EVERYONE'S STORY MATTERS

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Our Ancestors Were Cameleers
Our Ancestors Were Cameleers

“Early Australia had no place for these voices to go, and so the cameleers – and the hawkers who came in their wake – set out to build a place of their own.”

An Interview with Sarah McNeill
An Interview with Sarah McNeill

Meet Sarah McNeill, the brains behind Lit Live!

LOCAL STORIES

'Local Stories' are mini-series focussed on stories from individuals based in Western Australia. We're proud to be Perthlings and want to share the stories of the people that make our state great. 

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Rottnest Swim
Rottnest Swim

The Rotto Swim is one of Western Australia's most iconic events and one of the biggest open-water swimming events in the world.

Off the Shelf: Interviews with our book donors
Off the Shelf: Interviews with our book donors

Dennis Haskell, Susan Midalia and Peter Dowding have been three of the most generous book donors behind Centre for Stories' new library. 

CONVERSATIONS

Centre for Stories loves live storytelling! Our 'Conversations' series is a selection of recordings from our live events. 

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Perth Festival: The Poets Speak
Perth Festival: The Poets Speak

The Poets Speak was held at the Centre for Stories as part of Perth Festival's Writers Week 2018. Featuring: Robert Wood, Charlotte Guest and Siobhan Cooley. 

Stories from Country: Joseph Northover
Stories from Country: Joseph Northover

Joseph Northover speaks about love, loss and growing up in Northbridge in the 80's.

Twitter: @Centre4Stories

UPCOMING EVENTS

Here’s a little throwback to Sarah McNeill reading at Lit Live earlier this May. Tickets to our June Lit Live are available on our website [link in bio]! We hope to see you there 🤩
Our new series, Poetic Traditions from the Subcontinent, explores the rich tradition of poetry from Pakistan and India. We'll be examining how poets became historians, journalists, entertainers, and even revolutionaries, forming the fabric of society. Join us and develop a greater understanding of cultures rich in thought and expression, and often unfamiliar to western audiences. • First in the series, we feature Associate Professor Samina Yasmeen who will discuss the poetry written about Begum Sarfraz. Begum Sarfraz Iqbal (1939-2003) patronised Urdu literature in Pakistan and was recognised for it by renowned poets and writers. Samina will shed light on how a woman carved a space for herself in a male-dominated society during the second half of the 20th century in Pakistan, and the social/political undercurrents of the time. • The first session will be running on Tuesday 5 June from 6pm. Tickets available from our website! • #poetry #centreforstories #stories #perthisok #westisbest
"And then I think, going through something that’s very against what society would expect, you know, I remember growing up and thinking, “oh sex change, that’s crazy, who would do that.” But technically that’s what I am. Sometimes I surprise myself and I forget. Because it just the way I’ve always been. But I think for Matt, he paved the way, his courage in his every day life and being his authentic self has inspired me to do that." • Meet Matthew and Daniel Bacon. They were some of our storytellers involved in ‘The Anatomy of Belonging’, a series of video stories collected for the Western Australian Museum. We were lucky enough to hear their incredible stories about identity, self-love and queer resilience. • They'll be sharing their stories again early next month at The Denmark Festival of Voice. Not only will there be stories, there will also be poetry, music, visual art and more. Tickets are still available on their website. • Photo: @jarradseng
Literature and poetry this week at Centre for Stories! • Tuesday 22 May at 6.00pm: Poetry Workshop. This is a safe and dynamic space where you can craft your poetry and offer feedback to other poets! • Wednesday 23 May at 6.00pm: Fem Book Club. This week we discuss the big ideas in Jessa Crispin’s ‘Why I Am Not A Feminist.’ #centreforstories #whatsonperth #perthsbest #perthisok
"...an event happened where we lost a very good friend, in tragic circumstances. And that sort of reminded me that life is short and you’ve got to go and do what you want to do and Pauline was really keen to go to Australia, so I decided to make enquiries... We came as a family in ’94." • World, meet Gerry Conneally! Gerry was one of storytellers involved in ‘The Anatomy of Belonging’, a series of video stories collected for Western Australian Museumsurrounding the theme of home. • We are so excited to be working with the iconic WA Museum and can't wait for its reopening in 2020. In the mean time, you can catch the Museum at a range of pop-up venues throughout Perth. Keep an eye on their website for events, news and updates #newmuseumforwa • Thanks @jarradseng for perfectly capturing Gerry's contagious smile!
Don’t miss these two incredible storytellers TONIGHT at the launch of ‘Bright Lights, No City’, a project funded by @communityartsnetwork. Jay Anderson and Holden Sheppard will be sharing their stories about growing up queer in Kalgoorlie and Geraldton. There are a still a few tickets left. Jump on our website and get them before they’re gone! #centreforstories #brightlightsnocity #communityartsnetwork
"Early Australia had no place for these voices to go, and so the cameleers – and the hawkers who came in their wake – set out to build a place of their own." • In acknowledgement of Ramadan starting this evening, we're sharing a piece from our former intern, Maia Sharrock Churchill. During her placement at the Centre, she explored how stories may become 'buried' or otherwise overlooked in discussions about a nation's history. This shaped her research on the history of Muslims in Australia and how vital their efforts were in the exploration and development of Australia in the early days of settlement. You can read her full piece on our website. #centreforstories
This week at Centre for Stories we have a plethora of exciting events on! • Tuesday 15 May @ 6.30pm: Stories Beyond the Lens with Ron Dillard. Join Ron and he discusses the deeper meaning behind his selection of photographs from East Russia. • Thursday 17 May @6.30pm: Bright Lights No City. In partnership with CAN, this was a project focusing on documenting stories of LGBTQIA+ youth from country WA. This is an evening of amazing first-person stories. • Thursday 17 May @6.00pm: Northbridge Crime Walk. This event is sold out! But please keep a look out for upcoming crime walk events on our website.
We are very excited to announce that our storyteller for this month's Bread & Butter is Esther Onek! Esther was born in South Sudan and is from the Acholi tribe. Due to South Sudan’s instability, her family fled to Kakuma Refugee camp where they lived for seven years. Esther arrived in Australia at the age of ten, unable to speak any English. She went on to obtain a Bachelor of Social Work and now works for Women’s Health and Family Services. She was a speaker at TEDxPerth late last year. At Bread & Butter, Esther will be sharing something important with us: a guide to being stubborn. • We can't wait to welcome Esther to the Centre and hope you will join us! Bread & Butter will be on Thursday the 31st of May at 6pm. Tickets on sale tomorrow morning! #breadandbutter #centreforstories