Kaz Cooke

Columnist, bestselling author, cartoonist and now, history detective – Kaz Cooke is a household name. Her new book, Ada, is a fictionalised account of the eventful life of a fabulous 19th-century vaudevillian star, Ms Ada Delroy.

Cooke’s foray into fiction might be something of a departure – she’s best known for her funny and practical women’s health guides, including Up the Duff and Girl Stuff – but the forensic approach is nothing new to her work. Beneath Cooke’s light, comical touch has always existed a rigorous commitment to research. For Women’s Stuff, she consulted more than 100 medical and psychological experts. For Ada, she spent a year as a creative fellow at the State Library of Victoria, poring over old photographs and newspaper clippings from the 1800s, piecing together the life of this forgotten and extraordinary character.

In conversation with playwright and screenwriter Hannie Rayson, Cooke will delve into her career in writing and researching women’s lives. Join the pair for a discussion of comical writing and creative conjuring.