Bri Lee

Last updated

Bri Lee
Born (1991-12-13) 13 December 1991 (age 33)
Queensland, Australia
Occupation(s)Writer, activist, journalist
Known forLegal activism
Notable work Eggshell Skull
Website www.bri-lee.com

Brianna "Bri" Lee (born 13 December 1991) [1] [2] is an Australian author, journalist, and activist, known for her 2018 memoir Eggshell Skull .

Contents

Early life

Brianna Lee was born in Queensland, Australia. [3]

Career

Writing and journalism

Lee's early writing work included a short story published in Voiceworks, [4] while serving as the founder and editor of the (now defunct) feminist quarterly periodical Hot Chicks with Big Brains. [5] Hot Chicks with Big Brains ran from 2015 until 2018, spanning seven issues. It featured articles and interviews with diverse women and non-binary people, including Darug elder Aunty Jacinta Tobin, Isabella Manfredi, Mehreen Faruqi, [6] Ruby Tandoh, [7] and Clementine Ford. [8]

Lee's first book, the memoir Eggshell Skull was published by Allen & Unwin in early 2018. [9] It describes Lee's experience as a complainant in the Australian court system for sexual abuse she was subjected to as a child, while simultaneously working as a Judge's Associate working on similar cases. The memoir was well received, winning several awards including the People's Choice Award at the 2019 Victorian Premier's Literary Awards, [10] as well as the Davitt Award for debut novel [11] and the Ned Kelly Award for best true crime [12] in the same year. Funding for story development for a film adaptation was granted by Screen Australia in March 2023. [13] In 2021, passages from Eggshull Skull were quoted in a parliamentary debate regarding reform to the criminal justice system in Queensland. [14] In 2023, Lee's work was discussed in the Parliament of New South Wales after the second reading speech for the Criminal Procedure Amendment (Child Sexual Offence Evidence) Bill 2023. [15]

In October 2019, Lee's essay Beauty was published by Allen & Unwin. [16] In the essay, Lee examines her struggles with disordered eating. It was praised for its dissection of corporate middle class culture. [17]

In 2020 Lee was appointed the Australian Copyright Agency's writer-in-residence at the University of Technology Sydney. [18]

Her book, Who Gets to Be Smart, was published in 2021 by Allen & Unwin. [19]

In 2022, Lee's journalism for The Saturday Paper investigated a 'loophole' whereby perpetrators of abuse were able to shield their assets from civil claims brought by their victims, by moving them into their superannuation. [20] This was followed by further coverage by other outlets such as the ABC, and calls by Australian of the Year, Grace Tame for the government to enact reforms. [21] The Australian Government subsequently pledged to close this loophole. [22] Similarly, in 2023, Lee's investigative reporting into the financial affairs of Australian fashion label Ellery in The Monthly sparked further investigation and exposure by the ABC and other outlets. [23] [24] Lee was nominated for a Walkley Award for the piece. [25]

Lee's debut novel, The Work, dealing with the development of a long-distance relationship between an art gallery owner in Chelsea, Manhattan, and a Queensland country boy turned art dealer, was published in 2024. [26]

Advocacy and media

Together with Bond University's Professor Jonathan Crowe, [27] Lee co-authored legal research and built ConsentLawQLD.com, a platform for the advocacy which led to the Queensland Attorney-General referring consent in rape and sexual assault to the Queensland Law Reform Commission in 2019. [28] [29]

Lee has been featured in advertising campaigns for brands including Sportsgirl, [30] Mimco, [31] Camilla and Marc, [32] and Fashion Journal. [33] Her advocacy has been recognised with a shortlisting for Women's Agenda Leadership Awards [34] and a placement as one of the Australian Financial Review 's "Women of Influence" in 2019. [35]

In 2021, in partnership with the Women's Justice Network and Gleebooks, Lee launched "Freadom Inside", an initiative facilitating the provision of books to inmates in women's correctional facilities in New South Wales. [36]

Lee hosts the 'B List Bookclub', a monthly bookclub featuring Australian and international authors, with the State Library of New South Wales. [37] Lee has made several appearances on the ABC program The Drum [38] as well as appearing on Radio National, [39] discussing issues such as law reform, and her written work.

