Bri Lee

Last updated

Brianna "Bri" Lee
Born (1991-12-13) 13 December 1991 (age 32)
Queensland, Australia
Occupation(s)Writer, activist, and journalist
Known forLegal activism
Notable work Eggshell Skull
Website https://www.bri-lee.com/

Brianna "Bri" Lee (born 13 December 1991) is an Australian author, [1] journalist, [2] and activist, [3] known for her 2018 memoir Eggshell Skull . [4]

Contents

Career

Writing and journalism

Lee's early writing work included a short story published in Voiceworks, [5] while serving as the founder and editor of the (now defunct) feminist quarterly periodical Hot Chicks with Big Brains. [6] 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, [7] Ruby Tandoh, [8] and Clementine Ford. [9]

Lee's first book, the memoir Eggshell Skull was published by Allen & Unwin in early 2018. 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 and the 'mistake of fact' defence to the Law Reform Commission in 2019. [28] Lee has been featured in advertising campaigns for brands including Sportsgirl, [29] Mimco, [30] Camilla and Marc, [31] and Fashion Journal. [32] Her advocacy has been recognised with a shortlisting for Women's Agenda Leadership awards [33] and a placement as one of the Australian Financial Review 's 'women of influence' in 2019. [34]

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. [35]

Lee hosts the 'B List Bookclub', a monthly bookclub featuring Australian and international authors, with the State Library of New South Wales. [36] Lee has made several appearances on the ABC program The Drum [37] as well as appearing on Radio National, [38] discussing issues such as law reform, and her written work.

Awards

YearAwards and fellowships
2016Inaugural Kat Muscat Fellowship [39]
2017Griffith Review Queensland Writer's Fellowship [40]
2018 Queensland Literary Awards – Premier's Young Publishers and Writers Award [41]
2019 Australian Financial Review – Women of Influence 2019 [34]
2021University of Queensland Alumni Award, for advocacy for survivors of sexual assault and for law reform [42]
Awards and listings for Eggshell Skull
YearAward received
2018The Nib Award for Research and Writing – People's choice winner [43]
2019Ned Kelly Award for True Crime Writing – winner [44]
Davitt Award for Best Debut Crime Book – winner [45]
Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIA) Biography of the Year – winner [46]
Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIA) Matt Richell New Writer Award – shortlisted [47]
Council for Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (CHASS) Book Prize – shortlisted [48]
The Stella Prize – longlisted [49]
Indie Book Awards – shortlisted [50]
People's Choice Award, Victorian Premier's Literary Awards [51]
Awards and listings for Who Gets to Be Smart
YearAward received
2021Longlisted for the 2021 Nib Award for research in writing
2021Shortlisted for the 2021 Dymocks Book of the Year
2022 Indie Books Award for Nonfiction – shortlisted [52]
2022Longlisted for the 2022 Australia Book Industry Awards for Non-Fiction

Related Research Articles

The Miles Franklin Literary Award is an annual literary prize awarded to "a novel which is of the highest literary merit and presents Australian life in any of its phases". The award was set up according to the will of Miles Franklin (1879–1954), who is best known for writing the Australian classic My Brilliant Career (1901). She bequeathed her estate to fund this award. As of 2016, the award is valued at A$60,000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Fidler</span> Australian radio and television presenter, musician and comedian

Richard Fidler is an Australian radio presenter and writer, best known for his hour-long interview program, Conversations with Richard Fidler on ABC's Radio National, and as a former member of the Australian comedy group the Doug Anthony All Stars. Conversations consists of in-depth interviews with local and international guests from all walks of life, and has been very popular as a podcast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Blundell (singer)</span> Australian country music singer

James Blundell is an Australian country music singer. Born in Stanthorpe, Queensland, Blundell first rose to prominence after being named "best new talent" at the 1987 Country Music Awards of Australia. Blundell has since released several albums in both Australia and the United States, with his most successful album This Road selling more than 145,000 copies in Australia. Blundell was an unsuccessful candidate for the Senate in Queensland at the 2013 federal election, running for Katter's Australian Party. At the 2019 Country Music Awards of Australia, Blundell was inducted into the Hall of Fame.

The Kenneth Slessor Prize for Poetry is awarded annually as part of the New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards for a book of collected poems or for a single poem of substantial length published in book form. It is named after Kenneth Slessor (1901–1971).

The Barbara Jefferis Award is an Australian literary award prize. The award was created in 2007 after being endowed by John Hinde upon his death to commemorate his late wife, author Barbara Jefferis. It is funded by his $1 million bequest. Originally an annual award, it has been awarded biennially since 2012.

David Astle is an Australian TV personality and radio host, and writer of non-fiction, fiction and plays. He also co-hosted the SBS Television (SBS) show Letters and Numbers, as the dictionary expert, in company with Richard Morecroft and Lily Serna, a role to which he returned for Celebrity Letters and Numbers in 2021.

