Word for Word

Lisa Daniel hosts Word for Word and is joined by her guest Ryan Abramowitz. Ryan is a Melbourne based artist, writer and storyteller who draws inspiration from the natural world. He has worked in marketing, brand experience and communications across corporate, freelance and not-for-profit settings. He also runs a business ‘Today Tomorrow Forever’ in which he paints Jewish Wedding Certificates and...

Lisa Daniel is joined on Word for Word by her guest Rowland Thomson. Most of queer Melbourne would know Rowland as the long-time co-owner of legendary bookstore Hares and Hyenas that he began with his now ex-partner Crusader Hillis back in 1991 in what was then the gay mecca of Commercial Road, Prahran. The pair opened a second shop in Brunswick Street in 1995 and then moved to Smith Street, Colli...

Lisa Daniel is joined by her guest Dr. Yves Rees. Dr. Rees uses they/them pronouns and is a writer, historian and podcaster based in Naarm, also known as Melbourne.    Dr. Rees is a Lecturer in History at La Trobe University, co-host of Archive Fever history podcast, and author of the 2021 memoir All About Yves: Notes from a Transition . They are also co-editor of Nothing to Hide: Voices of Trans...

Lisa Daniel hosts Word for Word on JOY 94.9 and her guest is Anastasia Le. Anastasia was born in Saigon where she suffered bullying and abuse at the hands of her family until she loved to Australia as a teenager in 2005. A lack of support from family saw her given refugee status and then a protection visa. Since coming out as trans, Anastasia has been an advocate on a mission to uplift others who...

Lisa Daniel hosts Word for Word on JOY 94.9 and her guest is Sean Szeps. Sean is a host of several podcasts and a writer and content creator. Sean is most well-known for his accidental advocacy, which arose from sharing his journey as a gay husband raising boy-girl twins. Originally from America, Sean moved to Australia and began hosting hugely popular parenting podcasts such Spotify’s The Dad Kit...

Lisa Daniel is joined on Word for Word by Danielle Scrimshaw. Danielle is a writer, historian and big fan of lighthouses. Her 2019 essay ‘Be Gay, Do Crime: Or, the Ballad of Catherine and Ellen’ was shortlisted for the Deakin University Nonfiction Prize. Her thesis on queer women’s narratives in Australian history – or the lack thereof – was highly commended by the Australian Queer Archives. Last...

Lisa Daniel is joined by her guest Daniel M. Lavery. Daniel is an American author and editor. He is known for having co-founded the website   The Toast, and written the books   Texts from Jane Eyre ,   The Merry Spinster , the autobiography Something That May Shock and Discredit You , which detailed his experience of how coming to know and affirm his gender has affected the lens through which he e...

Lisa Daniel is joined by her guest Brad Guy. Brad’s life changed in ways he could never have imagined in 2013 when a parachute malfunction sent him plummeting 15,000 feet to earth at 80kmh. Brad survived the fall, but with significant emotional and physical injuries that he lives with a decade later.    Brad is a content creator, mental health advocate and motivational speaker based in Melbourne....

Lisa Daniel hosts Word for Word on JOY 94.9 and her guest is Michael Dalton.   Born in the UK, Michael’s professional career began as a 10-year-old when he played the title role in the 1980 West End production of Oliver! After his family immigrated to Australia in the 80s, Michael played various roles on television in shows such as Neighbours and The Henderson Kids and in  1990, Michael began his...

Lisa Daniel is joined by her guest Shane Gardner. Born in the 1950s, Shane grew up in suburban Melbourne before moving to country Victoria in the late 1970s. Shane left school in his mid-teens and started his early career in the transport industry. Then married his wife in the 1980s and they had 2 children together. By the time he was in his late 30s, his attraction to men became undeniable. He th...

Lisa Daniel is joined on Word for Word by Laurence Billiet. Laurence is a writer, producer and director whose documentary Freeman was the most watched documentary of 2020.    She has an extensive background in storytelling the world over and has worked for organisations such as Lonely Planet, Elite Models, National Geographic, Discovery Channel – to name just a few. More recently she staged large-...

Today’s guest on Word for Word is Teresa Ma. Teresa is of Chinese de s cent and emigrated to Australia with her parents and younger sister when she was 9. Teresa reali s ed she didn’t fit the heterosexual label at around age 7, but pushed that aspect of her life aside until well into adulthood due to her strong Catholic beliefs and the fear of upsetting her strict Catholic family . For a while Ter...