Awards

Honours

YearAwards and fellowships
2016Inaugural Kat Muscat Fellowship [40]
2017Griffith Review Queensland Writer's Fellowship [41]
2018 Queensland Literary Awards – Premier's Young Publishers and Writers Award [42]
2019 Australian Financial Review – Women of Influence 2019 [35]
2021University of Queensland Alumni Award, for advocacy for survivors of sexual assault and for law reform [43]

Literary awards

YearWorkAwardCategoryResultRef
2018 Eggshell Skull Nib Literary Award People's ChoiceWon [44]
2019 Australian Book Industry Awards Biography of the YearWon [45]
Matt Richell New Writer AwardShortlisted [46]
CHASS Book Prize—Shortlisted [47]
Davitt Award True CrimeLonglisted [48]
Debut Crime BookWon [49]
Indie Book Awards Non-FictionShortlisted [50]
Ned Kelly Awards True CrimeWon [51]
Stella Prize —Longlisted [52]
Victorian Premier's Literary Awards Nonfiction Shortlisted [53]
People's Choice Award Shortlisted [54]
2021Who Gets to Be Smart Nib Literary Award —Longlisted [55]
2022 Australian Book Industry Awards Non-FictionLonglisted [56]
Indie Books Awards Non-FictionShortlisted [57]

Works

Related Research Articles

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<i>Eggshell Skull</i> (book) 2018 memoir by Bri Lee

Eggshell Skull is a 2018 non-fiction memoir by Australian author Bri Lee. It details Lee's experiences as a judge's associate in Brisbane's District Court of Queensland, where she oversees many cases, including those involving sexual harassment and assault. Two years into her job, she returns as the complainant in her own case.

