After Stella: taking stock of gender and literature in Australia
This is a public discussion presented by the ANU School of Literature, Languages and Linguistics and supported by the ANU Gender Institute.
The past five years have seen a concerted attempt by feminists in the literary world to reveal and shift gender bias in reviewing, awards and publishing. This discussion brings figures from across the literary landscape - writers’ festivals, publishing, reviewing, and academia - to discuss what this literary activism has achieved, and what is left to do. Is the gendering of literature in Australia changing, and why?
The evening will include drinks, followed by brief provocations by each speaker about the state of the field and a chaired discussion.
Speakers:
- Lisa Dempster, Festival Director at Melbourne Writers Festival
- Melinda Harvey, Monash University literary studies academic and critic
- Imogen Mathew, ANU PhD candidate and 2015 Stella counter
- Ashley Orr, ANU PhD candidate and 2015 Stella counter
- Zoya Patel, Editor of feminist literature and arts journal Feminartsy and 2015 ACT Young Woman of the Year