This is an edited excerpt in two parts, from Polly Bennett’s PhD Thesis, “Roller derby changed my life” (2020), which explored how radical, athlete-led sport like roller derby, can provide a break from daily experiences of exploitation and constraint. Below … Continued
By Polly Lisa Bennett. This is an edited excerpt in two parts, from Polly Bennett’s PhD Thesis, “Roller derby changed my life” (2020), which explored how radical, athlete-led sport like roller derby, can provide a break from daily experiences of … Continued
By Polly Lisa Bennett. The gymnastics beam as metaphor The beam was not my choice. I did not choose to be good at it. It chose me. The bars were my choice. The flow, the rhythm, the swing. So … Continued
24 January Just over a year ago I moved into Geelong West. At the time I wasn’t sure what was next. I just knew I didn’t want to go back to my Footscray flat or Melbourne. As my friends … Continued
Before Dawn, by Jan Price WHAT IF? JULIE RYSDALE We could have hauled our load up the stairs as high as we could go in that pretty pale moonlight. We would have dressed warmly for the chill ahead. And … Continued
By Martin Smith. Last night, my pop, Jack Declan, dropped by for a visit. ‘Hello, my boy,’ he said. ‘I’ve been waiting for your REM cycle to kick in.’ ‘Hi, Pop,’ I said. ‘How’s Heaven?’ He sat grey-haired and … Continued
By Martin Smith. ‘Hello? Is … is anyone there?’ ‘Yes. I’m over here. Hello. I’m John.’ ‘Hello, John. I’m B … Blake. Sorry, I’m a bit nervous. This is the first time I’ve done this.’ ‘I, too, was a … Continued
By Martin Smith. Any retelling of the legend of Marty McMurth always began with his birth day, when he received a perfect score on his APGAR scale. On that day, his mother, Mrs Martha McMurth, laboured for twenty-three hours. Her … Continued
By Martin Smith. Sometime after I stopped believing in the Tooth Fairy—but before you’re meant to start fighting life’s dragons—I had one of them close encounters of the strangest kind. I lived with Mum in a caravan park at the … Continued
By Martin Smith. Bea Beeson knocked but once upon the office door And awaited the call from the commander of her corps. ‘Enter,’ a stern voice barked from within, And Bea squared her shoulders and raised her chin. With a … Continued