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References

  1. ↑ Brie Lee", WorldCat
  2. ↑ Bri Lee (2 May 2017). "Young lady, that's inappropriate". Griffith Review . ISBN   9781925498356 . Retrieved 14 June 2024.
  3. ↑ ""Bri Lee"". Booked Out Speakers. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
  4. ↑ Lee, Bri (Winter 2015). "Hunting with Robert". Voiceworks. 100: 57–59.
  5. ↑ Lee, Bri. "Hot Chicks with Big Brains". Archived from the original on 6 August 2018. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
  6. ↑ "Issue #4". Hot Chicks with Big Brains. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  7. ↑ "Issue #5". Hot Chicks with Big Brains. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  8. ↑ "Issue #6". Hot Chicks with Big Brains. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  9. ↑ Lee, Bri (2018). Eggshell Skull. Allen & Unwin.
  10. ↑ "VPLAs 2019: Manus detainee Boochani wins $100k top prize". Books+Publishing . 1 February 2019. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
  11. ↑ "'The Ruin' wins best novel at 2019 Davitt Awards". Books+Publishing . 2 September 2019. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
  12. ↑ "Winners of the Ned Kelly Awards 2019 announced". Books+Publishing . 9 September 2019. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
  13. ↑ "Screen Australia funds Eggshell Skull adaptation development". Books+Publishing . 22 March 2023. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
  14. ↑ Queensland Parliamentary Hansard. 2021.
  15. ↑ "Hansard & House Papers". www.parliament.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  16. ↑ Lee, Bri (2019). Beauty. [S.l.]: Allen & Unwin. ISBN   978-1760876524. OCLC   1111771887.
  17. ↑ "A Review of 'Beauty' by Bri Lee". Westerly Magazine. 16 January 2020. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  18. ↑ "Bri Lee joins UTS as Copyright Agency's Writer-in-Residence". University of Technology Sydney . 24 February 2020. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
  19. ↑ Silcox, Beejay (10 June 2021). "Who Gets to Be Smart by Bri Lee review – gutsy but unfocused interrogation of academic privilege". The Guardian . Archived from the original on 10 June 2021. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
  20. ↑ Lee, Bri (26 March 2022). "Delays are allowing abusers to hide assets from their victims". The Saturday Paper . Retrieved 3 August 2023.
  21. ↑ Shine, Rhiannon (22 June 2022). "Grace Tame wants Albanese government to close paedophile superannuation loophole". ABC News (Australia) . Retrieved 3 August 2023.
  22. ↑ Shine, Rhiannon (18 January 2023). "Government pledges to close child abuser superannuation loophole". ABC News (Australia) . Retrieved 3 August 2023.
  23. ↑ Lee, Bri (1 April 2023). "Debt-à-porter". The Monthly. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
  24. ↑ Brown, Rachael (1 July 2023). "Designer Kym Ellery's edgy outfits won over celebrities. Her 2019 fashion business collapse left suppliers owed millions". ABC News (Australia) . Retrieved 3 August 2023.
  25. ↑ Gorman, James (20 September 2023). "2023 Walkley Business Journalism Award Finalists Announced". The Walkley Foundation. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  26. ↑ Lee, Bri (2024). The Work. Allen & Unwin. ISBN   9781761069390.
  27. ↑ Wolfe, Natalie (10 July 2019). "The few seconds and hair touch that let a rapist go free". News.com.au . Retrieved 3 September 2010.
  28. ↑ ""Submission to the Queensland Law Reform Commission's Consent and Mistake of Fact Review" by Andrew Dyer" (PDF). The University of Sydney. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
  29. ↑ D'Ath, Yvette (9 July 2019). "Palaszczuk government to refer consent laws to Queensland Law Reform Commission". The Queensland Cabinet and Ministerial Directory. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
  30. ↑ apatelsus (28 January 2019). "Meet That Girl: Bri Lee". Blog | Sportsgirl. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  31. ↑ "Unite – Meet Bri Lee". www.mimco.com.au. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  32. ↑ "Bri Lee". Camilla and Marc. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  33. ↑ "Queensland's sexual consent law is changing thanks to Bri Lee". Fashion Journal. 8 August 2019. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  34. ↑ "Announcing the finalists of the 2019 Women's Agenda Leadership Awards". Women's Agenda. 15 August 2019. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  35. 1 2 "Bri Lee". Afrwomen of Influence. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  36. ↑ "Women's Justice Network". Gleebooks.com.au. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  37. ↑ "The B List Bookclub". State Library of NSW. 16 April 2020. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  38. ↑ "The Drum: Tuesday 23rd of June", ABC News (Australia) , 23 June 2020, retrieved 21 February 2021
  39. ↑ "Women and the Law". ABC Radio National . 3 May 2017. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  40. ↑ "Announcing The 2016 Kat Muscat Fellow". Express Media. 22 February 2016. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  41. ↑ "Fellowship winners announced". Griffith Review . 10 January 2017. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  42. ↑ "2018 Queensland Literary Award winners show off local talent". Ministerial Media Statements. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  43. ↑ "Meet our 2021 UQ Alumni Award winners, Bri Lee and Mikhara Ramsing". law.uq.edu.au. 16 September 2021. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  44. ↑ "Winners announced today for the national 2018 Mark and Evette Moran Nib Literary Award - Waverley Council". www.waverley.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved 10 October 2024.
  45. ↑ "Biography Book of the Year". ABIA. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  46. ↑ "2019 ABIA Shortlist Announce". ABIA. 10 April 2019. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  47. ↑ "Media Releases | CHASS" . Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  48. ↑ "2019-Davitt-Awards-long-list" (PDF).
  49. ↑ "The Davitt Award winners 2019". www.readings.com.au. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  50. ↑ AusIndieBooks (15 January 2019). "Shortlist Announced for Indie Book Awards 2019". Indie Book Awards. Retrieved 10 October 2024.
  51. ↑ "Ned Kelly Awards 2019 Winner – Allen & Unwin – Australia". www.allenandunwin.com. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  52. ↑ "Announcing the Winner of the 2019 Stella Prize". The Stella Prize. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  53. ↑ "Victorian Premier's Literary Awards 2019 shortlists announced". Books+Publishing. Retrieved 10 October 2024.
  54. ↑ "Victorian Premier's Literary Awards 2019". The Wheeler Centre. Archived from the original on 29 December 2018. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  55. ↑ "2021 Mark and Evette Moran Nib Literary Award longlist announced - Waverley Council". www.waverley.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved 10 October 2024.
  56. ↑ Gosselin, Tessa (22 March 2022). "2022 Long List Announcement". ABIA. Retrieved 10 October 2024.
  57. ↑ "Indie Book Awards 2022 shortlists announced". Books+Publishing . Retrieved 26 January 2022.
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