Return of the Sweatshop Woman

Sweatshop: Western Sydney Literacy Movement presents the second issue of its critically acclaimed literary journal Sweatshop Women, Australia’s first anthology of short stories, essays and poems produced entirely by women of colour. Celebrate with readings from some of Australia’s most exciting new Indigenous and culturally diverse writers. Introduced by Winnie Dunn, you’ll hear readings from Phoebe Grainer, Sara Saleh, Sydnye Allen, Janette Chen and Maryam Azam (in order of appearance).

This recording is available on all major podcast platforms.

Sweatshop Women Volume Two is available from Sweatshop.

Winnie Dunn (Australian)

Winnie Dunn is a Tongan-Australian writer and arts worker from Mt Druitt. She is the General Manager of Sweatshop: Western Sydney Literacy Movement. Winnie’s work has been published in The Sydney Review of Books, Going Down Swinging, Griffith Review, Meanjin, SBS Voices, Southerly and Red Room Poetry. She is the editor of several anthologies, most recently Sweatshop Women and This Little Red Thing. Winnie is currently completing her debut novel as the recipient of a 2019 CAL Ignite Grant.

Maryam Azam (Australian)

Maryam Azam is a Pakistani-Australian writer and teacher from Western Sydney. She graduated with Honours in Creative Writing from Western Sydney University. She is a recipient of the WestWords Emerging Writers’ Fellowship and has discussed her work at Queensland Poetry Festival and Ubud Writers & Readers Festival, among others. She is a member of Sweatshop: Western Sydney Literacy Movement. Her debut poetry collection The Hijab Files was shortlisted for the Mary Gilmore Award and Anne Elder Award.

Phoebe Grainer (Australian)

Phoebe Grainer is a Djungan woman from Far North Queensland. She completed her Bachelor of Fine Arts at the National Institute of Dramatic Art in 2016 and she is a member of Sweatshop: Western Sydney Literacy Movement. Phoebe has been published in Sweatshop Women, SBS Voices, Red Room Poetry and The Lifted Brow.

Sara Saleh (Australian)

Sara Saleh is an award-winning Arab-Australian poet, writer and human rights campaigner who has worked in Australia and the Middle East. She is a member of Sweatshop: Western Sydney Literacy Movement. Sara’s first poetry collection was released in 2016, and her poems have been published in English and Arabic in several publications and anthologies including Australian Poetry Journal, Meanjin, Cordite, and SBS Voices. Sara is co-curator of Arab-Australian-Other: Stories on Race and Identity and she is currently working on her debut novel through a Sweatshop and Affirm Press Mentorship. Sara sits on the board of GetUp!

Sydnye Allen (Australian)

Sydnye Allen, PhD is an African-American writer. Before beginning her creative writing career, she wrote for academic audiences. She focuses on storytelling as a Black woman and mother in Australia. She is a member of the Sweatshop Women Collective. Sydnye's work can be found in Sweatshop Women, This Little Red Thing, The Lifted Brow, Red Room Poetry and SBS Voices.

Janette Chen (Australian)

Janette Chen is a Chinese-Australian writer from Lidcombe. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Writing and Cultural Studies from the University of Technology, Sydney. In 2019, she won the Deborah Cass Prize and participated in Carnival of the Bold’s Citizen Writes program. Janette is a member of Sweatshop: Western Sydney Literacy Movement.