How are ideas, and our expectations, around gender and sport evolving? And how does sport inform our sense of self? Who gets to play, and who gets to win, in the field of sports?
In an outstanding new essay collection, Balancing Acts: Women in Sport, a dream-team of Australia’s finest writers, including Ellen Van Neerven, Tegan Higginbotham and Nicole Hayes, wrestle with these questions and more. The essays explore the ways women and non-binary people negotiate a traditionally male-dominated space, with topics ranging from sexualisation in surf culture to marginalisation in boxing, and the vast power imbalance between athletes and coaches.
At the Wheeler Centre in June, we’ll discuss shifting perspectives and shifting goal-posts in gender and sport.
This event will be Auslan interpreted.
Readings will be our bookseller at this event.
Who?
Ellen van Neerven
Ellen van Neerven is Mununjali from the Yugambeh language group of South East Queensland on her mother’s side. Her first book Heat and Light (UQP, 2014) was the recipient of the David Unaipon Award, the Dobbie Literary Award and the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards Indigenous Writers Prize. Heat and Light was also shortlisted for the Stella Prize, the Queensland Literary Award for State Significance and the Readings Prize. Ellen was named as a Sydney Morning Herald Best Young Australian Novelist in 2015.
Nicole Hayes
When Nicole Hayes isn't yelling at the Hawks on TV or sharing hosting duties on the all-female AFL podcast The Outer Sanctum, she teaches writing and writes fiction, essays and scripts.
Her debut novel, The Whole of My World, was published in 2013 and was shortlisted for a Young Australians Best Book Award and longlisted for the Gold Inky Award.
One True Thing, Nicole's second novel, won the Children's Peace Literature Award, is a CBCA Notable Book and was shortlisted for the WA Premier's Book Awards. She has also co-edited an anthology of footy stories, From the Outer: Footy Like You've Never Heard It, with Alicia Sometimes. Nicole lives in Melbourne with her husband, two daughters and a dog called Brody.
Kate Doak
Kate Doak is a freelance investigative journalist and documentary producer, who is based in Sydney, Australia. Often described as a 'policy wonkette' and an 'old school newshound' as a result of her journalistic endeavours, Kate is also highly regarded within Australian politics as an advocate of both mental health and LGBTI rights.
Tegan Higginbotham
Tegan Higginbotham is a writer, actress and comedian.
For the past four years, she’s been a regular columnist for the Sunday Age Sport. Tegan’s writing credits also include Open Slather (Comedy Channel), Little Lunch (ABC), whimn.com.au, and Fernwood Magazine.
Her acting credits include Oddball, Holding the Man, It’s A Date, Nowhere Boys and the tv series Molly. Tegan is also known for making regular appearances on The Project, Whose Line is it Anyway?, Have You Been Paying Attention?, Show Me The Movie, Whovians and ABC News Breakfast.
How much?
This is a free event. Bookings are essential. We recommend arriving early to secure your seat. Read our ticketing FAQs here.Book your tickets
