Thank you for being an integral part of the inaugural Feminist Writers Festival. As you know, we held our Networking Day on Friday 26 August, followed by two days of public programming held in partnership with Melbourne Writers Festival.
The festival was a huge success. Tickets to our Networking Day sold out over a month in advance of the festival, and all five of the public MWF sessions were at capacity.
It was heartening to see that our audience drew from such a diverse range of backgrounds, including an impressive age spread ranging from high school students to women in their seventies. The intergenerational conversations that took place were a very special feature of the Networking Day, and were also reflected in the hugely popular public MWF session, Feminism Then & Now with Anne Summers, Yassmin Abdel-Magied and Sophie Cunningham.
We have been busy updating our website with photos from the Networking Day and with links to the podcasts of many of the sessions, kindly recorded by JOY 94.9’s Broad. You can also find media coverage of the festival collected on our website for easy reading.
We hope you’ll keep in touch. We look forward to sharing what’s next for FWF.
Recommended Reading
- Bookish: Shakira Hussein – On this week’s episode of ABC’s Bookish, Shakira Hussein discusses our session Muslim Feminism and her book, From Victims to Suspects, which explores the changing perception of Muslim women since September 11.
- Urthboy speaks out against sexism with Father’s Day release – In her first article as the new Deputy Culture Editor at the Guardian Australia, FWF Committee Member Stephanie Convery focuses on Australian rapper Urthboy‘s decision to take a strong stand against sexism and sexual harassment at his gigs.
- Nina Funnell: an agent of change – Nina Funnell has committed to spending a year reporting on rape culture in Australia, including her recent exposé on the “sick pornography ring” where men and boys are sharing photos of Australian girls without their consent. Amy Gray speaks to Funnell for the QVWC.
- It’s time to dispel the myth that women’s choices cause the gender pay gap – Celeste Liddle reflects on Equal Pay Day and finds that, despite claims to the contrary, women actually do request a pay rise just as often as men; they are just less likely to receive one.
- How I added my voice to the war cry of millions of women who have given birth before me – Clementine Ford shares her recent experience of giving birth to her first child. We send our warmest congratulations to Clem and her partner.
- There is no defence for failing to pay players in the AFL women’s league a living wage – Erin Riley writes about the AFL’s announcement that it will be launching a women’s league in 2017 and the shameful fact that it doesn’t intend to pay the players a full time living wage or to provide them with health insurance.
Upcoming Events
- Contemporary Australian Feminist Poetry will launch next week at Collected Works Bookshop, with readings from some of the anthology’s contributors. 6pm, Thursday 15 September, Melbourne.
- Spinifex Press celebrates 25 years of feminist publishing today with a two-day event, That’s Radical Feminism, at the Lithuanian Club, North Melbourne.
- Sisters in Crime will hold its 25th Anniversary Convention – SheKilda 3: A one-day crime spree. 19 November, St Kilda Town Hall.
- The Victoria Women’s Trust’s Breakthrough is a gender equality event featuring 100 speakers, ‘bringing big ideas, leading thinkers and passionate change-makers to the fore.’ 25–26 November, Melbourne.
- The World Without Birds: A musical fable by Christine Croyden play 26 October–6 November at La Mama Courthouse.
Feminist Writers Festival 