will not last. The Pilbara, late 1800s: Frontier country, the wild west of Australia - a lawless, violent place where treachery is a way of life.

Widower Charles Burton arrives in this forbidding corner of the world with his three young children. They've travelled half the globe, from the lush rolling hills of the Yorkshire Dales, on a mission to save their family's sheep and cattle property, which has been forced into debt by the avarice of a ruthless Londoner. Rebuilding the fortunes of Burton Station will ask everything of Charles and his children, particularly daughter Victoria, who will at times threaten to bring about their downfall.

Here in the oldest landscape on earth, survival has always proved a battle. And when greed takes over, the battle only intensifies. The Indigenous are robbed of their lands and their very way of life as every new arrival fights for the riches on offer - the grazing territory, the pearls and the gold. Amid all this brutality, can the Burtons and their allies conquer the savagery that abounds in this beautiful but cruel part of the world?

From Yorkshire to Cossack in Western Australia, and London to Tahiti in French Polynesia, Pilbara is the tale of a family on a mission to restore the honour of its name.

About Judy Nunn: 
Judy Nunn AM is an Australian literary icon and master storyteller. With over twenty books over thirty years, and over a million copies sold in Australia alone, readers everywhere are passionate about her stories of her country and its people, told with Judy’s trademark authenticity, and filled with unforgettable characters who live on long after the final page. From the stage to the screen and the page, Judy has always been a storyteller, and her significant service to the performing arts and to literature was recognised in 2015 when she was made a Member of the Order of Australia. 

Tea, coffee and light refreshments will be provided. Purchase a book from Harry Hartog Books pop-up on the night to have it personally signed by Judy.

Please advise on 4732 7891 if you have any accessibility requirements for this event. 

Click here to book now

Second Tuesday Book Club

When: Second Tuesday of the month | 10.30-11.30am
Where: Penrith City Library
Tickets: Our group is currently at capacity.

Third Tuesday Book Club

When: Third Tuesday of the month | 2-3.30pm
Where: Penrith City Library
Tickets: Our group is currently at capacity.

Join one of Penrith City Library’s book clubs and discuss great reads with a group of fellow literary lovers. Places are limited.

Who: Adults
When: 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month | 10am-12pm
Where: St Marys Library
Tickets: Free. Bookings not required. 

Bring along your knitting, crochet or other craft project, and work away with other like-minded creators at St Marys Library. The group meets twice a month for a chat, cuppa and to work on their latest project. This free group meets on the 2nd and 4th Thursday of each month.

Need help with learning to use your smartphone, tablet or laptop?

Want to learn to send messages and emails, or to shop and pay bills online?

Book a one hour, one on one training session with a Tech Mate from the Digital Literacy Foundation on Tech Tuesday at Penrith City Library, or Web Wednesday at St Marys Library.

Tech help topics may include:

• Creating and using an email account
• Creating documents
• Attaching files and photos
• Using subscription library resources
• Downloading and streaming content like movies, books, and audiobooks, and more.
• Using your device
• Searching the Internet

Please bring your device and passwords with you. We look forward to helping you!

To book, call 02 4732 7891, submit a request at my.penrith.city or see one of our friendly staff at any of the library branches.

For T&Cs and more information about technology at Penrith City Libraries, visit the library’s technology page.