Queerstories

Adrian recalls a formative encounter with a boy at school, and reflects on how their memories of fighting intersects with their experiences of gender.Adrian Mouhajer is a non-binary lesbian Lebanese writer, fighter, and all-around class clown that never really grew out of it. They specialise in over-sharing and giving good hugs which surprisingly comes in handy when they fight because they prefer grappling over striking. They currently work at ACON as a Program Coordinator of Safety, Inclusion, and Justice, and they continuously overshare in a bid to promote having conversations regarding subjects normally viewed as too much for a Maccas drive-thru.Queerstories an award-winning LGBTQI+ storytelling project directed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events around Australia. For more information, visit www.queerstories.com.au 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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mary tells a story she's well-versed in, one I’ve told herself in one form or another for as long as she can remember, but she reimagines it for where she is now.Mary Duong is a filmmaker and video artist. She created and co-wrote queer drama web series, ‘TWO WEEKS’, which premiered at Brisbane Queer Film Festival 2018, and won Best Web Series at the SAE ATOM Awards 2018. Through the Screen Queensland/SBS Unscripted initiative, she produced and co-wrote ‘BANANAS’, which was an official selection into SXSW Film Festival and Inside Out LGBT Film Festival in 2020. In 2019, she was selected to the Screen Producers Australia Ones to Watch program. Queerstories an award-winning LGBTQI+ storytelling project directed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events around Australia. For more information, visit www.queerstories.com.au 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/ladysingsitbetterAnd for gay stuff and insomnia rants follow Maeve Marsden on Twitter and Instagram. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Madeleine recalls the markedly different approaches her family members took to chatting to her about disability.Award-winning comedian Madeleine Stewart has performed with the likes of Adam Hills, Rove McManus and Andrew Denton. A hilarious turn on ABC Tonightly with NDIS Fails showcased her ground-breaking exploration of disability and social norms. Practicing what she preaches, Madeleine won the AMP Tomorrowmaker award for her production of inclusive, accessible comedy show Crips & Creeps. With shows at the Sydney Fringe and Sydney Comedy Festival, Madeleine is rising fast, with no sign of slowing down.Queerstories an award-winning LGBTQI+ storytelling project directed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events around Australia. For more information, visit www.queerstories.com.au 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/ladysingsitbetterAnd for gay stuff and insomnia rants follow Maeve Marsden on Twitter and Instagram. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gary writes a letter to an idol and hopes it may one day reach her...Gary Lonesborough is a Yuin writer, who grew up on the Far South Coast of NSW as part of a large and proud Aboriginal family. Growing up a massive Kylie Minogue and North Queensland Cowboys fan, Gary was always writing as a child, and continued his creative journey when he moved to Sydney to study at film school. Gary has experience working in Aboriginal health, the disability sector (including experience working in the youth justice system) and the film industry, including working on the feature film adaptation of Jasper Jones. His debut YA novel, THE BOY FROM THE MISH, was published by Allen & Unwin in February 2021.Queerstories an award-winning LGBTQI+ storytelling project directed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events around Australia. For more information, visit www.queerstories.com.au 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/ladysingsitbetterAnd for gay stuff and insomnia rants follow Maeve Marsden on Twitter and Instagram. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Raised on American culture, AJ trades in the high-rises of his council estate for the rolling hills of the Bay Area and the cramped, densely populated ends of London for the seemingly never-ending mansions of campus life.Making the NSW Raw Comedy State Finals in 2020, AJ Lamarque has written for a number of TV productions (currently being developed), and has appeared on podcasts such as Wax Quizzical, Dungeons & Drag Queers, and I Speak Giant as well as being a regular contributor for Justin Hamilton’s Big Squid series. You may have seen AJ at The Comedy Store, the Sydney Comedy Festival Showcase and Best of the Fest shows, The Comedy Lounge, PAXAUS and Comic Con, just to name a few.Queerstories an award-winning LGBTQI+ storytelling project directed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events around Australia. For more information, visit www.queerstories.com.au 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/ladysingsitbetterAnd for gay stuff and insomnia rants follow Maeve Marsden on Twitter and Instagram. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

An excerpt from Peter's work in progress about his mother, a midwife runs through a village trying to find the person birthing.Peter Polites is a novelist from Western Sydney. He has written two queer noirs, Down the Hume and The Pillars, which won the 2020 NSW Premier’s Multicultural Literary Award. He also won the 2020 Woollahra Digital Literature Prize for Fiction. In 2021 he was the ACT Writer in Residence at UNSW Canberra and working on his third novel, God Forgets About the Poor.Queerstories an award-winning LGBTQI+ storytelling project directed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events around Australia. For more information, visit www.queerstories.com.au 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/ladysingsitbetterAnd for gay stuff and insomnia rants follow Maeve Marsden on Twitter and Instagram. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As a child growing up in rural England, Jo discovers the queer God in unexpected places.Josephine Inkpin is the first openly and fully recognised transgender Anglican priest in Australia, now currently working as Minister of Pitt Street Uniting Church in Sydney. Chair of Equal Voices, the national network of LGBTIQ+ Christians and allies, Jo has also been a prominent leader in inter-faith, multicultural, Reconciliation and other justice activities over many years. Originally from England, and later described as a ‘Dangerous Woman of Queensland’, she lives with her wife Penny and shares the joy of children and grandchildren.Queerstories an award-winning LGBTQI+ storytelling project directed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events around Australia. For more information, visit www.queerstories.com.au 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/ladysingsitbetterAnd for gay stuff and insomnia rants follow Maeve Marsden on Twitter and Instagram. