Queerstories

Rosa tells a story of the British general election campaign 2019 as a tale of queer romance and heartbreak. Rosa Campbell is completing her PhD in history at the University of Cambridge. This project sets Australian women's liberation between 1968-1990 in a global context. She has been active in movements for gender justice both in Sydney and London. She writes fiction and non-fiction on a range of platforms for both adults and children. Her star sign is Virgo but her rising - which is what really matters of course- is reconstructed Marxist.  Queerstories is an LGBTQI+ storytelling night programmed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events around Australia. For Queerstories event dates, visit www.maevemarsden.com, and follow Queerstories on Facebook. The Queerstories book is published by Hachette Australia, and can be purchased from your favourite independent bookseller or on Booktopia. To support Queerstories, become a patron at www.patreon.com/ladysingsitbetter And for gay stuff and insomnia rant

Raelee doesn't need the escapism Stardew Valley provides because of family drama; it is the rest of the world that's the problem. Raelee Lancaster is a Brisbane-based writer, collaborator, and creative producer. She is Co Director of the National Young Writers Festival and a 2019 recipient of the Copyright Agency First Nations Fellowship. Her work has featured in exhibitions around Australia and Berlin as well as in publications such as Cordite Poetry Review, The Saturday Paper, Overland, and more. Raised on Awabakal land, Raelee is descended from the Wiradjuri and Biripi peoples. She tweets @raeleelancaster Queerstories is an LGBTQI+ storytelling night programmed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events around Australia. For Queerstories event dates, visit www.maevemarsden.com, and follow Queerstories on Facebook. The Queerstories book is published by Hachette Australia, and can be purchased from your favourite independent bookseller or on Booktopia. To support Queerstories, become a patron at www.pat

In 1891 the Ilopango Volcano rained catastrophe on the People of Cuzcatlan and forced one woman David will never meet to set off a series of events that created him. David Mejia-Canales is beyond proud to have Mayan blood running through his veins and calls Wurundjeri Country home. He is a community lawyer dedicated to turning our criminal legal system into a system of justice, particularly for queer people of colour.   Queerstories is an LGBTQI+ storytelling night programmed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events around Australia. For Queerstories event dates, visit www.maevemarsden.com, and follow Queerstories on Facebook. The Queerstories book is published by Hachette Australia, and can be purchased from your favourite independent bookseller or on Booktopia. To support Queerstories, become a patron at www.patreon.com/ladysingsitbetter And for gay stuff and insomnia rants follow me - Maeve Marsden - on Twitter and Instagram.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. &#

With language and storytelling not their forte, Tasnim can't quite believe they were asked to appear at Queerstories. They take the opportunity to chronicle their history of identity and communication. Tasnim Rahman is training as a neurobiologist, currently finishing a PhD in psychiatry. They hope to alleviate suffering from mental illness and marginalisation, and increase accessibility to safety and independence via advocacy and science. Tas was a panelist for Sydney Mardi Gras Queer Thinking panel ‘What it means to be non binary’ event, and previously has been a part of ACON’s ‘Pride in Training’ videos and ‘Improving the Health & Well-being of the Trans & Gender Diverse Community’ blueprint. Queerstories is an LGBTQI+ storytelling night programmed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events around Australia. For Queerstories event dates, visit www.maevemarsden.com, and follow Queerstories on Facebook. The Queerstories book is published by Hachette Australia

Salvin delivers the raw curry drama that is part of every wedding but with the added spice of it being a gay one. Salvin Kumar is a Youth Worker who supports young newly arrived migrants and refugees in St George and Sutherland Shire. He has worked as a teacher in Fiji, Western Sydney, Townsville and Doomadgee before moving back to Sydney to become a social worker. He practices yoga, loves cooking, writes poetry and is currently writing a book.  Queerstories is an LGBTQI+ storytelling night programmed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events around Australia. For Queerstories event dates, visit www.maevemarsden.com, and follow Queerstories on Facebook. The Queerstories book is published by Hachette Australia, and can be purchased from your favourite independent bookseller or on Booktopia. To support Queerstories, become a patron at www.patreon.com/ladysingsitbetter And for gay stuff and insomnia rants follow me - Maeve Marsden - on Twitter and Instagram.See omnystudio.com/listener for pr

