When I ask Anya about the process of discovering her sexuality she laughs, “there was absolutely no reason for me to concentrate on such a minor thing in life as, who exactly am I attracted to sexually…who cares?!” And as she describes her life – her upbringing in a Siberian village under Soviet rule, the murder of her father when she was 10, the collapse of the Soviet Union as she came of age and her subsequent emigration to Australia where she became a young single mother – it is easy to understand why. Continue reading “Anya”
It looked for a short while like my journey had stalled – work commitments and extensive travel mean time has been in short supply in recent months and I was beginning to feel like Voices From the Well was more of a fantasy project – an ideal – than something that could take off and thrive in the real world. Then I met five women who shared their stories with me and reminded me why I am doing this. Their ages range from 27 to 76 and they hail from the four corners of the globe Continue reading “Five Women from Four Continents”
“As soon as I realised I was attracted to women, I identified as a lesbian” says Sarah, a native Queenslander who grew up in and around the state capital Brisbane. Although it wasn’t until her early twenties that she became fully aware she liked women, for the past 17 years she has been out and proud. Continue reading “Sarah”
It has been just over a year since I launched this project and I wanted to take stock of the past twelve months, and look forward to what the next year might bring. One unexpected turn in the road has been a sudden job offer in Papua New Guinea which I took up in March, hence my silence over the past few months. Although far from distracting me from my mission to document and share the stories of women who love women Continue reading “Voices from Papua New Guinea”
I spoke publically for the first time about Voices from the Well a few weeks ago – I was asked to present at an amazing event to launch a movement which aims to change the way we think about ourselves as women, to challenge us to know ourselves better, and in so doing to make the world a better place. The Women’s Duality Awareness Movement is inspired by the premise that we have two realities within us Continue reading “The Duality of Women who Love Women”
Simone comes from a long line of Bavarian villagers – she was born and grew up in the southern German state, a place she describes as down-to-earth with a life-embracing culture. Her entire family dating back four or five hundred years is from the area and she believes this has given her a deep sense of belonging and security, something which has helped carry her through what she describes as “the craziness” of her life so far. Continue reading “Simone”
It might sound strange in a story about a woman who loves women, but the major focus of Emma’s life for the past eight months has been a man. Although admittedly he is a very little man.
Her son was born to her partner late last year and he has literally taken over their lives. He is learning new things every day; this past week he has discovered he can communicate by screaming. Continue reading “Emma”
I meet Lisa at a cafe on Sydney’s Oxford Street, which is appropriate I guess since it’s across the road from some of the bars and clubs where we’ve shared many a night out with our hockey team. Lisa and I first met on the hockey field four years ago and, although I consider us to be good friends, I realised on my way to meet her that I really don’t know that much about her life before we met. Continue reading “Lisa”
I am aware that I have talked a lot about others’ stories so far but not very much about my own. I promise to tell my story, all of it, one day soon, but here is a snapshot of my story right now: I broke up with my girlfriend, two months ago. Continue reading “The universal pain of break-ups”
Voices from the Well 