Queerstories

The epic tale of Gertrude and Mildred. This story was performed at Queerstories in Sydney and Melbourne, as well as at Newcastle Writer's Festival and Ubud Readers and Writers Festival in Bali. Claire G. Coleman is a Noongar woman whose family have belonged to the south coast of Western Australia since long before history started being recorded. She writes fiction, essays and poetry. During an extended circuit of the continent she wrote a novel, influenced by certain experiences gained on the road. She has since won a Black&Write! Indigenous Writing Fellowship for that novel ,"Terra Nullius". Terra Nullius was published in Australia by Hachette Australia and in North America by Small Beer Press. Her second novel The Old Lie was published this year. Queerstories is an LGBTQIA+ storytelling night programmed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. For Queerstories event dates, visit www.maevemarsden.com, and follow Queerstories on Facebook. The new Queerstories book is publis

Wollongong teacher Brendan shares the story of how a 10-year-old inspired him to live authentically. This story was performed at Queerstories: Wollongong, supported by Wollongong City Libraries. Brendan Howarth is a chef by morning, student teacher by day and father & husband by night. He is a soon to be teacher who wants to inspire the future generations to be their best selves and create a generation that spreads love and kindness. Queerstories is an LGBTQIA+ storytelling night programmed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. For Queerstories event dates, visit www.maevemarsden.com, and follow Queerstories on Facebook. The new Queerstories book is published by Hachette Australia, and can be purchased on Booktopia. To support Queerstories, become a patron at www.patreon.com/ladysingsitbetter And for gay stuff, insomnia rant and photos of my dog Frank follow me - Maeve Marsden - on Twitter and Instagram.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.  

The title says it all... Kathleen performed this story at Queerstories: Hobart in 2019. Dr Kathleen Williams is a media studies academic. She publishes work on the social uses of media technologies, particularly in relation to screen cultures, materiality and memory. However she is most qualified at forensically dissecting pop culture. Queerstories is an LGBTQIA+ storytelling night programmed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. For Queerstories event dates, visit www.maevemarsden.com, and follow Queerstories on Facebook. The new Queerstories book is published by Hachette Australia, and can be purchased on Booktopia. To support Queerstories, become a patron at www.patreon.com/ladysingsitbetter And for gay stuff, insomnia rant and photos of my dog Frank 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.

Kait Fenwick dreams of heading out to Newcastle's answer to The Planet, but the night doesn't go quite as planned. Kait Fenwick is the author of Burning Between (Puncher & Wattmann). Their work has appeared in Seen & Heard zine, Butch is Not a Dirty Word, Cordite Poetry Review, Archer magazine and on the walls at China Heights Gallery, Surry Hills. In 2017, Kait completed their honours in English and Writing at the University of Newcastle. Their thesis, Digital Queeries, explores the relationship between millennials, sub/urban spaces and the internet. Queerstories is an LGBTQIA+ storytelling night programmed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. For Queerstories event dates, visit www.maevemarsden.com, and follow Queerstories on Facebook. The new Queerstories book is published by Hachette Australia, and can be purchased on Booktopia. To support Queerstories, become a patron at www.patreon.com/ladysingsitbetter And for gay stuff, insomnia rant and photos of my do

Chloe Black realises that coming out to yourself is a lot like watching The Sixth Sense. Chloe Black began her stand-up career in Adelaide over 18 years ago. She has performed at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Adelaide Fringe and the Edinburgh Fringe. She is a broadcaster on Edge Radio in Hobart as co-host of Film Central and in her own show "It's Always Midnight Somewhere", which she describes as a phantasmagorical mix tape of film-scores and punk rock. Queerstories is an LGBTQIA+ storytelling night programmed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. For Queerstories event dates, visit www.maevemarsden.com, and follow Queerstories on Facebook. The new Queerstories book is published by Hachette Australia, and can be purchased on Booktopia. To support Queerstories, become a patron at www.patreon.com/ladysingsitbetter And for gay stuff, insomnia rant and photos of my dog Frank follow me - Maeve Marsden - on Twitter and Instagram.See omnystudio.com/listener for

Through heartlines and bloodlines, Gabrielle tells a story of belonging, about her history and her family. This story was performed at the first Wollongong Queerstories, supported by Wollongong City Libraries. Gabrielle Journey Jones is a poet, percussionist and event producer living on Yuin Country, Far South Coast NSW. Gabe co-founded Creative Womyn Down Under in 2006 as a way to support other lesbian artists and musicians. In 2018, Gabe established Poetic Percussion to expand her work teaching and performing poetry and drumming in schools and with community organisations. She has worked with the Unspoken Words Collective, Word in Hand, Red Room Poetry, Word Travels and the South Coast Writers Centre. Queerstories is an LGBTQIA+ storytelling night programmed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. For Queerstories event dates, visit www.maevemarsden.com, and follow Queerstories on Facebook. The new Queerstories book is published by Hachette Australia, and can be purchas