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Glace's attempt to walk the opening ceremony goes pear-shaped despite, or perhaps because of, encounters with Sasha Velour, Xtina and Nicki Minaj.Glace Chase is an award winning multi-disciplinary “trans-queen” / performer / playwright / comedienne / screenwriter / tour guide / bon vivant. Glace created the world’s first Drag Queen Tour Guide business – Dream Queen Tours – named “Best Alternative Tour” by the International Travel & Hospitality Awards. As a playwright Glace has won two Griffin Awards and the Queensland Premier’s Literary Award, and has been shortlisted for almost every playwriting award in Australia. Glace’s play Triple X, which she created, wrote and stars in, was recently seen at the Queensland Theatre and is about to open at Sydney Theatre Company. The play has earned her a 2021 Susan Smith Blackburn Award nomination as well as being shortlisted for the Nick Enright Prize for playwriting. She also has a limited television series in development entitled Falleni and will premiere her latest solo show Glace’s Big Things later this year. Queerstories an award-winning LGBTQI+ storytelling project directed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events around Australia. For more information, visit www.queerstories.com.au 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/ladysingsitbetterAnd for gay stuff and insomnia rants follow Maeve Marsden on Twitter and Instagram. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Yalda shares his journey from Iran to Australia as a refugee.Yalda is an Iranian queer man, Radical Faerie, DJ, musician, poet, activist, and masseur. Now a Lismore local, Yalda grew up surrounded by lush green nature in the north of Iran, near the Caspian Sea. He attended an Islamic High School and his experiences in Iran led him to develop a strong passion for human rights and protesting injustice. Two things guide him in life; music and massage. He uses both to work on the spirit, soul, body, heart, and mind. He loves nothing more than to make people dance, jump, scream, and feel pure joy all night long with his DJ controller.Queerstories an award-winning LGBTQI+ storytelling project directed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events around Australia. For more information, visit www.queerstories.com.au 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/ladysingsitbetterAnd for gay stuff and insomnia rants follow Maeve Marsden on Twitter and Instagram. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sophie likes playing with tools...she finds a beautiful way to share that passion with others.Sophie Wilksch is the Director of Shedding Community Workshop Inc, a not-for-profit organisation located in Mullumbimby. Sophie has 10 years experience in sustainable architecture, building and carpentry and established the workshop in May 2018. Sophie is trained in non-violent communication and Mental Health First Aid. Shedding Community Workshop offers a safe space and haven, aiming to share life skills with all people: shedding preconceptions, shedding fears, celebrating mistakes and emotions.Queerstories an award-winning LGBTQI+ storytelling project directed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events around Australia. For more information, visit www.queerstories.com.au 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/ladysingsitbetterAnd for gay stuff and insomnia rants follow Maeve Marsden on Twitter and Instagram. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After leaving Chile for Australia as a child, Huey has persistent questions about where he comes from, til a family secret is revealed that changes everything.Huey Acuna aka Ru Bella came to Australia from Chile in 1975 as a refugee with his family of 6. Huey has been performing as a Drag Queen for the past 15 years, and has been performing more broadly since 1988 including stage, TV and events, as well as teaching singing and dancing.Queerstories an award-winning LGBTQI+ storytelling project directed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events around Australia. For more information, visit www.queerstories.com.au 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/ladysingsitbetterAnd for gay stuff and insomnia rants follow Maeve Marsden on Twitter and Instagram. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jex shares a story about healing from trauma through therapy and music while working as a children's performer in regional NSW.Jex Lopez is mostly known amongst queers as a singer songwriting pianist. A vaudevillian cabaret noir artist, her music and style is intrinsically tied to her identity as a queer Latina Meztiça with Portuguese Indian heritage. Jex creates unconventional and elaborate costumes and projections to accompany her unique sound stories. She released her irreverent debut album ‘Playing Dead’ in 2018. She now works part time as a primary school music teacher and, since covid, spends a lot of time making visual art for her Lino print business JexCuts. Across all of her creative practice, she makes beauty from the shadows and finds theatre and joy where we could easily despair. Queerstories an award-winning LGBTQI+ storytelling project directed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events around Australia. For more information, visit www.queerstories.com.au 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/ladysingsitbetterAnd for gay stuff and insomnia rants follow Maeve Marsden on Twitter and Instagram. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Through their encounters with ghosts - sexual, familial, always magical - Peter questions what is real, and finds such encounters are more common than you'd think.Peter Lehner lives in the rainbow region and travels to connect with communities. Their many years of experience includes acting, directing and production of short films, TV, theatre and cabaret. Best known for their work with choirs and singing, the Universal Peace Federation, a worldwide, non-profit organization founded to advance the cause of peace locally and worldwide, honoured Peter with a “Living for Others” Award. The Sydney Morning Herald chose Peter as one of “Sydney’s Top 100 Influencial People” in 2009. Peter was honoured to receive Lismore’s Australia Day Award for Community Service in 2011. Queerstories an award-winning LGBTQI+ storytelling project directed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events around Australia. For more information, visit www.queerstories.com.au 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/ladysingsitbetterAnd for gay stuff and insomnia rants follow Maeve Marsden on Twitter and Instagram. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Soon after moving to Naarm, Travis moves into a sharehouse in Footscray, finding a sense of belonging that inspires him to research his local family history.Travis Larcombe is a local queer writer and proud resident of Tuggeranong. They have been writing funny, sad and inspiring stories since they were old enough to pick up a crayon. Their work has previously been published in SBS Voices, The Chaser, and Perspektif magazine.Queerstories an award-winning LGBTQI+ storytelling project directed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events around Australia. For more information, visit www.queerstories.com.au 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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Yenn shares a story about contending with their past.Yenn Purkiss is an autistic and non-binary author, advocate, public speaker and community leader. They also have a diagnosis of schizophrenia. They are the author of nine published books on elements of autism and blog regularly. Yenn is a public speaker of almost 20 years’ experience and has presented at a range of events including for TEDx Canberra in 2013. Yenn facilitates an autism support group which has been running since 2011. They have a number of awards for their work including the 2016 ACT Volunteer of the Year and 2019 ACT Chief Minister’s Inclusion Award.Queerstories an award-winning LGBTQI+ storytelling project directed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events around Australia. For more information, visit www.queerstories.com.au 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/ladysingsitbetterAnd for gay stuff and insomnia rants follow Maeve Marsden on Twitter and Instagram. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When Joo-Inn and her brother meet Liz from the crematorium their grief turns to delirium as they try to plan their father's funeral.Joo-Inn Chew is a writer and doctor working in general practice and refugee health. She has had short stories, memoir and poetry published in various anthologies, most recently 'Growing Up Queer in Australia' and 'These Strange Outcrops: Writing and Art from Canberra'. She lives in Canberra with her partner and two children.Queerstories an award-winning LGBTQI+ storytelling project directed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events around Australia. For more information, visit www.queerstories.com.au 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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Feeling disconnected from her body, Krissy signs up for a burlesque class.Krissy Kneen is the author of the bestselling memoir Affection; the novels Steeplechase, Triptych, The Adventures of Holly White and the Incredible Sex Machine; and the Thomas Shapcott Award–winning poetry collection Eating My Grandmother. Her novel An Uncertain Grace was shortlisted for the Stella Prize, the Norma K Hemming Award and the Aurealis awards, while Wintering was longlisted for the Colin Roderick Award and shortlisted for the Davitt Award and the QLA for Fiction and A Work of State Significance. She is currently developing two TV series and a feature film. She is the current Copyright Agency Ltd Non-Fiction Fellow. Queerstories an award-winning LGBTQI+ storytelling project directed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events around Australia. For more information, visit www.queerstories.com.au 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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rebecca leans in to the trope of lesbians and cats, adopting not one but seven to appease her animal loving wife.Rebecca Starford is the author Bad Behaviour: A Memoir of Bullying and Boarding School and novel The Imitator. She is the Co-founder and Publishing Director of Kill Your Darlings magazine and a former editor at Text Publishing and Affirm Press. Bad Behaviour is currently in development with Matchbox Pictures for adaptation into a TV series. Rebecca recently completed a PhD at the University of Queensland, where she has taught creative writing.Queerstories an award-winning LGBTQI+ storytelling project directed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events around Australia. For more information, visit www.queerstories.com.au 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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Alistair briefly dates a man who tries multiple times to convert him to his cult.Alistair Baldwin is a writer, comedian, thought leader and sometimes blonde. He has written for The Weekly, Hard Quiz, Get Krack!n and At Home Alone Together. He is a member of experimental comedy duo Nemeses with Vidya Rajan. He has been published in Metro, Archer, The Guardian and ACMI Ideas – and is a contributor to Growing Up Disabled In Australia.Queerstories an award-winning LGBTQI+ storytelling project directed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events around Australia. For more information, visit www.queerstories.com.au 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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kaya goes hiking with his mother in the Himalayas, an extract from his memoir As Beautiful As Any Other: a memoir of my body, published by Pan McMillan in 2021.Kaya Wilson is a writer and tsunami scientist whose work has been published widely. In 2019, Kaya was the recipient of the Writing NSW Varuna Fellowship where he completed his first book As Beautiful as Any Other: A memoir of my body, published by Pan Macmillan.Queerstories an award-winning LGBTQI+ storytelling project directed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events around Australia. For more information, visit www.queerstories.com.au 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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hayden shares his experience being the first transgender person to compete in Irish Dancing competitions in so-called "Australia".Hayden Moon