Join me at this event on 6 November to bear witness to the lives of Gazans experiencing genocide.
For one night, we’ll come together as a community to read the poetry and first-hand accounts of Palestinians who have had to flee their homeland, those who have been martyred, and those who are still surviving the daily nightmare. All ticket sales will go to families currently in Gaza to help them buy food, medicine and other necessities.
Oh hey it’s a new festival on the block! I’m doing a couple of things at the inaugural Footscray West Writers Fest, one filthy and one frugal. But which is which?
First Floor Fantasy Saturday 29 March 2025 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm Harley & Rose Upstairs 572 Barkly St, Footscray VIC 3012 (Please note: Access is via stairs) Tickets $15, book here
Indulge in an evening of quickfire erotic storytelling by local authors, including Jinghua Qian, Thuy On, Rochelle Siemienowicz, Aud Pitch.
Closing Night Event: Stories from the Belly of the West Sunday 30 March 2025 4 pm to 10 pm Harley & Rose 572 Barkly St, Footscray VIC 3012 Tickets $30, book here
Join us for the festival’s unforgettable closing night event, Stories from the Belly of the West, where six talented authors share brand-new site-specific works after taking up the most ramshackle writers-in-residence program imaginable. Jinghua Qian takes us to Savers, Emilie Collyer to Rex Hairdressing, Sam Elkin to WeFo Dog Park, Tina Cartwright to The South Road Coin Laundry, Alice Pung to Cheaper By Miles, and Rijn Collins takes us under the Westgate Bridge, with each tale offering a fresh perspective on the vibrant heart of the community. Don’t miss this celebration of place, creativity, and storytelling to mark the festival’s finale. Enjoy music from The Orbweavers during the event.
Check out the whole festival program, it’s a banger with events featuring Maxine Beneba Clarke, André Dao, Ernest Price, Liz Crash, Najma Sambul, Benjamin Millar, the students of Footscray High School, and basically all your fave westies. Amazing work from Jess, Donita and Reem!
My second gig of the year is this one. Not sure what I’m reading yet but it’s billed as “spoken turd”!
Queer Shit Show: Shitsumma Special Friday 7 February 2024 7:00 pm to midnight Pony Club Gym 488 High St, Preston VIC 3072 Tickets $10-$20 | Booking, line-up and access info here
My first gig of the year is this, I’ll be reading a couple of silly sexy poems (including a Banjo Patterson parody).
Wicked Words x Archer Magazine Thursday 23 January 2025 7:00 pm to 10:00pm Northcote Town Hall Arts Centre 189 High Street, Northcote VIC 3070 Tickets $25-$40 | Booking and access info here
I’m so excited for this one! A multigenerational line-up of storytellers surrounded by projected images of unapologetic dykes from the archives of Wicked Women (1988–96), an erotic zine published by Lisa Salmon and Jasper Laybutt. I’ll be reading my dirty Lex posts/poems, drinking up the queer gaze. Horny on main, we love it.
Wicked Words is a storytelling event that celebrates dyke and queer and trans sexuality. Gird your loins and prepare yourself to be swept off your feet. The lineup of storytellers includes Maude Davey, Jinghua Qian, Annaki Kisses, Tomoko Yamasaki, Gavril Aleksandrs, Bumpy Favell, and Lisa Salmon with videopoems by ReVerse Butcher.
Wicked Words Saturday 29 June 2024 7 pm to 10 pm Victorian Pride Centre 79-81 Fitzroy Street St Kilda VIC 3182 Tickets here
First event of the year and it’s at my local! I’m talking to Maxine about her book How Decent Folk Behave and there’ll also be snacks and craft activities for littlies.
I’m part of two events at Emerging Writers Festival this year and luckily I don’t have to leave Footscray for either of them! The first one is at the local library and it features me, Khalid Warsame and Harry Reid talking about place, poetry, and the western suburbs.
Writing the west Tuesday 21 June 2022 6 pm to 7 pm Footscray Library 56 Paisley St, Footscray VIC 3011 Free | book here
Liminal Vol. II is sickening in chartreuse with 200 pages of Asian Australian excellence across art, writing & conversations. And it features my first collage: six pages of archival treasures and commentary on Chinatown from the 1800s to the 1980s. Buy it here.
Dinner Party Press’s annual vaguely-Valentine’s Day feminist erotica salon is back, and I’m in the line-up again, this time with Tuesday Atzinger, Kat Capel and Joan Fleming.
Saturday 5 March 2022 7 pm to 10 pm Willows & Wine 315 Victoria St, West Melbourne VIC 3003 Tickets from $22.20 | book here
Hot off the press! n-SCRIBE 15 is an anthology of 40 works by Darebin writers and artists (including cover artist Tama Sharman) that you can pick up in Darebin libraries, cafes and bookstores for free.
Jinghua Qian 