Queerstories

Kristian shares an homage to his mother, his greatest ally as a young boy growing up in Western Sydney. Kristian Reyes is a queer, wog, socialist who grew up south of the Gong. For paid labour, he works in the anti-violence sector and has worked across Sydney in education and youth health for the past 13 years. During this time, he has also volunteered with Twenty10, the Gay and Lesbian Counselling Service as well as most recently, with Camp Out. Outside of these hours, Kristian seems to find himself making YouTube videos with his mum, enjoying suburban Earlwood life and navigating a seemingly shy persona with strong and stubborn opinions about the world. 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 on Booktopia. To support Queerstories, become a patron at&

Last year, Eloise rebooted one of the longest running transgender newsletters in Australia - Polare. She reflects on her expectations, what she learnt about her community's history, and whether you really can fight nazis with newsletters. Eloise Brook is a writer, advocate and academic. Her current researchprojects include; trans people in public health and developing models formedia representation of trans in the Media. Ella also works at the GenderCentre. 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 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.

Three years before she transitioned genders, Cadance was a fat, depressed guy buying weed from bikie gangs and nursing a near killer blood clot. Then came a surprising chat. Cadance Bell is a writer and filmmaker. Her new documentary film The Rainbow Passage, a co-production with Screen Australia, airs next year on Channel Ten. The film, which Cady also directed, follows her and her wiggly bottomed fiance Amanda across a year in their gender transitions. Cady loves Pokemon Go, short walks to the fridge and the swell challenges of girlifying. Except not having pockets anymore. She really misses pockets. 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 on Booktopia. To support Queerstories, become a patron at www.patreon.com/ladysingsitbetter And for gay stu

Felicity considers the stories from her life she could share, but ultimately decides to make her slam poetry debut at Queerstories. Felicity Nicol is an award-winning director. Since graduating from NIDA, her career highlights include directing at The Sydney Opera House, creating a one-on-one performance for audiences in a moving car, directing a non-verbal performative memorial via clowning, beer and a slide-show, and co-directing Take My Hand, where she married strangers for ten minutes in Copenhagen. Felicity is a recipient of an Australia Council for the Arts Grant, an Ian Potter Grant, a Mike Walsh Fellowship, and she won the 2018 Sandra Bates Directors Award at Ensemble Theatre. 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 on Booktopia. To suppor

Hajer grew up with fairytales and fantasies, but adullt life brings its own adventures, with speakeasy bars, class exchanges and one confused baby queer.  Hajer is an emerging writer and performer. From short stories to essays to plays, her work flirts with themes of womanhood particularly within Arab diaspora identity formation. She is currently interrogating and experimenting with feminine and masculine archetypal traditions, within folklore, fairy-tale and fable style storytelling. She most recently made her screen writing and acting debut in the all new ABC webseries ‘Halal Gurls’ exclusively on ABC Iview.  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 on Booktopia. To support Queerstories, become a patron at www.patreon.com/la

A story of love, loss, and lifelong wounds. Amy Middleton is a Melbourne-based journalist and founder of Archer Magazine. Amy has written and edited for dozens of magazines, produced radio for 3CR and Joy FM, and been nominated for Young Australian of the Year. She also plays AFL footy and collects interesting editions of Alice in Wonderland. 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 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 morality tale, or perhaps a fairytale, about Sydney, self-love and manhunt.com AJ Lamarque is a Sydney-based Queer comedian who's performed across Sydney including a solo show, ‘Queerly Beloved’, and appearances at a bunch of variety nights. With a mission to increase queer voices in the comedy scene AJ produces popular, queer-storytelling podcast Dungeons & Drag Kweens and the regular comedy night Kweens of Comedy on Oxford Street. 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 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

Fiona Wright ponders the reasons people never seem to know she's queer. Fiona Wright is a writer, editor and critic. Her book of essays Small Acts of Disappearance won the 2016 Kibble Award and the Queensland Literary Award for non-fiction. Her poetry collections are Knuckled, which won the 2012 Dame Mary Gilmore Award, and Domestic Interior, which was shortlisted for the 2018 Prime Minister’s Literary Award. Her new essay collection is The World Was Whole. 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 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.

Alison Whittaker pens a queer Aboriginal love letter to Barnaby Joyce and long-standing Gunnedah haven, the Chip Inn. Alison Whittaker is a Gomeroi writer and lawyer born and raised in Gunnedah. She is Senior Researcher at the Jumbunna Institute. From 2017-18, she was a Fulbright recipient at Harvard Law, where she was Dean’s Scholar in Race, Gender and Criminal Law. Alison’s latest book, BLAKWORK (Magabala 2018), was shortlisted for the Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards and the Prime Minister’s Literary Awards, and received the Queensland Literary Award for Poetry. @AJ_Whittaker 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 on Booktopia. To support Queerstories, become a patron at www.patreon.com/ladysingsitbetter And for gay

Mystery reflects on her family history, on the power of DNA and on her relationship with her mother. Mystery Carnage has recently made the smelter change and moved to Port Kembla with her partner Nellie and cat Queenie. After working at Apple for 5 years and as a graphic artist for 20 years before that, she now spends a fair amount of time gardening, doing woodwork or at ALDI and Bunnings. She was a singer with the 80s band the Stray Dags, is a 78er and has shown her artwork in shared and solo exhibitions at several galleries in Australia and NZ. 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 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 