Working at a community legal centre, Sam makes an unlikely friend. Sam Elkin is a writer, podcaster and community lawyer living in Melbourne's West. In 2018 Sam set up Victoria's first LGBTIQ legal service at Thorne Harbour Health, and launched a specialist trans and gender diverse legal service in partnership with Transgender Victoria. Sam is also one half of the Joy FM radio show Transgender Warriors.  Queerstories is an LGBTQI+ storytelling night programmed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events around Australia. For Queerstories event dates, visit www.maevemarsden.com, and follow Queerstories on Facebook. The Queerstories book is published by Hachette Australia, and can be purchased from your favourite independent bookseller or on Booktopia. To support Queerstories, become a patron at www.patreon.com/ladysingsitbetter And for gay stuff and insomnia rants follow me - Maeve Marsden - on Twitter and Instagram.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.  See acast.co

Growing up, Dmetri was obsessed with horror movies. Despite their terrifying content, horror movies saved his life. Dmetri Kakmi was born in Turkey to Greek parents. His fictionalised memoir Mother Land was shortlisted for the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards and is published in England and Turkey. His short stories and essays appear in a number of anthologies, and his latest book is The Door and other Uncanny Tales. Queerstories is an LGBTQI+ storytelling night programmed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events around Australia. For Queerstories event dates, visit www.maevemarsden.com, and follow Queerstories on Facebook. The Queerstories book is published by Hachette Australia, and can be purchased from your favourite independent bookseller or on Booktopia. To support Queerstories, become a patron at www.patreon.com/ladysingsitbetter And for gay stuff and insomnia rants follow me - Maeve Marsden - on Twitter and Instagram.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.  S

Matthew moves to Melbourne and starts to explore his sexuality at sex-on-premises venues. Queerstories is an LGBTQI+ storytelling night programmed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events around Australia. For Queerstories event dates, visit www.maevemarsden.com, and follow Queerstories on Facebook. The Queerstories book is published by Hachette Australia, and can be purchased from your favourite independent bookseller or on Booktopia. To support Queerstories, become a patron at www.patreon.com/ladysingsitbetter And for gay stuff and insomnia rants follow me - Maeve Marsden - on Twitter and Instagram.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Lacey-Jade Christie has the gayest day of her life, on the day the public votes 'yes' for marriage equality, but it's not for the reasons one might expect. Lacey-Jade Christie is a freelance writer and fiery Melbourne-based plus-size influencer. She combines her life as a nurse with her own experience of mental illness and is a strong advocate for safe spaces for the BoPo and Queer community to come together through her writing and her work as the Deputy State Director of Out For Australia an organisation that seeks to support and mentor aspiring LGBTIQ professionals. Queerstories is an LGBTQI+ storytelling night programmed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events around Australia. For Queerstories event dates, visit www.maevemarsden.com, and follow Queerstories on Facebook. The Queerstories book is published by Hachette Australia, and can be purchased from your favourite independent bookseller or on Booktopia. To support Queerstories, become a patron at www.patreon.com/ladysingsitbetter And for gay st

Hannah shares a story about a piece of shit who keeps ruining her life. Hannah Mouncey is a member of Australia's Women's Handball team and a writer for The Guardian, The Roar, News.com.au and Players Voice. Queerstories is an LGBTQI+ storytelling night programmed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events around Australia. For Queerstories event dates, visit www.maevemarsden.com, and follow Queerstories on Facebook. The Queerstories book is published by Hachette Australia, and can be purchased from your favourite independent bookseller or on Booktopia. To support Queerstories, become a patron at www.patreon.com/ladysingsitbetter And for gay stuff and insomnia rants follow me - Maeve Marsden - on Twitter and Instagram.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

