All About Women 2024 line-up announced

Rebecca F. Kuang – Mary Beard – Grace Tame – Anna Funder – Barkaa – Lucinda 'Froomes' Price – Marisa Meltzer – Chanel Contos – Osher Günsberg – Brooke Boney – Jan Fran – Jessica Rowe – Michelle Law – Tanya Hosch – Jane Caro AM – Zoë Coombs Marr  – Steph Tisdell –  Tara Rae Moss – Sisonke Msimang – Aja Barber – Madison Griffiths – Jessie Tu – Bridie Jabour – Neha Kale – Madeleine Gray – Ashlee Donohue – Eleni Psillakis – Frances Drake – Chrissy Flannagan – Libby O'Donovan – Moreblessing Maturure – Randa Abdel-Fattah – Mary McGillivray – Hannah Ferguson – Sean Szeps – Angela Tiatia

Sydney – Wednesday 17 January, 2024. The Sydney Opera House today announced an extraordinary line-up of 24 events featuring more than 40 international and Australian artists, thinkers and storytellers for the 12th annual All About Women festival. Taking place on Sunday 10 March 2024, the centrepiece talks event returns in-person and online to explore big ideas important to women, gender diverse people and their allies through conversations, panels and workshops.

Grace Tame (she/her), Tanya Hosch (she/her), Anna Funder (she/her), Marisa Meltzer (she/her), Chanel Contos (she/her) and many more, join the line-up with previously announced author of the worldwide satirical sensation Yellowface, Rebecca F. Kuang (she/her), and world famous classics scholar, feminist icon and perhaps the one woman who thinks about the Roman Empire more than any man on TikTok, Mary Beard (she/her).

This year’s festival has been programmed by the Sydney Opera House Talks & Ideas team led by Chip Rolley (he/him) alongside three All About Women alumnae who have co-curated individual events: award-winning author and writer of opinion, investigative journalism, non-fiction and soon-to-be fiction with April 2024 release The Work, Bri Lee (she/her); author of the recently released I Don’t: The Case Against Marriage and proud Cat Lady, Clementine Ford (she/her); and Gamilaroi and Torres Strait Islander woman, writer/actor and creator of the recent Griffin Theatre sensation Blaque Showgirls, Nakkiah Lui (she/her).

Closing the week of International Women’s Day, the program continues to challenge assumptions about gender and power by exploring issues around our bodies, desire, consent, and identity; and teases out new ideas about gossip, parenthood, beauty, consumerism and the extraordinary way our lives are changing – sometimes in ways we don’t notice.

All About Women 2024 includes:

