Content warning for discussions of transphobia, homophobia, eating disorders & violence.
Welcome back to Talking Queer, Talking Words’ summer special, here today with not one, but two incredible queer multi-hyphenates: Fiona Wright and Tea Uglow. Hailing from Sydney’s southwest, Fiona is a writer, editor, critic and tutor of creative writing and creative non-fiction. She hosts Six Degrees from the City, a podcast about writers and Western Sydney, holds a PhD in Literature and Creative Writing from Western Sydney University, and has authored four award-winning books – two collections of poetry, and two essay collections; all remarkable, challenging, and beautifully intimate.Tea is the Creative Director for Google’s Creative Lab in Sydney. Interested in the generative potential of intersections between technology and the arts, this self-described ‘atypical creative’ and fan of physics, reality, and doubt, has contributed world-altering talks to TED, the Sydney Writer’s festival, and the AIGA annual conference in Minneapolis. Most recently, Tea authored the beautiful book Loud and Proud, an anthology of speeches from the LGBTQIA+ community and our allies. Fortunately, Fiona and Tea are both currently based in Sydney, so we were able to meet in person to discuss creativity, vulnerability, and queer history.
Settle in for the long haul – this one’s a journey worth taking.
[One final note - since this episode was recorded, Leona's preference of pronoun leans more towards 'they' than 'she' - but they won't be offended if you occasionally forget!]