is an out and proud 26 year old Queer, legally blind, transmasculine person. He is a PhD candidate in Theatre and Performance Studies at the University of Sydney, a Pinnacle Foundation Scholar and a competitive Irish dancer. In any spare time he can find, he advocates for the LGBTQIA+, disabled and First Nations communities through his roles in various activist collectives. He also consults with LGBTQIA+ organisations such as ACON and The LGBTI Health Alliance. In 2020, Hayden was awarded the Out For The Next Generation – Student of the Year award in Out For Australia’s 30 Under 30 Awards. Queerstories an award-winning LGBTQI+ storytelling project directed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events around Australia. For more information, visit www.queerstories.com.au 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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joe shares a moving story of family, love, dance and Parkinson's Disease.Joe Levitt moved to Australia from America in 1996 at the age of 36. He recently retired from work in clinical trials, but has also been a dance instructor, flight attendant, registered nurse, pharmaceutical rep, and bartender. When not contemplating what to be when he grows up, he can be found biking, swimming, at the dog park, or dancing with his husband.Queerstories an award-winning LGBTQI+ storytelling project directed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events around Australia. For more information, visit www.queerstories.com.au 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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the mid-90s, balancing the hedonism of being embedded in the queer community with the formalities of her growing profile as a writer, Fiona takes a memorable trip to Queensland.Fiona Kelly McGregor has published seven books, most recently the essay collection Buried not dead. Her novel Indelible Ink won the Age Book of the Year. Her other books include the photoessay A Novel Idea, travel memoir Strange Museums, short story collection Suck My Toes/Dirt, which won the Steele Rudd Award, and the underground classic chemical palace. Fiona is also known for an extensive repertoire of performance art with a focus on the body, duration and endurance. She has been active in Sydney’s queer culture since 1990.  Queerstories an award-winning LGBTQI+ storytelling project directed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events around Australia. For more information, visit www.queerstories.com.au 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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A brief career as some sort of cult leader lands a young Tamara in trouble after she preaches self-discovery from the top of the school slippery dip.Tamara Natt (she/her) is a queer poet, essayist and playwright living with her wife and the local bird gangs on the semi-rural Australian coastline. Spanning her beat poetry play ALPHA (Edinburgh Fringe Festival) to A Letter to Everyone I Have Ever Met, an online project that interrogates the significance of first impressions, her work is deeply personal, highly political and brutally romantic.Queerstories an award-winning LGBTQI+ storytelling project directed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events around Australia. For more information, visit www.queerstories.com.au 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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A queer reboot of the Arthurian table of legend, but this time with lesbians, drag queens and a ghost.Brendan Hancock is a Sydney based comedian who is well-known on the scene. You've heard him on FBi radio, seen him host the rave-reviewed Two Queers Walk Into a Bar at Giant Dwarf Theatre, and as the resident MC of Darlo Underground at Darlinghurst Theatre. Not one to let 2020 get him down, he also co-produced the Two Queers Festival, Australia’s first queer comedy festival! Already a crowd fave and "everything we didn't know we needed'' (Time Out Sydney), Brendan recently spent all of January with his dog Sam and had a nice time. Queerstories an award-winning LGBTQI+ storytelling project directed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events around Australia. For more information, visit www.queerstories.com.au 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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rosie doesn't have great luck with showing vulnerability in the world of romance. Here are but a few embarrassing calamities from a life well (read: poorly) lived.Rosie Piper is Australia’s premier transgender lesbian comedian*. “A long-running favourite of Sydney’s comedy scene, you might’ve seen Rosie perform her stand-up at the Sydney Opera House, Enmore Theatre, on Tonightly, at Splendour in the Grass or just at gigs all around the country, supporting the likes of Wil Anderson and Zoe Coombs Marr. More likely though, you’ve seen her at a KFC somewhere shovelling popcorn chicken into her face with gay abandon.*maybeQueerstories an award-winning LGBTQI+ storytelling project directed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events around Australia. For more information, visit www.queerstories.com.au 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/ladysingsitbetterAnd for gay stuff and insomnia rants follow Maeve Marsden on Twitter and Instagram. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Frances shares a story of migration, Mills and Boon, and a daughter finally recognising her mother.By day, Frances Lockie is a public servant turned corporate sellout clinging desperately to the vestiges of her soul by working on human services projects. By night, she is a mouthy dork who has strong opinions about pro wrestling, One Direction, and sex playlists. Her first crush was Joey McIntyre from New Kids on the Block.Queerstories an award-winning LGBTQI+ storytelling project directed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events around Australia. For more information, visit www.queerstories.com.au 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/ladysingsitbetterAnd for gay stuff and insomnia rants follow Maeve Marsden on Twitter and Instagram. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Imogen reflects on bodies, history, gender and connection, remembering her mother, an ex-partner and her childhood.Imogen Kelly is a performance artist, writer, director and producer. Hailing from the queer underground, Imogen is renowned as Australia’s Queen of Burlesque and was officially crowned World Queen of Burlesque in 2012 (Burlesque Hall of Fame, Las Vegas). A La Clique/ La Soiree veteran and creator of award winning burlesque theatre shows, Imogen has performed in The Sydney Opera House, Sydney Festival, Adelaide Cabaret Festival, Vivid Festival, The New York Burlesque Festival, The Noumea Burlesque Festival, Helsinki Burlesque Festival, Prague, New Orleans, Dallas, Austin, Toronto, Hamburg, Berlin and beyond. During COVID Imogen has been making short films of her performance pieces and is preparing for an exhibition in late 2021. This year she is launching three shows in Sydney including The La La Parlour, a quarterly variety night, Herstory- The Walls Are Talking- a trip through the history of Australia’s Red Light district as told by the women who worked there, and a gargantuan celebration of her life’s work in a retrospective later in the year.Queerstories an award-winning LGBTQI+ storytelling project directed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events around Australia. For more information, visit www.queerstories.com.au 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/ladysingsitbetterAnd for gay stuff and insomnia rants follow Maeve Marsden on Twitter and Instagram. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dan shares a story about his relationship to smoking, and its connection to family, community and his sense of self.Dan Murphy is a DJ and filmmaker, and is not to be confused with the liquor shop, although they both are full of cheap booze. He's been the opening DJ for Cher, Kylie and Dannii Minogue, created community videos for marriage equality, GetUp! and Mardi Gras, and was a regular columnist for QX Magazine and Same Same.Queerstories an award-winning LGBTQI+ storytelling project directed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events around Australia. For more information, visit www.queerstories.com.au 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/ladysingsitbetterAnd for gay stuff and insomnia rants follow Maeve Marsden on Twitter and Instagram. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After a stark realisation that childhood dreams aren't always the best realities, Trent decides to move to Meanjin. Trent Wallace lives on Gadigal country and is a First Nations Advisor and Pro Bono Lawyer in a global law firm - the first and only Aboriginal person to hold this position. Prior to this, Trent was the first Aboriginal lawyer on the Disability Royal Commission and was with Australian Government Solicitor. In between these positions, he developed postgraduate course content that equips budding lawyers with the culturally safe and correct techniques required to work effectively with mob - another first. A serious Haigh's aficionado and pop culture quoter, he sums himself up as being a mostly sane left handed, chubby, queer, Aboriginal male who is addicted to firsts and beating the odds to pave the way for young mob coming through.Queerstories an award-winning LGBTQI+ storytelling project directed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events around Australia. For more information, visit www.queerstories.com.au 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/ladysingsitbetterAnd for gay stuff and insomnia rants follow Maeve Marsden on Twitter and Instagram. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Evie tells a tale about learning how to ride through transition. Evie Ryder is a Skateboarder, Trans Female, pansexual, Film maker, Community activist .She has 20 years social work experience working with LGBTIQAP+ Sistergirl and Brotherboy people and communities. Evie has a history of working in AOD, mental health, sexual health, group work and training. Evie is passionate about visibility and empowerment of all parts of the community. Biggest Achievement for 2020 being voted as a Trans Activist of the year. Queerstories an award-winning LGBTQI+ storytelling project directed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events around Australia. For more information, visit www.queerstories.com.au 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/ladysingsitbetterAnd for gay stuff and insomnia rants follow Maeve Marsden on Twitter and Instagram. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Yen-Rong attempts to let go of a decade-long grudge over a missing atlas. Yen-Rong Wong is a writer of of non-fiction based in Meanjin (Brisbane), on unceded Jaggera and Turrbal land. Her work has appeared in many print and online publications, including The Guardian, Meanjin, and Griffith Review, and she is currently working on her first full length manuscript, Things Left Unsaid. Queerstories an award-winning LGBTQI+ storytelling project directed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events around Australia. For more information, visit www.queerstories.com.au 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/ladysingsitbetterAnd for gay stuff and insomnia rants follow Maeve Marsden on Twitter and Instagram. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fletcher's obsession with a particular piece of rainbow paraphernalia drives this radiographer round the bend. Fletcher Quilty was found face-down in a lovely bog when grunge was on the rise. He writes short-stories, poetry, and theatre. His words can be found in Jacaranda Journal, The Tundish Review, Sugarcane, PASTEL Magazine, and occasionally on a stage. By day (and also by night—it's shift work) Fletcher is a radiographer with Queensland Health. He still smells of peat.Queerstories an award-winning LGBTQI+ storytelling project directed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events around Australia. For more information, visit www.queerstories.com.au 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/ladysingsitbetterAnd for gay stuff and insomnia rants follow Maeve Marsden on Twitter and Instagram. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Roj tells a story about going out, and about the sacred wonder of a queer bar. Roj Amedi is a writer, strategist and human rights campaigner. She is currently the Engagement and Communications Manager at Justice Connect, where she leads a team on advocacy, communications and fundraising. She also serves as a Director of the Human Rights Arts and Film Festival and Overland Journal. Previously, Roj was the Senior Human Rights and Racial Justice Campaigner at Getup, where she expanded the work of Colour Code - a national movement of First Nations and migrant communities for racial justice. Roj contributes regularly to online and print publications including ABC, SBS, Sydney Morning Herald and The Saturday Paper, and broadcast stations such as ABC, SBS and PBS.Queerstories an award-winning LGBTQI+ storytelling project directed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events around Australia. For more information, visit www.queerstories.com.au 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/ladysingsitbetterAnd for gay stuff and insomnia rants follow Maeve Marsden on Twitter and Instagram. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Michael has a chat with his foster son on one of their regular visits to the dog park. Michael James is a teacher, writer, producer and the current entertainment editor for Qnews magazine. In 2011 Michael and his husband came to prominence as part of the “RipnRoll” campaign that gained international attention and spurred his involvement in queer activism. He has served on the Brisbane Pride Festival committee for 8 years and been an active part of the Brisbane queer community. In 2011 Michael and his husband also became parents to a then 9 year old boy through the Qld foster system who went on to become a permanent part of their lives as they cared for him and grew to become a family with him into his adulthood. He has written about this experience through his blog “Two dads and me.”Queerstories an award-winning LGBTQI+ storytelling project directed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events around Australia. For more information, visit www.queerstories.com.au 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/ladysingsitbetterAnd for gay stuff and insomnia rants follow Maeve Marsden on Twitter and Instagram. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mads joins the Model UN, changing her life's course and shifting her relationship to expressing her emotions. Madhuraa Prakash, also known as Mads, is an activist, formerly working with PLAN International Australia, and a drag king who performs under the name 'Manish Interest'. Born in Sri Lanka and raised in Australia, she has spoken of her experiences as a queer brown woman on panels for organisations like Women's Agenda and is keen to have another chance to share her voice with her community.Queerstories an award-winning LGBTQI+ storytelling project directed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events around Australia. For more information, visit www.queerstories.com.au 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/ladysingsitbetterAnd for gay stuff and insomnia rants follow Maeve Marsden on Twitter and Instagram. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

David ponders maps, memory and a sense of place, while sharing a story of his time in the Sydney University Catholic Society, David Moutou has worked in local government in Western Sydney for the last ten years. Prior to this, he worked for Twenty10, and was a Director and Chairperson of The Aurora Group, a LGBTIQ philanthropic foundation. In the years before YouTube and Smart Phones, David performed as Sandy Toggs at The Imperial Hotel. David is addicted to 1980s style aerobics and has a side hustle as a Civil Marriage Celebrant.Queerstories an award-winning LGBTQI+ storytelling project directed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events around Australia. For more information, visit www.queerstories.com.au 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/ladysingsitbetterAnd for gay stuff and insomnia rants follow Maeve Marsden on Twitter and Instagram. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mark, Doonside's resident hopeless romantic, is yet to find his Mr Right. Is he just down on his luck? Or have rom-coms set an astronomically high standard that this chubby gaysian just cannot seem to shake? Mark Mariano is an Australian-born Filipino editor, writer, model, and social media whiz from Doonside on Darug land. Mark works at SBS in an editorial role and is also an active member of SBS Pride’s steering committee. He is also part of the Sweatshop Western Sydney Literary Movement, through which his debut poetry collection ‘Down From Doonside Station’ was published in 2019. Mark has worked closely with organisations such as Headspace and ReachOut, and currently volunteers as the editor for The Western - a community online magazine. Mark has also represented Australia twice at the Harvard University Project for Asian International Relations and was an artist at the 2020 National Young Writers’ Festival. Queerstories an award-winning LGBTQI+ storytelling project directed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events around Australia. For more information, visit www.queerstories.com.au 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/ladysingsitbetterAnd for gay stuff and insomnia rants follow Maeve Marsden on Twitter and Instagram. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

An unexpected encounter in the hospital cafeteria awakens Jane, then a young nurse, to a career as a lesbian and an activist. Jane Marsden is a learning and development professional and project manager. She commenced her career in LGBTI+ community organizing and activism in the early eighties. In the early nineties she was appointed to the Board of Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras on which she served for five years. Shortly thereafter she joined the Board of Sydney Gay and Lesbian Community Publishing Ltd (Sydney Star Observer). Jane was also one of nine founding directors of The Aurora Group a wonderful group that raises funds for LGBTQI+ community projects through fabulous arts events. Queerstories an award-winning LGBTQI+ storytelling project directed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events around Australia. For more information, visit www.queerstories.com.au 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 Maeve Marsden on Twitter and Instagram.Queerstories an award-winning LGBTQI+ storytelling project directed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events around Australia. For more information, visit www.queerstories.com.au 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/ladysingsitbetterAnd for gay stuff and insomnia rants follow Maeve Marsden on Twitter and Instagram. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Miranda lays out their thesis for why everyone should skate.Miranda Aguilar is a proud, queer, Filipinx writer, creative producer and community arts worker. They're passionate about working with young people and providing inclusive, accessible pathways for people to tell their own stories. They write scripts and stories for soft-spoken brown weirdoes, spicy gay nerds and hopeful pessimists.Queerstories an award-winning LGBTQI+ storytelling project directed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events around Australia. For more information, visit www.queerstories.com.au 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/ladysingsitbetterAnd for gay stuff and insomnia rants follow Maeve Marsden on Twitter and Instagram. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Naomi finds that growing up a Jehovah's Witness prepared her for 2020 in unexpected ways.As Sydney’s only Lebanese, lesbian, ex-Jehovah’s Witness comedian, Naomi Mourra is your gateway woman to chicks, chickpeas, cults and culture. Her solo show, An Open Book, debuted in 2018 and she has since had sold out runs at the Sydney Fringe Comedy Festival and the Sydney Comedy Festival. She co-founded and co-produced What She Said, Sydney’s first weekly all women's comedy night. Not satisfied with just waffling on stage, she also co-founded Sydney's first bubble waffle cafe in Manly. She is currently working through some issues around feeling the need to do something first.Queerstories an award-winning LGBTQI+ storytelling project directed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events around Australia. For more information, visit www.queerstories.com.au 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/ladysingsitbetterAnd for gay stuff and insomnia rants follow Maeve Marsden on Twitter and Instagram. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Belinda explores the impact of trauma on the body, and considers what is possible for them if they change the way they connect to others, change the way they experience pleasure. Belinda Quinn writes, listens, plays and rests on the lands of the Yuin and Dharawal language groups. They have worked in street press, commercial magazines, in sound and in venues, and have volunteered for community radio. You can read more of their work at belindaquinn.com. Queerstories an award-winning LGBTQI+ storytelling project directed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events around Australia. For more information, visit www.queerstories.com.au 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/ladysingsitbetterAnd for gay stuff and insomnia rants follow Maeve Marsden on Twitter and Instagram. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From humble beginnings in Yass, Neisha didn’t expect to end up a circus entertainer traveling the world. She looks back on her childhood and the moments that indicated who she might become. Neisha Murphy is a vibrant variety entertainer and director who blends a mix of physical skill and characterisation with juggling, slack rope, hosting, comedy and a range of dare devil stunts. Neisha has worked for The South African State Theatre, Legs on the Wall, The Hoopla Festival, The Flying Kiwi Circus, Circus Aotearoa and the Kidsfest Festival in New Zealand, Circus Monoxide, Viva la gong festival, Arts Projects Australia in Adelaide, The West Australian Ballet, The Tasmanian Circus Festival, Free Associations production of The Nutcracker, The Circus Proms series with New Zealand’s Christchurch Symphony Orchestra and performed in the famous Spiegeltent in Circus Monoxide’s production of ‘Built’. Neisha is currently developing ‘NE - Non Essential’ which is inspired by the current pandemic crisis and most recently has completed a development of her theatre circus show ‘ChaChi The Variety Superstar’ with The Merrigong Theatre Company.Queerstories an award-winning LGBTQI+ storytelling project directed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events around Australia. For more information, visit www.queerstories.com.au 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/ladysingsitbetterAnd for gay stuff and insomnia rants follow Maeve Marsden on Twitter and Instagram. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A teenage encounter by the water, Schnapps, and memory – Joshua shares his own gentle take on the well-worn coming of age. Joshua Lobb teaches Creative Writing at the University of Wollongong. His stories have appeared in The Bridport Prize Anthology, Best Australian Stories, Animal Studies Journal, Griffith Review, Text, Southerly and Island. His ‘novel in stories’ about grief and climate change, The Flight of Birds (Sydney University Press, 2019) was shortlisted for the 2019 Readings Prize for New Australian Fiction and the 2020 Mascara Literary Review Avant Garde Awards for Best Fiction. He is also part of the multi-authored project, 100 Atmospheres: Studies in Scale and Wonder (Open Humanities Press, 2019).Queerstories an award-winning LGBTQI+ storytelling project directed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events around Australia. For more information, visit www.queerstories.com.au 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/ladysingsitbetterAnd for gay stuff and insomnia rants follow Maeve Marsden on Twitter and Instagram. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After an encounter at their 30th birthday, Ellen considers friendship, connection and the colonial construct of gender.Ellen van Neerven is an award-winning writer, editor and educator of Mununjali Yugambeh and Dutch heritage with strong ancestral ties to South East Queensland. They write fiction, poetry and non-fiction, and play football on unceded Turrbal and Yuggera land. van Neerven’s books, Heat and Light, Comfort Food and most recently Throat have won countless awards. They are the editor of three collections, including the recent Homeland Calling and are co-editing an upcoming collection of speculative fiction Unlimited Futures with Sudanese multilingual writer Rafeif Ismail.Queerstories an award-winning LGBTQI+ storytelling project directed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events around Australia. For more information, visit www.queerstories.com.au 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/ladysingsitbetterAnd for gay stuff and insomnia rants follow Maeve Marsden on Twitter and Instagram. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Being a young queer baby is practically the equivalent of having to be an undercover private investigator to your own sexuality. Pierce tries to find out the basics of gay sex, with hilarious results. Pierce Eldridge is a sensitive gender non-conforming curator and writer based on the Gold Coast; with lavender bulbs blooming for brains. They have a distinct interest in poetry and photography, often blending the two disciplines when discussing the intersections of art, queerness, and contemporary cultural phenomenons. Pierce is actively involved with the Queensland Aids Council, winner of the QC’s President’s Award for Volunteering 2020, and has ambitions of initiating community led workshops, on the coast, to activate safe spaces for queer people.Queerstories an award-winning LGBTQI+ storytelling project directed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events around Australia. For more information, visit www.queerstories.com.au 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/ladysingsitbetterAnd for gay stuff and insomnia rants follow Maeve Marsden on Twitter and Instagram. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Performing for 600 people at the Opera House on their 25th birthday, a birthday they never expected to reach, Liv looks back through the years and tells themselves a few things. A dynamic and versatile actor, Liv Hewson is continuing to hone their craft with each new role. They starred in Netflix's hit comedy series, SANTA CLARITA DIET opposite Drew Barrymore and Timothy Olyphant, performed in the 2018 feature film PUZZLE directed by Marc Turtletaub and appeared ABC’s hit comedy series BACK IN VERY SMALL BUSINESS. Their role as “Chloe” in the critically acclaimed webseries HOMECOMING QUEENS was another highlight of 2018. Liv featured alongside Zoey Deutch in the big screen adaptation of the bestselling novel, BEFORE I FALL, premiering at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival. Other credits include the 2016 Viki original series DRAMAWORLD and ON TOP OF THE LAKE. Liv’s most recent projects include the highly acclaimed feature film BOMBSHELL directed by Jay Roach, playing the role of LILY alongside Margot Robbie, Charilze Theron and Nicole Kidman. Originally from Canberra, Hewson now splits their time between Los Angeles and Australia. Queerstories an award-winning LGBTQI+ storytelling project directed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events around Australia. For more information, visit www.queerstories.com.au 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/ladysingsitbetterAnd for gay stuff and insomnia rants follow Maeve Marsden on Twitter and Instagram. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Award-winning poet Omar Sakr shares some of his work, inviting the audience into his process and passions.Omar Sakr is an award-winning poet born and raised in Western Sydney to Lebanese and Turkish Muslim migrants. He is the author of These Wild Houses (Cordite Books, 2017), which was shortlisted for the Judith Wright Calanthe Award and the Kenneth Slessor Prize for Poetry, as well as The Lost Arabs (University of Queensland Press, 2019), which was shortlisted for the Judith Wright Calanthe Award, the John Bray Poetry Award, the NSW Premier’s Multicultural Literary Award, and the Colin Roderick Award. The Lost Arabs has also been released in the US through Andrews McMeel Universal. In 2019, Omar was the recipient of the Edward Stanley Award for Poetry, and in 2020, the Woollahra Digital Literary Award for Poetry. Omar’s poems have been published in English, Arabic, and Spanish, featuring in the American Academy of Poets’ Poem-a-Day, Prairie Schooner, The Margins, Tinderbox, Wildness, Peril, Circulo de Poesía, Overland, Meanjin, and Griffith Review, among others. He has also been anthologised in Border Lines: Poems of Migration (2020), in the Anthology of Australian Prose Poetry (2020), in Best Australian Poems 2016, and in Contemporary Australian Poetry (2016). A widely published essayist, Omar’s creative and critical non-fiction work has appeared in The Saturday Paper, The Guardian, The Sydney Morning Herald, Archer, Meanjin, Kill Your Darlings, Going Down Swinging, SBS Life, The Wheeler Centre, and Junkee. His essays have been anthologised in Fire, Flood, and Plague (2020) and Going Postal: More Than Yes or No (2018), and his short fiction has appeared in Kindred: 12 Queer LoveOzYA Stories (2019) as well as After Australia (2020).Queerstories an award-winning LGBTQI+ storytelling project directed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events around Australia. For more information, visit www.queerstories.com.au 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/ladysingsitbetterAnd for gay stuff and insomnia rants follow Maeve Marsden on Twitter and Instagram. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Growing up in Mudgee in rural NSW, a young Cadance learns a brutal lesson while out driving with her father.Cadance Bell is an emerging writer, producer and director. She is the CEO and co-founder of production company Wayflair Studios, where she unmakes prejudice through entertainment. Cady was the writer/director of The Rainbow Passage – commissioned by Screen Australia and Network Ten and the award winning comedy horror short Mirror Spider. Selected into Cohort One for the Poplabs Social Impact incubator for next generation startups, Cady has produced & directed dozens of short films, music videos & TVCs. She is a freelance writer, contributing articles for newspapers like The Guardian and is currently in discussions for publication of her dark comedy memoir. Cady very much likes burritos and short walks to the fridge. She is openly transgender and documents her shenanigans on her popular LGTBQIA+ blog at www.iMissPockets.comQueerstories an award-winning LGBTQI+ storytelling project directed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events around Australia. For more information, visit www.queerstories.com.au 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/ladysingsitbetterAnd for gay stuff and insomnia rants follow Maeve Marsden on Twitter and Instagram. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nadine reflects on an epic love that lasted years but never quite happened.Nadine Chemali is a writer, researcher and social worker. She is dedicated to creating and nurturing communities, facilitating discussions on identity, sexuality, displacement and representation, discourse she feels was missing from her own migrant upbringing in Australia. She has written for publications like SBS Voices, The Big Issue, The Guardian and has spoken at events like Melbourne Writers Festival and Brisbane Feminist Festival. Queerstories an award-winning LGBTQI+ storytelling project directed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events around Australia. For more information, visit www.queerstories.com.au 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/ladysingsitbetterAnd for gay stuff and insomnia rants follow Maeve Marsden on Twitter and Instagram. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.