• Our bodies - Former Australian of the Year and activist/advocate for sexual assault survivors Grace Tame; Torres Strait Islander woman, former South Australian of the Year and changemaker in Indigenous and women’s leadership Tanya Hosch; writer, producer, tattoo artist and author of non-fiction work Tissue, Madison Griffiths (she/her); and author and documentary-maker Tara Rae Moss (she/her) with bestselling author and columnist Jamila Rizvi (she/her) in an agenda-setting conversation about the body – who controls it, who judges it, and what it tells us about ourselves;
• Feminist roast - Social commentator, best-selling novelist and writer Jane Caro AM (she/her); writer, actor and co-author of Sh*t Asian Mothers Say Michelle Law (she/her); comedian, actor and host of ABC’s Queerstralia Zoë Coombs Marr (she/her); Walkley-winning journalist and TV presenter Jan Fran (she/her); and Nakkiah Lui; in a spirited, mischievous and sometimes serious takedown of, and ode to, feminism hosted by Ydinji woman and award-winning comedy star Steph Tisdell (she/her) (co-curated by Nakkiah Lui);
• Why so sad, girl - Book critic and author of A Lonely Girl is a Dangerous Thing Jessie Tu (she/her); highly commended journalist Neha Kale (she/her); and arts writer and author of Green Dot, Madeleine Gray (she/her) on contemporary fiction’s obsession with ‘Sad Girl’ novels – hosted by Bridie Jabour (she/her), Guardian Australia’s opinion editor (co-curated by Bri Lee);
• Wifedom with Anna Funder - The Miles Franklin-winning author on literary hero George Orwell sidelining the work of his wife Eileen O'Shaughnessy and how the doublethink of patriarchy persists today;
• Is it time to rethink porn? - Sex education campaigner, creator of Teach Us Consent and author of newly released Consent Laid Bare Chanel Contos on the relationship between porn and consent in a world of male entitlement;
• The beauty trap - Beauty and wellness writer, and author of Glossy: Ambition, Beauty, and the Inside Story of Emily Weiss’s Glossier Marisa Meltzer on the changing beauty industry, from the rise of direct-to-consumer brands to the evolution of celebrity endorsements online, hosted by Bridie Jabour;
• Anne Enright - The Booker Prize-winning author (she/her) on love, family, resilience, inherited trauma and her latest novel The Wren, The Wren with Madeleine Gray;
• Beyond bars - Dunghutti woman, anti-violence and anti-racism educator, and CEO of Mudgin-Gal Aboriginal Women’s Centre Ashlee Donohue (she/her); Executive Officer of Success Works, helping women with a criminal record rebuild their lives, Eleni Psillakis (she/her); and founding member of the Women’s Justice Network Frances Drake (she/her); and abolitionist activist, poet and storyteller Tabitha Lean (she/her); with Muruwari and Yuwaalaraay woman and Research Fellow Kirsten Gray (she/her) on the relationship between trauma and the chance of ending up in prison, over-represented incarcerated populations and what life is really like behind bars (co-curated by Bri Lee);
• Play the girl - Clementine Ford and singer Libby O’Donovan (she/her) with a funny, warm, heartfelt show (part talk, part musical/comedic/magical performance) that tells us that it's not marriage that will save you - it's you (co-curated by Clementine Ford);
• Influencers are the new public intellectuals - Visual art and culture TikToker and video essayist Mary Mcgillivray (she/her); author and activist focused on race, gender and politics Sisonke Msimang (she/her); founder/CEO of independent news platform Cheek Media Co and author of Bite Back Hannah Ferguson (she/her) debating the impact of wrapping up education with online personas, social media handles and monetisation (co-curated by Bri Lee);
• Slowing down fast fashion - Intersectional sustainability activist, writer and stylist Aja Barber (she/her) with Jan Fran on fast fashion, consumerist culture and the structural inequality in the global fashion industry (co-curated by Clementine Ford);
• Daddy issues - Television and radio presenter Osher Günsberg (he/him), podcast host and author of debut book Not Like Other Dads Sean Szeps (he/him) and community leader and social entrepreneur Amar Singh on the landscape of parenting today and shifting gender roles, with a few dad jokes for good measure, in conversation with Jamila Rizvi (co-curated by Bri Lee);
• The stories we need now - Performer and prominent theatre reviewer Suzy Wrong (she/her) and inter-disciplinary artist, writer and actor Moreblessing Maturure (she/they) on the role of storytelling in sparking social change (co-curated by Nakkiah Lui);
• Follow the leader - Aja Barber joined by author, academic and human rights advocate Randa Abdel-Fattah (she/her) and artist Angela Tiatia (she/her) on the changes mainstream feminism needs (co-curated by Clementine Ford);
• Who gets to be bad? - Malyangapa, Barkindji woman, rapper and musician Barkaa (she/her) and Steph Tisdell, alongside radio broadcaster and presenter of ABC RN Awaye! Rudi Bremer (she/her), looking at pop culture’s anti-heroes, the constraints of Indigenous excellence and asking who has the right to be ‘bad’ in a society that expects women to be perfect (co-curated by Nakkiah Lui);
• Mothers in the margins - Author of the forthcoming book, The Mother of All Shocks, Karen Pickering (she/her) and Barkaa on the reality of mothers society often neglects (co-curated by Clementine Ford); and
• Hot gossip - Creative director, editor and writer Megha Kapoor (she/her), cultural commentator, comedian and podcaster Lucinda ‘Froomes’ Price (she/her) and author and journalist Jessica Rowe (she/her), with Gamilaroi woman, journalist and television presenter Brooke Boney (she/her) diving into the subversive power of gossip in pop culture, politics and public takedowns.

The festival will also run ticketed workshops:

• Femmergy with Groove Therapy - a dance class focused on femininity through both technique and history. Think body rolls, hair whips, bevels and the meanest Naomi Campbell walk;
• Making candles with Nonna’s Grocer - make your very own handmade mini fruit candles - that will look too delicious to light - with owners Madeleine and Isabel Hoy;
• Write About Now - experience mindful journalling with Jerico Mandybur (she/they) so writing becomes a cathartic, creative path to uncovering your feelings and values; and
• Taking Action on Gender-Based Violence - a practical guide from the Women’s and Girls’ Emergency Centre for those who want to safely support a friend, family member or stranger they’re concerned about.

In addition, free initiatives and activities will be presented with:

• A brand new pop-up run by ‘Chaotic Socialite’ and Petersham local Chrissy Flannagan (she/her) in the Western Foyers including workshops Speed Mating; Book Club on Rebecca F. Kuang’s Yellowface; and Stitch and Complain; and
• Artist Angela Tiatia exhibiting Narcissus on the Western Broadwalk and in the Concert Hall foyers. The installation is a contemporary reimagining of the ancient Greco-Roman myth of a beautiful young man falling in love with his own image reflected in a pool of water.

EVENT DETAILS
What: All About Women 2024
When: Sunday 10 March 2024
Where: Various venues, Sydney Opera House
Price: From $35

Insiders presale: Wednesday 17 January, 8am
What's On presale: Wednesday 17 January, 9am
General public on sale: Thursday 18 January, 9am