Kirsty Murray is an Australian author. Murray writes children's fiction with a focus on Australian history. She is known for the Children of the Wind series of children's novels. She is a recipient of the Aurealis Award for best children's fiction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leslie Cannold</span> Author, commentator, ethicist, and activist

Leslie Cannold is an Australian philosopher, ethicist, educationalist, writer, activist, and public intellectual.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heather Rose</span> Australian author

Heather Rose is an Australian author born in Hobart, Tasmania. She is the author of the acclaimed memoir Nothing Bad Ever Happens Here. She is best known for her novels The Museum of Modern Love, which won the 2017 Stella Prize, and Bruny (2019), which won Best General Fiction in the 2020 Australian Book Industry Awards. She has also worked in advertising, business, and the arts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jane Caro</span> Australian feminist writer

Catherine Jane Caro is a feminist social commentator, writer and lecturer based in Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hedley Thomas</span> Australian journalist

Hedley Thomas is an Australian investigative journalist and author, who has won seven Walkley Awards, two of which are Gold Walkleys.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shannon Fentiman</span> Australian politician

Shannon Maree Fentiman is an Australian politician. She has been the Labor member for Waterford in the Queensland Legislative Assembly since 2015 and has served as the Minister for Health and Ambulance Services since 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carol Lloyd (Australian singer)</span> Australian musician

Carol Ann Lloyd (1948–2017), born as Carol Ann Cramb, was an Australian singer, songwriter, composer, and advertising executive. She was described as "Australia's original rock chick" for her role in the Brisbane-based bands Railroad Gin (1973–75) and Carol Lloyd Band, as well as her solo career. She was recognised for her long, curly red hair, which was insured with Lloyd's of London for $100,000. Carol Ann Lloyd died on 13 February 2017 due to complications from her interstitial pulmonary fibrosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diagnosed four years earlier.

This article presents a list of the historical events and publications of Australian literature during 2017.

This article presents a list of the historical events and publications of Australian literature during 2018.

<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.

The Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIA) are publishers' and literary awards held by the Australian Publishers Association annually in Sydney "to celebrate the achievements of authors and publishers in bringing Australian books to readers". Works are first selected by an academy of more than 200 industry professionals, and then a shortlist and winners are chosen by judging panels.

Bren MacDibble is a New Zealand-born writer of children's and young adult books based in Australia. Bren also writes under the name Cally Black. She uses the alias to distinguish between books written for younger children and books written for young adults.

Tanya Hennessy is an Australian digital content creator, comedian, writer and television presenter who works in Australia. Hennessy taught drama and worked in theatre as a stage manager at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe before switching to a career in radio announcing. She worked for Southern Cross Austereo and the HIT Network commercial radio stations in Newcastle, Griffith, Toowoomba and Canberra.

Wai Chim is a Chinese American author of books for children and young adults residing in Australia. She was a contestant on Australian Survivor: Brains V Brawn, the sixth season of Australian Survivor.

References

  1. ↑ Bri Lee. Who Gets to Be Smart. Allen & Unwin. ISBN   9781760879808 . Retrieved 27 October 2021– via allenandunwin.com.
  2. ↑ "Journalism + Other Writing". Bri Lee. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  3. ↑ "Consent law in Queensland". Consent law in Queensland. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  4. ↑ Lee, Bri (2018). Eggshell Skull. Allen & Unwin.
  5. ↑ Lee, Bri (Winter 2015). "Hunting with Robert". Voiceworks. 100: 57–59.
  6. ↑ Lee, Bri. "Hot Chicks with Big Brains". Archived from the original on 6 August 2018. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
  7. ↑ "Issue #4". Hot Chicks with Big Brains. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  8. ↑ "Issue #5". Hot Chicks with Big Brains. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  9. ↑ "Issue #6". Hot Chicks with Big Brains. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  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. Retrieved 3 September 2010.
  28. ↑ 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.
  29. ↑ apatelsus (28 January 2019). "Meet That Girl: Bri Lee". Blog | Sportsgirl. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  30. ↑ "Unite – Meet Bri Lee". www.mimco.com.au. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  31. ↑ "Bri Lee". Camilla and Marc. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  32. ↑ "Queensland's sexual consent law is changing thanks to Bri Lee". Fashion Journal. 8 August 2019. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  33. ↑ "Announcing the finalists of the 2019 Women's Agenda Leadership Awards". Women's Agenda. 15 August 2019. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  34. 1 2 "Bri Lee". Afrwomen of Influence. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  35. ↑ "Women's Justice Network". Gleebooks.com.au. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  36. ↑ "The B List Bookclub". State Library of NSW. 16 April 2020. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  37. ↑ "The Drum: Tuesday 23rd of June", ABC News (Australia) , 23 June 2020, retrieved 21 February 2021
  38. ↑ "Women and the Law". ABC Radio National . 3 May 2017. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  39. ↑ "Announcing The 2016 Kat Muscat Fellow". Express Media. 22 February 2016. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  40. ↑ "Fellowship winners announced". Griffith Review . 10 January 2017. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  41. ↑ "2018 Queensland Literary Award winners show off local talent". Ministerial Media Statements. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  42. ↑ "Meet our 2021 UQ Alumni Award winners, Bri Lee and Mikhara Ramsing". law.uq.edu.au. 16 September 2021. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  43. ↑ "Winners announced today for the national 2018 Mark and Evette Moran Nib Literary Award – Waverley Council". www.waverley.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  44. ↑ "Ned Kelly Awards 2019 Winner – Allen & Unwin – Australia". www.allenandunwin.com. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  45. ↑ "The Davitt Award winners 2019". www.readings.com.au. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  46. ↑ "Biography Book of the Year". ABIA. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  47. ↑ "2019 ABIA Shortlist Announce". ABIA. 10 April 2019. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  48. ↑ "Media Releases | CHASS" . Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  49. ↑ "Announcing the Winner of the 2019 Stella Prize". The Stella Prize. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  50. ↑ AusIndieBooks (4 December 2018). "Longlist Announced for the 2019 Indie Book Awards". indie-book-awards. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  51. ↑ "Victorian Premier's Literary Awards 2019". The Wheeler Centre. Archived from the original on 29 December 2018. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  52. ↑ "Indie Book Awards 2022 shortlists announced". Books+Publishing . Retrieved 26 January 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.