Bent Street

July 8, 2020July 8, 2020

Webinar – From a distance: sex and technology during COVID-19

A webinar, presented by the Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society, LaTrobe, to explore the role of new technologies in shaping human sex and intimacy, issues that have been starkly highlighted during the restrictions on human contact imposed globally in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Papers and content from speakers at this webinar will feature in the upcoming Bent Street 4.1.

Date:

Thursday 16 July 2020 02:00 pm

Book now

Contact:

Henry von Doussa
H.vonDoussa@latrobe.edu.au

In this seminar, we will consider:

· The ways in which technologies produce human intimacy in sometimes unexpected ways

· New ways that people seek intimacy and navigate cultures of sex and intimacy using digital technologies

· How technologies mediate human connection in ways that reform and expand possibilities for sex and intimacy

Sexuality, sex, and sexual health research is a major strength of La Trobe University. This seminar brings together speakers from the leading international sexuality research centres:

Professor Suzanne Fraser

Director of the Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society, La Trobe University and Visiting Professorial Fellow at the Centre for Social Research in Health at the University of New South Wales, Australia

Dr Amanda Gesselman

Associate Director for Research, Head of Research Analytics and Methodology Core, Anita Aldrich Endowed Research Scientist, The Kinsey Institute, Indiana University, USA

Dr Jamie Hakim

Lecturer in Media Studies, University of East Anglia, UK

Supported by:

Gender, Sexuality and Human Rights theme, Transforming Human Societies Research Focus Area, Sexuality & Gender: Health, Equality and Justice research cluster, School of Humanities and Social Sciences and the Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society, La Trobe University

Access

This event will be livestreamed over Zoom. The seminar is open to all attendees, but to reduce the chance of disruptions, we ask that you register your email address.

This event will not be live-captioned, but we may be able to supply a transcript afterwards if you would like one. If you have any specific accessibility requirements, please let us know and we will make every effort to accommodate you.

June 9, 2020June 9, 2020

New Short Story Collection from Ashley Sievwright

This month sees the release of Bait and Switch and Other Stories by Ashley Sievwright – Bent Street contributor and consulting fiction editor.

Eight stories of love, friendship, and indifference.

From teenage memories of staying with a cross-dressing cousin in Kings Cross, to estranged siblings scattering the ashes of a family member, not to mention perplexing encounters in Jordan, these eight stories reflect on family, friendship, desire and belonging and the ‘weight of inherited sorrow’ that each of us carries.

Ashley Sievwright is the author of the novels The Shallow End (Shortlisted for the Commonwealth Writers Prize Best First Novel) and Walter; and co-author of the non-fiction A Year of Lighthouses and Another Year of Lighthouses. Ashley Sievwright lives in Melbourne.

The title is available now at Hares & Hyenas bookshop and cafe; and The Bookshop Darlinghurst.

Also available from all online platforms (Amazon, Booktopia etc, Apple, Kindle, Google Play), or order through your bookshop. Bookshops and libraries can order through Lightning Source.

Given the COVID 19 restrictions we are hoping to have some innovative launch events later.

Bait and Switch and Other Stories by Ashley Sievwright is published by Clouds of Magellan Press, publisher of Bent Street. Clouds of Magellan is open to manuscript submissions from Bent Street contributors only.

June 5, 2020

Poetry chapbook from John Bartlett

Songs of the Godforsaken is a new chapbook of poems from Bent Street contributor John Bartlett. The collection, published by Picaro Poets, put me [GT] in mind of a lovely collection – Heaven’s Backyard by David Lander (Collins Dove 1984). John catches a poetic thermal from St Augustine, the prophets and the Evangelists, as well as suicide bombers, iPhone upgrades, and refugees who fall from aeroplanes. He reflects on his father, on people no longer with us, yet who remain to trouble our journey. Hints of late Clive James. A fantastic collection with memorable words and images. Nature and popular culture rub shoulders here, and there are warm/hot night encounters for the discerning reader. I particularly liked ‘The Song The Wind Sings’ (‘You hear them on train tracks / those voices of departure, / the songs of farewell …’). Visit John at https://beyondtheestuary.com/ and listen to his podcasts, or buy the chapbook.

[Gordon Thompson – Publisher, Clouds of Magellan]

May 17, 2020July 8, 2020

Bent Street – New Publishing Model

This year Bent Street is moving to a new biannual publishing model, with a curated mid-year edition (July), as well as our regular end-of-year edition (December).

In 2020 the mid-year edition (Bent Street 4.1) will be guest-edited by Jennifer Power and Henry von Doussa, on the theme ‘Love from a distance: intimacy and technology’. This edition will explore how LGBTIQA+ communities shape relationship through emerging technologies. Full details HERE

Submissions are now closed and 4.1 will publish in July 2020.

Submissions for the end-of-year Bent Street 4.2 are welcome any time.

January 21, 2020

Sydney Bent Street 3 Launch

We are having a Bent Street 3 Sydney launch at The Imperial, Erskinville on Thursday January 30th 6pm til 9pm.

Free Event. All Welcome.

TheBookshop Darlinghurst will be putting up a special ‘Pop-up store’ on the evening, to sell Bent Street 1, 2 and 3. Thankyou Les and Graeme for your tremendous support. Thankyou also to Guy James Whitworth, a Bent Street contributor, who is doing a lot of legwork to make the event happen.