Morning sun surprises a blank wallwith pearly shadowsof feijoaWhat will life bring today? Just outside the gateillness war and anthropogenic madnessare fear-infected talonsstealing our minds and heartsWe are afraidIt’s all we talk about On this ground in this climate wired digital and artificially intelligentlatter-day merchants and noisy, leaping mountebanksgrow their riches on the compost of our fearselevating ignorance to … Continue reading Shadows of pearl
Employment
Anything to do with work
On the Tram (1964)
(Excerpt from my unpublished novel: Becoming Beata) The rocking of the tram is soothing. If she doesn’t make eye contact with anyone, she can ignore the other passengers. With the right change, she can keep her communication to a minimum. In this moment, there is no-one to take care of, no-one to be wary of. … Continue reading On the Tram (1964)
Listen, Mr
She heads towards the passageway and as she's walking past him, he puts out a hand to touch her arm. She gasps and turns furiously towards him. ‘What on earth….?’ He retracts his hand, lifting both in a sign of surrender. ‘Signora… I just wanted to say that … if one day … you would … Continue reading Listen, Mr
School Climate Strike
15 March, 2019. Remember this date. One hundred and fifty thousand kids rallied in cities and towns around Australia protesting to government and political parties about their inadequate response to climate science. They rallied in defiance of conservatives such as our Prime Minister, Scott Morrison. Many thousands more rallied in cities around the world; it … Continue reading School Climate Strike
International Women’s Day 2019
IWD is a day to celebrate achievements and look at how far women around the world have come, but it is also a day of recognising the challenges we have yet to meet – homeworking women being one of the most pressing ones. Women homeworkers sew the buttons on your shirt. They make the fishing … Continue reading International Women’s Day 2019
Past as Present
Photos are doors to passageways. They connect me. Who I was; what I am it’s all the one thing. I am built on who I was; I build on who I was. Past and present collide and are one. In this moment, I feel excitement bouncing around my heart as I stare into a picture … Continue reading Past as Present
Homeworking Women: A Gender Justice Perspective
By Annie Delaney, Rosaria Burchielli, Shelley Marshall, Jane Tate Our new book is out now! To buy your copy of our Homeworking Women book, click here. Homework; work that is categorised as informal employment, performed in the home, mainly for subcontractors and mostly undertaken by women. The inequities and injustices inherent in homework conditions maintain women’s weak bargaining position, … Continue reading Homeworking Women: A Gender Justice Perspective
A Wedding
The invitation had arrived three months before the event. First, by word of mouth; later, a printed card and RSVP. The wedding of Marisa and Tommaso. Marisa’s family were from a nearby town in Beata’s Lunigiana. Her paesani were the closest people she had next to her few relatives. She and Federico had talked about … Continue reading A Wedding
Factory friends
‘Ey! Bea! Beatrice!’ Beatrice turned to see her friend Carmela, who was running to catch up with her. She stopped and waited to exchange a quick peck on both cheeks before they stepped together into the ornate wooden doorway that was the entrance of Ricki Reed. ‘Ciao, Carmela’ said Beatrice, ‘Come va?’ Carmela turned up … Continue reading Factory friends
Piecework
She had been lucky to find the job at Ricki Reed. When they had landed in Melbourne, they had been met by her cousin Gina, Gina’s husband Dante and their two boys, Bruno and Guido, with whom they would share a house until, as Dante liked to say, ‘they were on their feet’. Gina and … Continue reading Piecework
Doc ArBee 