Robert delivers a heartwarming love letter to a French-English dictionary (purportedly). Robert Dessaix is known as a leading broadcaster, for many years the producer and presenter of the ABC’s Books and Writing program. He left his twenty year academic career as a lecturer in Russian language and literature at the University of New South Wales, and the Australian National University, to work in theatre and for the ABC. He is a novelist, essayist, critic and translator. Adopted as a baby, in 1994 he published A Mother’s Disgrace, an autobiographical account of his experience of adoption, and also edited Australian Gay and Lesbian Writing: an Anthology for OUP. Other books include Turgenev: The Quest for Faith (1980); Picador New Writing (1993, edited with Helen Daniel); A Practical Handbook of Russian Aspects (1994); Night Letters (1996) which was his first novel, and was shortlisted for a number of awards including the Miles Franklin; Secrets (1997, with Amanda Lohrey and Drusilla Modjeska); and

Anthony reflects on an incredibly difficult time in his life, and farewells someone lost to him. In a former life, Anthony Venn-Brown was a high-profile Pentecostal preacher, speaking regularly in Australia’s megachurches, as described in his autobiography, A Life of Unlearning. As the first Australian conversion therapy survivor to tell his story this opened a floodgate of responses from readers with similar experiences. Since 2000, Anthony has worked extensively with people experiencing faith/sexuality conflict and brought greater acceptance and equality in Christian circles. He is the founder and CEO of Ambassadors & Bridge Builders International. Queerstories is an LGBTQIA+ storytelling night programmed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. For Queerstories event dates, visit www.maevemarsden.com, and follow Queerstories on Facebook. The new Queerstories book is published by Hachette Australia, and can be purchased on Booktopia. To support Queerstories, be

Sophie reflects on the ritual of the toothfairy, and on the importance of one's teeth. Sophie features on My Mother's Kitchen, a Queerstories collaboration with Google's Creative Labs: mymotherskitchen.com.au Sophie Harper has worked in film as a director, editor and producer, and in government film institutions, the Australian Film Commission and Screen Australia. In 2009 she moved to Denmark to teach at the European Film College where she was Vice Principal and Documentary Teacher. She is the creator of Not By Accident, a documentary podcast series about becoming a single mother by choice. Sophie is one of the featured storytellers on My Mother’s Kitchen. Queerstories is an LGBTQIA+ storytelling night programmed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. For Queerstories event dates, visit www.maevemarsden.com, and follow Queerstories on Facebook. The new Queerstories book is published by Hachette Australia, and can be purchased on Booktopia. To support Queerstories,

Corrie reflects on the things that can get lost in translation, and on the burdens and responsibilities placed on an immigrant child. Corrie Chen is an award-winning filmmaker and a highly sought-after director of Australian television. Working across comedy and drama, her recent work includes Homecoming Queens, Five Bedrooms, Mustangs FC and Seachange. She is the 2018 Film Victoria's Greg Tepper award recipient for her contributions to the industry. Queerstories is an LGBTQIA+ storytelling night programmed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. For Queerstories event dates, visit www.maevemarsden.com, and follow Queerstories on Facebook. The new Queerstories book is published by Hachette Australia, and can be purchased on Booktopia. To support Queerstories, become a patron at www.patreon.com/ladysingsitbetter And for gay stuff, insomnia rant and photos of my dog Frank follow me - Maeve Marsden - on Twitter and Instagram.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informatio

A story of 3 heartbreaks and the cat who witnessed them all. Monica Zanetti is an AWGIE nominated screenwriter whose past credits include the film “Skin Deep” and the TV shows “Sisters”, “Tonightly with Tom Ballard” and the upcoming channel 10 series “My life is Murder” staring Lucy Lawless. Most recently she just finished writing and directing the High School, LGBT Rom-Com “Ellie & Abbie (&Ellie Dead Aunt). Queerstories is an LGBTQIA+ storytelling night programmed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. For Queerstories event dates, visit www.maevemarsden.com, and follow Queerstories on Facebook. The new Queerstories book is published by Hachette Australia, and can be purchased on Booktopia. To support Queerstories, become a patron at www.patreon.com/ladysingsitbetter And for gay stuff, insomnia rant and photos of my dog Frank follow me - Maeve Marsden - on Twitter and Instagram.See omnystudio.com/listener for

Jean comes out - as a fanfic writer. A nostalgic throwback to simpler times, when representation was out of reach and a young writer found fame - and critique - online. Jean Tong is a Melbourne-based writer. Her previous work includes Hungry Ghosts (Melbourne Theatre Company), Romeo Is Not The Only Fruit (The Coopers Malthouse, MICF), and Anti Hero (Monash Centre for Theatre and Performance). She has also presented at the Emerging Writers’ Festival, and published in Peril Magazine and Meanjin. In 2018, she was selected for Screen Australia’s ‘Developing the Developer’ workshop, and for Film Victoria’s TV and Online Concept lab (Plot Twist). 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 Book

