Vulnerable and fierce, hilarious and heartbreaking, Queerstories celebrates the culture and creativity of the LGBTQIA+ community one true story at a time. Each guest is invited to share the story they want to tell, but are never asked to; unexpected tales of pride, prejudice, resilience and resistance.
An institution around the country, Queerstories has played to crowds big and small, from Mudgee to Murwillumbah, Albury to Adelaide, Brisbane and beyond, with an award-winning podcast featuring an archive of nearly 400 queer tales.
Speakers: Kaya Wilson, Fenella Kernebone, Alissar Gazal, Tommy Misa & Brendan Maclean
Due to unforeseen circumstances Paul Capsis can no longer attend this event.
Kaya Wilson
Kaya Wilson is writer, tsunami scientist, and lover of all things ocean who somehow finds himself living in Canberra. He is the author of As Beautiful As Any Other, listed by the Guardian as one of the best books of 2021 and is currently working on a queer coming of age novel.
Fenella Kernebone
With a background in television, radio and podcasts as a presenter, journalist, producer, interviewer, Fenella is an in demand MC, facilitator and moderator, and has hosted countless conferences and events. Prior to her current role at SXSW Sydney, Fenella was Head of Curation for TEDxSydney and Head of Programming for Sydney Ideas, the University of Sydney public talks program.
Alissar Gazal
Alissar Gazal migrated with her family from Lebanon to Sydney in 1973. Following her heart, Alissar joined a bilingual theatre company in her youth and discovered a love of theatre writing and performance, as well as working on documentaries and short films. In 2002, Alissar founded and established the long running Club Arak, an Arab dance grooves party for queers of all colour. Alissar has been in a relationship with her partner for 30 years and both live in Currarong on the NSW south coast.
Tommy Misa
Tommy Misa works across live performance, screen and community gatherings, with his work responding to The Queers, The Pasifika Community, The Hard Workers and the Misfits in his life. Tommy has created original works across screen, theatre and art-y worlds and most recently premiered ‘Working Class Clown’ an original commission for the Biennale of Sydney, exploring the interplay of grief, joy and the role, responsibility and riot of the clown.
Brendan Maclean
Brendan Maclean is known as a singer-songwriter brandishing over ten million streams on Spotify for their original music and just as many views for his spectacular dance-heavy music videos. A thriving talent, Brendan has been nominated for an ARIA for their work alongside Marcia Hines in the disco musical Velvet, made a cameo in Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby and is currently riding high after a superstar run as the titular roles in Australia’s premiere production of Jekyll & Hyde The Musical at The Hayes.
Maeve Marsden (Queerstories Director)
Maeve Marsden is a writer and theatremaker, and the Artistic Director of the Blue Mountains Writers Festival. She was a 2020 Phillip Parsons fellow at Belvoir Theatre, and has written, directed and performed in a number of critically acclaimed theatre productions, touring Australia, New Zealand and the UK.
Maeve curates national storytelling project Queerstories, and her writing has appeared in The Sydney Morning Herald, Guardian Australia, Junkee and Archer Magazine, among others.
Find out more about Queerstories.
Tales of Land and Sea
This event is part of Bundanon’s program of live events for current exhibition Tales of Land and Sea.
Tales of Land and Sea brings together three distinct projects exploring storytelling, mythological narratives, migration and the diasporic experience. Drawing from both personal narratives and Eastern mythologies, each project highlights age-old themes of longing, displacement, cultural connection and belonging.