Comedian Kirsty Webeck remembers the heady days of high school. Kirsty Webeck entered the Australian comedy circuit in 2013 in an unconventional way. After doing a five minute set at the end of a comedy workshop she, having never heard of an open mic room, launched straight into writing and performing a full length show. She’s a regular guest on ABC radio and in 2018, she was the featured comedian on an episode of The ABC’s “Tonightly With Tom Ballard.” She also toured regional WA in 2019 with the Melbourne International Comedy Festival Roadshow, and opened for Joel Creasey at sold out shows at the Enmore Theatre in Sydney and The Astor Theatre in Perth. 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 on Booktopia. To support Queerstori

A teenage Nina Oyama tries her hand at assimilating into white North Shore culture in Sydney. It doesn't work out. Nina Oyama is a stand up comic, writer, actress and worm girl who needs you and loves you and will hold you in her arms, upon request. She has performed all around Australia and has written for radio, stage and TV. She was a writer on Tonightly with Tom Ballard, appeared as Courtney on Utopia on ABC, and is also writer/director of comedy web series The Angus Project which was part of ABC's Fresh Blood 2017 initiative. 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 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 an

When you have a nemesis, you seek revenge via whatever means you can - according to Patrick Lenton, that's queer culture. Patrick Lenton is a writer and author based in Sydney. He is the Editor of Junkee, and has published a book of short stories called A Man Made Entirely of Bats and a book of essays called Uncle Hercules and Other Lies. 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 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.

Roz ponders that great modern conundrum: the problematic fave. Roz Bellamy is a freelance writer, researcher, and educator. Their work has appeared in Archer Magazine, The Big Issue, Daily Life, Huffington Post, Junkee, Kill Your Darlings, Meanjin, and SBS. They won the Stonnington Prize for Poetry in 2016 and their memoir writing was shortlisted for the Scribe Nonfiction Prize. You can read their writing at www.rozbellamy.com. 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 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/priva

Bastian is trying to understand why they keep taking photos of the stove. So, they decide to write about it. Bastian Fox Phelan is a writer, musician and zinemaker who lives in Newcastle on the land of the Awabakal people. They were shortlisted for the 2017 Scribe Nonfiction Prize, their writing has been published in The Lifted Brow, Runway, Scum Magazine and Tincture Journal, and they’re currently working on a literary memoir signed to Giramonda Publishing. Bastian works with Museum of Contemporary Art Australia and National Young Writers’ Festival to deliver their popular Zine Fair events, and they are part of dream pop duo Moonsign, who just released an album about grief and climate change on Yes Rave records. 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 on

Dr Senthorun Raj discusses how his queer career as a glitter radiatingacademic lawyer began with childhood fantasies of being Xena and SailorMoon. Dr Senthorun Raj is a Lecturer in Law at Keele University and is passionate about glitter, pop culture, politics, and social justice. Sen’s academic and activist work takes an intersectional approach to addressing the ways law deals with the lives of queer minorities. He is the chair of Black Gold Arts and serves on the board of Amnesty International UK. Prior to taking up a lectureship in the UK, Sen was a Scholar in Residence at NYU School of Law’s Center for Human Rights and Global Justice and a Churchill Fellow. He has also worked as the Senior Policy Advisor for the NSW Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby and served on the boards of Amnesty International Australia and ACON Health. Queerstories is an LGBTQIA+ storytelling night programmed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. For Queerstories event dates, visit www.maevem

Erin finds a great, great love. Soon after she decides to get married, she has dinner in Lakemba with her parents. By day, Erin Riley’s a social worker - having spent most of the last decade working in community aged care. By night, Erin’s a skivvy-wearing fanatic, a Scandinavian crime drama aficionado, Americana folk music-listener and a real kitchen top. A dedicated reader, wrestling fan, swimmer of laps and lover of food, in a former life Erin was an aspiring golfer, and once was an editor of UNSW’s student newspaper, Tharunka. She’s regained a love of writing after devouring Fiona Wright’s back catalogue, Alexander Chee’s short stories and finishing Rebecca Makkai’s The Great Believers in almost one bite. Queerstories is an award-winning national LGBTQI+ storytelling night created 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 Queerstories b

Musician Marcus Whale shares a prepubescent story of online romance, distance and self-discovery. Marcus Whale is a musician and performer working on Gadigal land. As a performer, he is a member of duo Collarbones and trio BV, as well as work under his own name, releasing an album "Inland Sea" in June 2016. Primarily forming an electronic world around his singing, the songs across these projects play out dramas of desire and projection while disfiguring forms of pop, club and contemporary classical music. 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 Inst

A multicultural recipe for multicultural times, this piece was inspired by Paul's interviews for My Mother's Kitchen, a Queerstories collaboration with Google's Creative Labs: mymotherskitchen.com.au Paul van Reyk was born in Sri Lanka in 1952, migrating to Australia with his family in 1962. He came out publicly in 1978, and has spent the subsequent four decades as an activist. He has been a regular media commentator over that time, writing on gay and HIV/AIDS history, racism in the gay community and LGBTQI families. A social worker by profession, Paul also manages his own consultancy company, and blogs regularly about food, family, activism and his dogs. 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

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