Gender

25. On sisters

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We talk to two best-selling authors, Kate Forsyth and Belinda Murrell, both prolific writers of women’s stories, who happen to be sisters.  What’s it like, growing up in a family of writers? Which literary or fictional sisters influenced them? What stories shaped them?

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Our guests

Kate ForsythKate Forsyth wrote her first novel at the age of seven. Her books include Bitter Greens, a retelling of the story of Rapunzel; The Wild Girl, based on the life of Dortchen Wild and the forbidden romance behind the Grimm Brothers’ fairy tales; and The Beast’s Garden, set in the Resistance in Nazi Germany. She has sold more than a million copies around the world. Recently voted one of Australia’s Favourite Fifteen Novelists, Kate is also an accredited master storyteller with the Australian Guild of Storytellers. Her latest book is Beauty in Thorns, on the lives of the women of the Pre-Raphaelite circle.

Belinda MurrellBelinda Murrell has worked as a travel journalist, technical writer, editor and public relations consultant. Her books for children include the Sun Sword fantasy trilogy, timeslip novels The Locket Of Dreams, The Ruby Talisman, The Ivory Rose and The Sequin Star, and historical novels The Forgotten Pearl, The River Charm and The Lost Sapphire. Her Lulu Bell series for younger readers, about friends, family, animals, and growing up in a vet hospital has sold over 200,000 copies. Pippa’s Island is Belinda’s latest series.

Our thanks to Bendigo Writers Festival for enabling us to talk to Kate and Belinda while we were all participating in the wonderful 2018 festival.

(PS We recorded in an echoing room, right above the Green Room, so sorry about the echoey sound and the odd background noise. Risks of the field.)

21. On academia

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We’re back.

Welcome to season 3 of Unladylike.

Here in Australia, it’s the start of the academic year. So in this episode, Kelly chats with a roundtable of women from different disciplines who all write and read academic articles, papers, books and essays – and teach other people how to write for academia. What makes good academic writing? And how do we master the form?

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Our guests

We gathered one evening, after a long day at the international symposium on Gender and Love at Aarhus University’s stunning Sandbjerg Manor House in Denmark.

The voices you can hear are:

Wernmei Yong Ade, Assistant Professor and Deputy Head in the English Programme, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.

Deirdre C. Byrne, Professor and Head of the Institute for Gender Studies, University of South Africa.

Serena Petrella, Associate Professor in Sociology and Gender and Women’s Studies as well as Chair in Sociology, Brandon University, Manitoba, Canada.

Marianne Schleicher, Associate Professor in Jewish Studies, Department for the Study of Religion, Aarhus University, Denmark.

Chantelle Gray van Heerden, Postdoctoral Fellow, Institute for Gender Studies, University of South Africa.

(l-r) Serena, Marianne, Deirdre, Chantelle and Mei: classic academic gathering in a conference venue bedroom (with wine)

12. On labels

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Labels? Why do we have them? We talk to two authors about the labels they choose for themselves, their characters and their place within the industry, as well as those that they reject.

Join Anita Heiss and Jessica Walton as they discuss labels, identity and writing.

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About our guests

large_anita_heiss_small_Dr Anita Heiss is a member of the Wiradjuri nation of central New South Wales and is one of Australia’s most prolific and well-known Indigenous writers.

She writes fiction, poetry and nonfiction, and her books include Am I Black Enough For You? – a memoir on identity, the poetry collections Token Koori and I’m not racist, but… and books for kids: Yirra and her deadly dog Demon, Me and My Mum, Matty’s Comeback,  and  the recent  Kicking Goals with Magic and Goodsey.

Anita edited Life in Gadigal Country and co-edited The Macquarie PEN Anthology of Aboriginal Literature  and Stories Without End.

Her novels include Manhattan Dreaming, Not Meeting Mr Right, Avoiding Mr Right, Tiddas, and her new book, Barbed Wire and Cherry Blossoms.

She is Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Western Sydney attached to the Badanami Centre for Indigenous Education.


6j1q_ikwJessica Walton describes herself as a writer, cancer survivor, amputee, queer, daughter of a trans parent, feminist and teacher. As well as picture books, Jess writes about disability, LGBTI issues, and the intersections between her disabled and queer experiences. She is a sensitivity reader for manuscripts featuring amputee and queer characters, and reviews published books with amputee characters.

Jess’s first book, Introducing Teddy, was published earlier this year.

Barbed Wire and Cherry Blossoms is published by Simon and Schuster. Introducing Teddy: a gentle story about gender and friendship is published by Bloomsbury.