Perth
Perth – Sunday October 26 2025
State Library of Western Australia, Theatre, 25 Francis St, Perth WA 6000
Stella is partnering with the State Library of Western Australia and going on a spring tour to Perth for Stella Day Out in October 2025.
Join us for a great lineup of Stella-listed authors Laura Elizabeth Woollett and Santilla Chingaipe speaking on themes of violence and power, slavery, and history (and its erasure).
Tickets available soon.
Session 1: Growing up on the margins
11AM-12PM
2024 Longlisted Stella author Laura Elizabeth Woollett discusses navigating desire, violence, and limited choices in suburbia. Moderated by Megan McCracken.
Session 2: Finding erased stories
1PM-2PM
2025 Shortlisted Author Santilla Chingaipe discusses her novel Black Convicts with Sisonke Msimang.
Book sales and signings provided by the State Library of Western Australia on the day.
Laura Elizabeth Woollett is the author of a short story collection, two novels, and the novel-in-stories West Girls, which was long-listed for the 2024 Stella Prize. Born and raised in Boorloo/ Perth, she now lives in Naarm/ Melbourne. She has been the recipient of numerous grants and fellowships, most recently a 2025 Keesing Studio Residency at the Cité Internationale Des Arts in Paris. She is currently completing her first work of nonfiction.
Megan McCracken is Chair of the board of the Stella Prize whose vision is to create an Australian society that recognises and values the cultural contribution and diversity the stories of women and nonbinary people. She has twice been Judge for the WA Premier’s Book Awards and is the co-host of social media channel Festival Mavens which reviews books and book festivals.
Santilla Chingaipe is a filmmaker, historian and author, whose work explores settler colonialism, slavery, and postcolonial migration in Australia. Chingaipe’s critically acclaimed and award-winning documentary Our African Roots is streaming on SBS On Demand; Black Convicts builds on the research for that, taking it further. The recipient of several awards, she was also recognised at the United Nations as one of the most influential people of African descent in the world in 2019. She is a regular contributor to The Saturday Paper, and served as a member of the Federal Government’s Advisory Group on Australia–Africa Relations. Chingaipe is the founder of Behind The Screens, an annual program supported by VicScreen, aimed at increasing the representation of people historically excluded from the Australian film industry. She is based in Melbourne. Black Convicts was shortlisted for the 2025 Stella Prize.
Sisonke Msimang is the author of two books, Always Another Country and the Resurrection of Winnie Mandela. She has been widely published including in the New York Times, Al Jazeera, Newsweek, and the Guardian.
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