Sydney – Wednesday 2 February, 2022. The Sydney Opera House today announced new speakers, performers and events for its tenth annual All About Women festival, taking place onsite on Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 March 2022 and livestreamed to audiences across Australia and the world.
Brittany Higgins, Debbie Millman, Amia Srinivasan, Julia Zemiro, Joelle Taylor, Maeve Marsden, Jinghua Qian, Sandy O’Sullivan, Amao Leota Lu, Najeeba Wazefadost, Mariam Veiszadeh and Zarlasht Sarwari join an inspiring and diverse line-up, including Grace Tame,Roxane Gay,Laura Tingle, Tishani Doshi and many more. This year’s program will pay tribute to the power of disclosure; highlight the courage of advocates who have spoken out; celebrate the rich resource of Eldership in First Nations communities; stage cross-generational conversation, art and performance; and emphasise the need for allyship, friendship and collective responsibility.
Marking the week of International Women’s Day, the 2022 festival features 21 events including talks, panels, performances, workshops and a participatory art encounter, with more than 50 international and Australian artists, thinkers and storytellers. It is co-curated by Sydney Opera House’s recently appointed Head of Talks & Ideas Chip Rolley and First Nations legal academic, broadcaster, filmmaker, writer and Distinguished Professor Larissa Behrendt OA.
New speakers, performers and events announced today for All About Women 2022 include:
- Former political staffer and fierce advocate for workplace and women’s safety Brittany Higgins delivering a powerful testimony, and British slam poet and the winner of the 2021 T.S. Eliot Prize for Poetry for her collection C+nto Joelle Taylor, will both join the Opening Night Gala, alongside television presenter and comedian Julia Zemiro as host;
- A new event on what it means to live a creative life with American designer, author, educator, and host of the legendary award-winning podcast Design Matters, Debbie Millman;
- A live version of the national LGBTQI+ storytelling project Queerstories, curated by writer, performer and director Maeve Marsden, where five incredible storytellers will share personal tales about their relationship to womanhood;
- Philosopher and bestselling author of The Right to Sex, Amia Srinivasan, in conversation with professor, author and journalist Emma Jane about sexual entitlement, carceral feminism and the renewed tension between sex positivity and porn influencing the sex lives of women. This event will run with session partner UNSW Centre for Ideas;
- Writer Jinghua Qian; Wiradjuri academic Sandy O’Sullivan; and performer, artist and activist Amao Leota Lu joining Beyond the Binary, a provocative panel discussion hosted and curated by writer, historian and podcaster Yves Rees; and
- Refugee advocate Najeeba Wazefadost; human rights champion, lawyer and social commentator Mariam Veiszadeh; and PhD candidate researching Afghan identities in Australia Zarlasht Sarwari joining a panel to explore The Future for Women in Afghanistan chaired by Diana Sayed.
A ‘quiet space’ will also be introduced at All About Women 2022, providing an environment for anyone who needs to take time out from the day and for those who have sensory sensitivities.