Queerstories

After a year of heartbreaking grief, Hayley reflects on the most precious gifts she has received. Hayley Katzen's essays have been published in Australian, American and Asian journals and anthologies including Australian Book Review, Griffith Review, Southerly, Fourth Genre and Kenyon Review. Untethered is her debut memoir. Queerstories is an LGBTQI+ storytelling night programmed by Maeve Marsden,...

Ellen shares poems from their most recent collection Throat, along with insights as to their creative process and inspiration for the work. 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. v...

When Sally fell in love with Kate she knew she'd found something special, but she wasn't ready for the real romance: her relationship with Kate's cat Beans. Sally Rugg is an LGBTIQ rights activist, writer and public speaker. She is Executive Director at political activist group change.org, and was previously Campaign Director at GetUp where she lead the campaign for marriage equality for five year...

Johnny weaves a tale of two cities, and of his queer family history. Johnny Valkyrie is an activist and educator. He was awarded Young Transgender Person of the Year 2019 by the Queensland Council of LGBTI+ Health. Johnny enjoys florals, galleries and retro knickknacks. Queerstories is an LGBTQI+ storytelling night programmed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events around Australia. For Queerstories...

After watching a life-changing episode of Broad City, Giselle's life is filled by a new and consuming passion. Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen was a recipient of The Wheeler Centre's inaugural Next Chapter fellowship. Her writing has appeared in BuzzFeed ,  frankie ,  Junkee, Kill Your Darlings  and  Meanjin , and she was a regular columnist for Daily Life throughout 2016. Sh...

Just before her first book launch, Claire is given an unexpected gift by her friend: the self-published adolescent masterpiece of a rom com she wrote when she was 14. Claire Christian is a playwright, author and theatre maker, who has spent a lot of career working with teenagers. Her first novel, Beautiful Mess won the Text Publishing Text Prize in 2016. Her play Lysa and The Freeborn Dames debute...

Nina becomes famous on twitter for cum jokes and it doesn't wholly end well. 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/di...

Chris has kept all of his teenage diaries. They are full of stories about high school, his first crummy job, girls that he thought that he liked, family arguments, his mum, his strong religious beliefs and him maybe being gay. Chris Brown grew up in the small coastal suburb of Stockton, in a deeply religious household. Chris works in Community Services as the coordinator of a vibrant and bustling...

Sian shares a story about friendship, getting massages and arguing about Jesus. Sian Gammie is a writer and an English teacher who loves seating plans, Mrs Doubtfire and her mum. She has written for the Sydney Morning Herald and the ABC, and blogs at thesianshow.com Queerstories is an LGBTQI+ storytelling night programmed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events around Australia. For Queerstories eve...

When Will's career as an author takes off at just 19, he writes many stories about his father's absence, but it would take a few more years before he considered trying to find him. Will Kostakis is a writer of all things, from celebrity news stories that score cease and desist letters, to tweets for professional wrestlers. He's best known for his award-winning Young Adult fiction. His first novel,...

Aunty Denise yarns about family. Aunty Denise McGuinness is a Gunditjmara, Yorta Yorta and Wiradjuri woman based in Melbourne. She's a proud mum to Robert, Chantel and Dawn, as well as a grandmother to Eli Dennis and Nate John. She works in community health at the Victorian Aboriginal Health Service and since her success in the Deadly Funny comedy competition she has been performing locally at con...

Tarsha shares a story of faith, family and identity. Tarsha Jago is a law student and Project Officer, Drug Policy and Reform at Department of Health & Human Services, Victoria. 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 F...

In the beginning and now, a story of body, country and connection. Isobel Morphy-Walsh, a proud Nirim Baluk Woman from the Taun Wurrung (Taungurung) people. She is a lover of anecdote, an artist, an activist, an educator and weaver. Isobel has spent her life working with her community and culture with a particular emphasis on history and its relevance to today. For the last three years, Isobel has...

After a trip to Wiradjuri country and a chat with Aunty Pat Doolan, Tarneen considers their relationship to grief. Tarneen Onus Williams is a Yigar Gunditjmara, Bindal, Yorta Yorta person. Tarneen is a community organiser for Warriors of the Aboriginal Resistance and is passionate about prison abolition and the power of young Aboriginal people. They are a writer and have been published in Indigeno...

Rosa tells a story of the British general election campaign 2019 as a tale of queer romance and heartbreak. Rosa Campbell is completing her PhD in history at the University of Cambridge. This project sets Australian women's liberation between 1968-1990 in a global context. She has been active in movements for gender justice both in Sydney and London. She writes fiction and non-fiction on a range o...

Raelee doesn't need the escapism Stardew Valley provides because of family drama; it is the rest of the world that's the problem. Raelee Lancaster is a Brisbane-based writer, collaborator, and creative producer. She is Co Director of the National Young Writers Festival and a 2019 recipient of the Copyright Agency First Nations Fellowship. Her work has featured in exhibitions around Australia and B...

In 1891 the Ilopango Volcano rained catastrophe on the People of Cuzcatlan and forced one woman David will never meet to set off a series of events that created him. David Mejia-Canales is beyond proud to have Mayan blood running through his veins and calls Wurundjeri Country home. He is a community lawyer dedicated to turning our criminal legal system into a system of justice, particularly f...

Tasnim R hopes to alleviate suffering from mental illness and marginalisation, and increase accessibility to safety and independence via advocacy and science. 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 p...

Salvin delivers the raw curry drama that is part of every wedding but with the added spice of it being a gay one. Salvin Kumar is a Youth Worker who supports young newly arrived migrants and refugees in St George and Sutherland Shire. He has worked as a teacher in Fiji, Western Sydney, Townsville and Doomadgee before moving back to Sydney to become a social worker. He practices yoga, loves cooking...

Working at a community legal centre, Sam makes an unlikely friend. Sam Elkin is a writer, podcaster and community lawyer living in Melbourne's West. In 2018 Sam set up Victoria's first LGBTIQ legal service at Thorne Harbour Health, and launched a specialist trans and gender diverse legal service in partnership with Transgender Victoria. Sam is also one half of the Joy FM radio show Transgender War...

Growing up, Dmetri was obsessed with horror movies. Despite their terrifying content, horror movies saved his life. Dmetri Kakmi was born in Turkey to Greek parents. His fictionalised memoir Mother Land was shortlisted for the NSW Premier's Literary Awards and is published in England and Turkey. His short stories and essays appear in a number of anthologies, and his latest book is The Door and oth...

Matthew moves to Melbourne and starts to explore his sexuality at sex-on-premises venues. 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 favour...

Lacey-Jade Christie has the gayest day of her life, on the day the public votes 'yes' for marriage equality, but it's not for the reasons one might expect. Lacey-Jade Christie is a freelance writer and fiery Melbourne-based plus-size influencer. She combines her life as a nurse with her own experience of mental illness and is a strong advocate for safe spaces for the BoPo and Queer community to co...

Hannah shares a story about a piece of shit who keeps ruining her life. Hannah Mouncey is a member of Australia's Women's Handball team and a writer for The Guardian, The Roar, News.com.au and Players Voice. 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  Que...

David's life with his mother Patricia is not without challenges - caring for someone with dementia is hard - but he cherishes their Sundays at the Bankstown Sportsclub. David Abello became involved in the lesbian and gay movement in 1975 and in 1980s was a member of the Gay Liberation Quire and the Gaywaves Gay Radio Collective amongst other things. He's been active in the disability movement sinc...