In 2007, Channel Nine made Jessica Rowe redundant while she was on maternity leave. This was following an incident the previous year when the editor-in-chief, Eddie McGuire, was caught saying he wanted to ‘bone’ her. Rowe has made headlines with her recent book Is This My Beautiful Life?, which bravely explores her public scrutiny, sexual…
Read more
This year’s Melbourne Writers Festival kicked off on 21 August with a whole day dedicated especially to discussing women in the media and female writers. One of the events was Women Writing Film, in which Filmme Fatales editor Brodie Lancaster and film critic Rebecca Harkins-Cross discussed the role of women in film, both in front…
Read more
Within the chaos of Melbourne’s Federation Square, there sits a modest caravan. Beyond the rounded windows the square is full of people. You can hear the clip-clopping of befeathered clydesdales leading grinning tourists in gilded carriages. You can smell the petrol fumes of heavy traffic, and watch a cheeky busker crack a whip and…
Read more
The Bookshelf Diaries takes a peek into the reading life of writers, readers and book lovers. The Melbourne Writers Festival kicks off next week, and to celebrate, Festival Director Lisa Dempster revealed her literary loves. What are you reading right now? I’m just finishing Indonesia Etc by Elizabeth Pisani. It’s a portrait of Indonesia but it’s part travelogue…
Read more
The Melbourne Writers Festival has come and gone for another year. For three wonderful days I listened to ideas, discussion and debates about all manner of things. But the favourite was seeing and hearing Germaine Greer. I didn’t go to the keynote she presented but thought an individual session would be more about her own…
Read more