Historian Janina Ramirez gives a free talk at York St John on Wednesday 11 November at 5pm. Booking is essential, and it is also streamed live online.

The historian and TV presenter Janina Ramirez is giving a free public lecture in York on Wednesday 11 November. Her talk is the next of the city’s Ebor lectures, and it is at the Creative Centre at York St John University.

Places are free, but you have to book. When we checked the Eventbrite booking page on 1 November, tickets were still available.

What the lecture is about

The title is How finding women from the past can shape a more equal future. York St John University says she will look at how women in history have been misrepresented and repackaged over time. She will then argue that those changing stories have helped shape the gender divide today.

The figures she will cover include:

  • Hildegard of Bingen
  • Hilda of Whitby
  • Lady Godiva
  • Eastern empresses and Mesopotamian war leaders

Ramirez is Director of Studies for History of Art at Harris Manchester College, Oxford, and a visiting professor in medieval studies at the University of Lincoln. Her books include Femina and Legenda: The Real Women Behind the Myths that Shaped Europe. Her television work includes Raiders of the Lost Past and The Private Lives of Kings.

She has a York connection. “I spent my formative years as a postgraduate student in this historic, captivating city,” she said in the university’s announcement.

Times and booking
Date Wednesday 11 November 2026
Lecture and Q&A 5pm to 6pm
Book signing and drinks 6pm to 7pm
Where Creative Centre, York St John University, Lord Mayor’s Walk, YO31 7EX
Price Free, booking essential

The details come from the university’s announcement and the Eventbrite listing, which says online sales close at 4.30pm on the day.

What it means for you

  • Want to go in person? Book a free place on Eventbrite first. The university says booking is essential.
  • Can’t get there? The lecture is also streamed live. The link comes with an Eventbrite booking.
  • Busy on the night? The university says the lecture will be recorded and posted on its York St John Events YouTube channel.
  • Getting there: the Creative Centre is on Lord Mayor’s Walk, a short walk from Monk Bar. If you are driving into the centre, check our parking in York page.

About the Ebor lectures

The Ebor Lectures in Theology and Public Life began in 2006. They are hosted by the Centre for Religion and Society at York St John, and jointly sponsored by partners including York Minster and the Methodist Church. The university says 2026 to 2027 is the series’ anniversary year.

For more talks, concerts and events this month, see our what’s on in York page.