David's life with his mother Patricia is not without challenges - caring for someone with dementia is hard - but he cherishes their Sundays at the Bankstown Sportsclub. David Abello became involved in the lesbian and gay movement in 1975 and in 1980s was a member of the Gay Liberation Quire and the Gaywaves Gay Radio Collective amongst other things. He's been active in the disability movement since the 1980s and in membership-based organisations concerned with employment, multicultural advocacy and housing. In the late 1990s he was a founding member of the queer disability activist group, Access Plus – Spanning Identities. After 14 years as a public servant he completed an Honours Degree in Arts and Social Sciences at UTS, and his next career as a social policy researcher at UNSW. He then completed a PhD. The thesis, In Memory of Now: A Queer History of the Present is available online, as his album My Life as a Social Movement. Queerstories is an LGBTQI+ storytelling night programmed by Maeve Marsden, w

Lian grapples with the anxiety of meeting a partner’s mother for the first time. Lian Low is a writer of fiction and non-fiction. From 2009-2016, Lian was an editor and a board member of Peril.  Lian is a recipient of The Wheeler Centre's inaugural Next Chapter scheme and currently working on a young adult speculative fiction novel.   Queerstories is an LGBTQI+ storytelling night programmed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events around Australia. For Queerstories event dates, visit www.maevemarsden.com, and follow Queerstories on Facebook. The Queerstories book is published by Hachette Australia, and can be purchased from your favourite independent bookseller or on Booktopia. To support Queerstories, become a patron at www.patreon.com/ladysingsitbetter And for gay stuff and insomnia rants follow me - Maeve Marsden - on Twitter and Instagram.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out inform

When Samuel was a kid, the fact his mother was a sex therapist embarrassed him. Now that's he's a grown up, he's so proud of her he wants to talk about it on stage. Samuel Leighton-Dore is a multidisciplinary artist and writer based on the Gold Coast. Sam writes for SBS Life and produces work spanning ceramics, LED neon, illustration, animation and painting. His book of illustrations, How To Be A Big Strong Man, was released in August 2019. His first solo exhibition, Fragile Masculinity, Handle With Care, formed part of this year’s Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras festival. His second solo exhibition, Crying In The Leagues Club, opened in October at Ambush Gallery in Canberra. To quote Benjamin Law, his works are a “big-hearted, happily subversive, technicolour-hug”. Queerstories is an LGBTQI+ storytelling night programmed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events around Australia. For Queerstories event dates, visit www.maevemarsden.com, and follow Queerstories on Facebook. The

Sandy reflects on their research into museums, the gays and the gaze, and their place in academia as a queer Indigenous person. Associate Professor Sandy O'Sullivan is a Wiradjuri academic, researcher and creative practitioner. Their research and teaching include queer studies, art and design, built environment, music, performance, and cultural representation, with a particular focus on First Nations’ agency and aspiration. Sandy was the inaugural director of the Centre for Collaborative First Nations’ Research.  Queerstories is an LGBTQI+ storytelling night programmed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events around Australia. For Queerstories event dates, visit www.maevemarsden.com, and follow Queerstories on Facebook. The Queerstories book is published by Hachette Australia, and can be purchased from your favourite independent bookseller or on Booktopia. To support Queerstories, become a patron at www.patreon.com/ladysingsitbetter And for gay stuff and insomnia rants follow me - Maev

From home insemination to pregnant dating on Tinder, Holly explores the difficulties of achieving an orgasm as a solo parent by choice. Holly Zwalf lives with her wild toddler in a log cabin in the bush. She’s a filmmaker, freelance writer, performer, and smutty spoken word artist, and is the coordinator of Rainbow Families Queensland. Queerstories is an LGBTQI+ storytelling night programmed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events around Australia. For Queerstories event dates, visit www.maevemarsden.com, and follow Queerstories on Facebook. The Queerstories book is published by Hachette Australia, and can be purchased from your favourite independent bookseller or on Booktopia. To support Queerstories, become a patron at www.patreon.com/ladysingsitbetter And for gay stuff and insomnia rants follow me - Maeve Marsden - on Twitter and Instagram.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