Stand-up comedian and lifelong thespian Charity Werk reflects on how a very straight high school can lead a group of young boys to explore their sexuality and gender expression - all through the magic of musical theatre. Charity Werk is a part-time comedian and a full time natural beauty. Making her debut as a RAW Comedy State Finalist in 2018, Charity has quickly established herself as a star on the rise. Her debut solo show "Community Service" was given an extended season and a nomination for 'Best Comedy' at the Melbourne Fringe. She was recently hand-picked by the Melbourne International Comedy Festival to star in their month-long showcase 'The Comedy Zone'. After performing in the Brisbane and Sydney Comedy Festivals, Charity is glad to be home in Melbourne - earning an honest living, and spending it on takeaway. Queerstories is an LGBTQIA+ storytelling night programmed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. For Queerstories event dates, visit www.maevemarsden.com, and f

Annaliese chronicles the campaign for a Queer Space at the University of Wollongong in 2004, complete with a 48 hour occupation and arrests by riot police. Annaliese Constable is a writer, performer and queer rights activist working across standup, queer performance and theatre. Annaliese is funny for a girl, pretty for a lesbian and when she can afford it very well medicated. You can follow her on Twitter @fistyscent. Annaliese first performed this story at Wollongong Queerstories, supported by Wollongong City Libraries, then again at Giant Dwarf in Sydney the next month. Annaliese will be performing a full-length show, a tragi-comedy called "Perfect Child", at Giant Dwarf in Sydney on October 12th 2019. You can get tickets here. Queerstories is an LGBTQIA+ storytelling night programmed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. For Queerstories event dates, visit www.maevemarsden.com, and follow Queerstories on Facebook. The new Queerstories book is published by Hachette Austra

In the midst of the AIDS crisis, a love affair starts with two young men meeting on an overnight train and ends, a decade later, in a moment of resolute determination amid overwhelming grief and loss. Paul Kidd is a lawyer, activist, writer and troublemaker. He has been living with HIV for more than 30 years and has been a long-time advocate for people with HIV. His work focuses on LGBTIQ rights, law reform and legal and social issues affecting the LGBTIQ and PLHIV communities. He remains passionately committed to queer liberation and vehemently opposed to the neoliberal assimilation of LGBTIQ people. He lives off-grid in central Victoria with his husband, a fellow HIV advocate, and in his day job he works with and fights for vulnerable people as a community lawyer at Fitzroy Legal Service. 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 Queer

Vincent is so busy preparing to volunteer at Camp Out that he almost forgets it's his birthday. Vincent Silk is a writer living in Narrm / Melbourne. His fiction and non fiction has been published in journals Archer, Going Down Swinging, and Seizure. He has been a writer in residence at Next Wave Festival and Firstdraft Gallery, and has made text work for exhibitions at ACCA, Alaska Projects, AutoItalia in London, MIX NYC Festival and Firstdraft. In 2018 he published his first novel, Sisters of No Mercy, an adventure in hysterical realism about friendship and collective action in the context of climate catastrophe. 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 

When meat and three veg meets prawn flan, Kip shares a tale of both creative and romantic collaboration. Kip Chapman was a recipient of the New Zealand Arts Foundation New Generation Award for services to theatre in 2013. He was a core cast member of the Emmy Winning TV drama Top of the Lake, and has also appeared in numerous other film & TV productions. In 2017 he was the Creative Director of the World of Wearable Arts, New Zealand’s biggest annual theatrical event. He is the founder of The Auckland Theatre Awards. 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 Ma

Emma Valente contemplates loneliness, online dating and an unlikely friendship. Emma Valente is the Co-Artistic director and Co-CEO of feminist theatre company THE RABBLE. She is also a director, lighting designer, dramaturg, video designer and occasional trouble maker. Emma has directed works for mainstage festivals and venues around the country, and overseas, she teaches Dramaturgy and Performance Making at Monash University, and she mentors for VCA, Melbourne University, the Pinnacle Foundation and Midsumma Futures. 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 -

In 1995, Pixie was one of the first women to be accepted into the British Racing school in Newmarket in the UK. She reflects on that time, and on the impact she may or may not have had on her industry. Pixie Willo is a writer, reviewer, voice actor and performance poet from the Blue Mountains. For the last three years Pixie has worked as a theatre reviewer and interviewer for the Stages theatre show on 2ser as well as creating audio packages for Gay Panic. She is currently a member of the Playwrights of Parramatta dramaturgical group at The Riverside Theatre and works as a creative writer for Entertainment Blue Mountains. Pixie has had two plays chosen for the Short and Sweet playwriting festival, and she also runs the Off-Beat poetry slam in the Blue Mountains and was a finalist in the 2013 National Poetry slam. She is in her final year Studying a BA in Theatre, Performance and Creative Writing at UNE. Queerstories is an LGBTQI+ storytelling night programmed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events around Austr

At 71, Joy's Dad gets a Facebook account, and it changes their family forever. Joy Ng opened The Bearded Tit 4 years ago with two friends as a place for the Redfern, artistic and queer community to congregate, experiment and dance together. Her investment in diversifying and creating space for Sydney’s alternative nightlife sees her also sit on the City of Sydney’s new Nightlife and Culture Advisory Panel. 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. &n