Lisa Daniel hosts Word for Word and her guest is Chris Orr. Chris is of European and Narungga decent. After studying art & design and graphic design at a tertiary level in the 1980s.  In 1996 he founded a graphic design practice, Beige, strongly anchored in the street art aesthetic. Chris believes art can be created from the most mundane of objects – an attitude in part derived from work...

Today’s guest is Jasper Peach. Jasper is a Victorian based trans, non-binary and disabled writer. Jasper is passionate about equitable access and inclusion, focused around the dismantling of misplaced shame via storytelling. Their first book,  ‘You’ll be a Wonderful Parent’  , is a collection of advice and encouragement for new and prospective queer parents. It is released by Hardie Grant and avai...

Joining Lisa Daniel on Word for word today is guest  Rebecca ‘ Bec’ Goddard. Bec OAM is an Australian rules football coach currently serving as the head coach of the Hawthorn Football Club in the AFLW competition. Goddard also previously coached Adelaide Football Club in the AFL Women’s competition between 2017 and 2018, winning the 2017 AFL Women’s Grand Final while working full-time...

Joining Lisa Daniel on Word for Word this week is Fiona Newton. Fiona’s formative years were spent in a fundamentalist religion which significantly controlled her beliefs, sense of self and social life. She began questioning aspects of the belief system at 18 and was eventually asked to leave the church at 28.    Fiona has since taken the positive aspects of her experiences into her current life a...

Joining Lisa Daniel on Word for Word is Peta Murray . Peta has worked as a teacher, and playwright for most of her adult life. Her most significant work Wallflowering has played at theatres all over the world. She also writes short stories, and essays and is a freelance dramaturg, director and occasional performer.    Word for Word is hosted by Lisa Daniel on JOY Media, produced by Ellen Spalding,...

Lisa Daniel hosts Word for Word on JOY Media. Lisa’s guest is Loretta Smith. Loretta has worn many hats over the years despite being born with the challenging genetic condition Osteogenesis Imperfecta: secondary school teacher, adult teacher/trainer, youth arts worker, research consultant, case manager and team leader in disability, mental health and aged care. She holds a Bachelor of Education (C...

Lisa Daniel hosts Word for Word on JOY94.9. Lisa’s guest is Dr. Judy Tang who is a practicing Clinical Neuropsychologist with  over 10 years of career and academic expertise in Clinical Neuropsychology and provides neuropsychological services for medico-legal and community settings, workshops and seminars both to her professional peers and wider community, as well as advocacy in the areas of healt...

Joining Lisa Daniel on Word for Word is guest Mannie de Saxe . Together with his long term partner Ken Lovett, Mannie has been a busy activist through most of his adult life, and even now, despite the loss of Ken 2 years ago and being in his 95 th year, Mannie is still busy with his activism interests today.  Word for Word is hosted by Lisa Daniel on JOY 94.9, produced by Ellen Spalding, podcasted...

Joining Lisa Daniel is guest Angela Bailey.   Angela is  a curator and photographic artist whose practice is informed from the perspective of the community and the cultural.   Angela has a rich history of activism – from participating in the fight for gay law reform in Queensland in the late 1980s to her work as Director of the Visual Arts for the Midsumma Festival in the late 1990s.    She has co...

Lisa Daniel’s guest on Word for Word is Nelly Thomas. Nelly is a multi-talented, award-winning Australian comedian, author and broadcaster.    She is also well-known for her media commentary, speaking and expert facilitation.   In 2022 Nelly launched the smash-hit podcast The Single Life of Us. With more than 100,000 downloads, it has been featured on Ch9, Ch7 and is consistently in Apple an...

Today’s guest on Word for Word with host Lisa Daniel is Peter Coleman. Pete has a PhD in cultural studies from Monash University, where he tutored in Eastern religion and philosophy. After leaving University, he began a career in the not-for-profit sector where he now works as consultant. Peter is also an Authorised Marriage Celebrant and occasional tarot card reader. He lives in Melbourne with hi...

Jason Om is an award-winning reporter with the ABC’s 7.30 program. Previously, he’s been a presenter on the ABC News Channel and a reporter for ABC News Breakfast, ABC Life, Lateline and ABC Radio. In 2017, he won widespread praise for his personal story about his dad’s 16-year struggle to accept him as gay. The article and TV piece ran Australia-wide, attracting a million views....

Lisa Daniel’s guest on Word for Word is Greg Axtens . Greg is a well-known and much loved member of Melbourne’s LGBTIQA+ community. Diagnosed at 3 months old with cerebral palsy, Greg’s family were told he would never speak. Greg is here over 50 years later to prove that advice wrong. A transcript of this podcast can be found here: Greg Axtens Transcript Word for Word is hosted by Lisa Danie...