A story about the haunting nature of settler-colonialism and the importance of attending to the memories of ghosts. Natalie Ironfield belongs to the Dharug Nation and has been living on Wurundjeri land since 2013. Natalie is a Lecturer and Tutor at The University of Melbourne, teaching across disciplines of Indigenous studies, criminology and political science. Natalie is a photographer and wannabe DJ, and her writing has appeared in Un Magazine. Queerstories is an LGBTQI+ storytelling night programmed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events around Australia. For Queerstories event dates, visit www.maevemarsden.com, and follow Queerstories on Facebook. The Queerstories book is published by Hachette Australia, and can be purchased from your favourite independent bookseller or on Booktopia. To support Queerstories, become a patron at www.patreon.com/ladysingsitbetter And for gay stuff and insomnia rants follow me - Maeve Marsden - on Twitter and Instagram.See omnystudio.com/listener for privac

Joan Westenberg talks about her journey to becoming a writer, by overcoming a speech impediment and finding a voice of her own. Joan Westenberg is a Sydney based tech writer. She has been published in Inc.com, the SF Chronicle, Observer, The Saturday Paper, The Big Smoke, Crikey and over 40 other publications. Joan is the author of an open source transgender inclusion policy in use by multiple technology companies.  Queerstories is an LGBTQI+ storytelling night programmed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events around Australia. For Queerstories event dates, visit www.maevemarsden.com, and follow Queerstories on Facebook. The Queerstories book is published by Hachette Australia, and can be purchased from your favourite independent bookseller or on Booktopia. To support Queerstories, become a patron at www.patreon.com/ladysingsitbetter And for gay stuff and insomnia rants follow me - Maeve Marsden - on Twitter and Instagram.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.  

Anton remembers his childhood growing up in Durban, South Africa, and reflects on the lessons he learnt from the local drag queens. Anton Enus has been a news broadcaster for three and a half decades. He has worked as a news reporter, producer and presenter on two continents. He has been on assignment to numerous African states, including Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Since 1999 he has anchored SBS World News and has occasionally been a guest presenter on SBS Insight. His bucket list includes finishing that fiction manuscript that has for years been gathering dust in a drawer. Queerstories is an LGBTQI+ storytelling night programmed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events around Australia. For Queerstories event dates, visit www.maevemarsden.com, and follow Queerstories on Facebook. The Queerstories book is published by Hachette Australia, and can be purchased from your favourite independent bookseller or on Booktopia. To support Queerstories, become a patron at www.patreon.com/

Shaun reflects on their history, on the Hijra community and Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, on colonialism, genocide and queer authenticity. Shaun D’Souza is a Brisbane based youth worker and LGBTIQ+ artivist, as well as a firm enthusiast of naps, books and tea. Shaun is often found dabbling in social artivism via visual media and spoken word poetry. Their current projects include tackling transgender-homelessness in Brisbane and advocating for queer people of colour visibility through art and community building. Queerstories is an LGBTQI+ storytelling night programmed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events around Australia. For Queerstories event dates, visit www.maevemarsden.com, and follow Queerstories on Facebook. The Queerstories book is published by Hachette Australia, and can be purchased from your favourite independent bookseller or on Booktopia. To support Queerstories, become a patron at www.patreon.com/ladysingsitbetter And for gay stuff and insomnia rants follow me - Maeve Mar

Andrew tells the tale of the search for his birth mother while juggling the effects of HIV,  the demands of drug trials and the perils of microfiche. Andrew has had a long career in social work and pursuing social justice. For eight years, he headed up the first cross London program to support people living with HIV to go back to work, coordinating the support provided by multiple HIV organisations. Once that program wound down, he moved on to set up a London-wide disabled peoples’ peak organisation called ‘Inclusion London’ advocating for the rights of people with disabilities. Since returning to Australia in 2011, and until recently, he worked with the National LGBTI Health Alliance where amongst many other things he produced three highly acclaimed Health in Difference conferences. Andrew now enjoys a quieter life spending more time with his partner and much loved schnauzer, Fritz. Queerstories is an LGBTQI+ storytelling night programmed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events around Au