[01] A Room of One’s Own, by Virginia Woolf
Why is it that men have always had power, influence, wealth and fame, while women have had nothing but children?
In this essay, first published in 1929, Woolf exhorts young women to take advantage of the opportunities they have.
A Room of One’s Own, based on a lecture given at Girton College Cambridge, is one of the great feminist polemics.
Woolf’s blazing writing on female creativity, the role of the writer, and the silent fate of Shakespeare’s imaginary sister
remains a powerful reminder of a woman’s need for financial independence and intellectual freedom.
Link to book, or search you local library
[02] All I Ever Wanted Was to Be Hot, by Lucinda Froomes Price
Beloved comedian, podcaster and commentator Price's debut book explores obsession and self-image,
and how while striving to be hot feels natural, particularly in our culture, it is dangerous, homogenous,
and informed by patriarchy. Anchored in her own personal experience, All I Ever Wanted Is to Be Hot is a refreshingly
honest interrogation of how pop culture, the internet and modern beauty ideals intersect to influence our bodies and how we feel about them.
Link to book, or search you local library
[03] AM I A LESBIAN MASTERDOC
This beast of a google doc is famous on the internet, and a fantastic resource for understanding your own sexuality and the influence that our heteronormative society can have on how we view ourselves.
You may not be gay, but its still cool to learn about compulsory heterosexuality, and gauge new perspectives on the impact that patriarchy has on our relationships with others, and ourselves.
Link to the doc here.
[04] Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe
This book is a beautiful story, and has been pivotal in understanding (and breaking) my colonised way of thinking.
A simple story of a "strong man" whose life is dominated by fear and anger, Things Fall Apart is written with remarkable economy and subtle irony.
Uniquely and richly African, at the same time it reveals Achebe's keen awareness of the human qualities common to men of all times and places.
Find at a bookstore, or check your local library.
[05] Jack Charles, by Jack Charles
Jack Charles has worn many hats throughout his life: actor, cat burglar, musician, heroin addict, activist, even Senior Victorian Australian of the Year. But the title he’s most proud to claim is that of Aboriginal Elder.
Stolen from his mother and placed into institutional care when he was only a few months old, Uncle Jack was raised under the government’s White Australia Policy.
The loneliness and isolation he experienced during those years had a devastating impact on him that endured long after he reconnected with his Aboriginal roots and discovered his stolen identity.
Even today he feels like an outsider; a loner; a fringe dweller.
In this honest and no-holds-barred memoir, Uncle Jack reveals the ‘ups and downs of this crazy, drugged up, locked up, fucked up, and at times unbelievable, life’.
From his sideline as a cat burglar, battles with drug addiction and stints in prison, to gracing the nation’s stages and screens as he dazzled audiences with his big personality and acting prowess, he takes us through the most formative moments of his life.
Find at a bookstore, or check your local library.
[06] Talkin’ Up to the White Woman: Indigenous Women and Feminism, by Aileen Moreton-Robinson
In this ground-breaking book, Distinguished Professor Aileen Moreton-Robinson undertakes a compelling analysis of the whiteness of Australian feminism and its effects on Indigenous women.
From an Indigenous woman’s standpoint, as a Goenpul woman and an academic, she ‘talks up’, engages with and interrogates western feminism in representation and practice.
Find at a bookstore, or check your local library.
[07] Boys Will Be Boys, by Clementine Ford
Everyone's afraid that their daughters might be hurt. No one seems to be scared that their sons might be the ones to do it ...
This book ... is the culmination of many years of writing about power, abuse, privilege, male entitlement and rape culture.
After all that, here's what I've learned: we should be f*cking terrified. - Clementine Ford.
Link to book, or search you local library
[08] I made upskirting illegal. This is why I don’t want to change any more laws, by Gina Martin
I don’t want more prisons and punishment for men – I want to help prevent sexual assault so women are safer in the first place.'
You see, what I need in a society where the threat of danger is ongoing is not the same as the society I want. I can’t opt out of this reality,
but I can see where we could be and I want to be part of helping us get there. I don’t want more prisons and punishment. I want more prevention.
A small number of men convicted of upskirting have been sentenced to prison under my law (and a significant number of them were also convicted of
other sexual offences; one was found to have 250,000 indecent images of children). While I am thankful that children will be safer because of his conviction,
my work now also asks, “How do we prevent this before we need to criminalise it?” Gina Martin from article.
Link to article
[09] Mona artist Kirsha Kaechele says women-only Ladies Lounge will no longer close but may 'go on tour', by Jessica Moran
The Ladies Lounge at Hobart's Museum of Old and New Art was at the centre of a discrimination complaint from a man who was refused entry earlier in 2024,
with the gallery initially found to have discriminated against him — a finding which was later overturned in the Supreme Court.
The artist behind the lounge, Kirsha Kaechele, says the feeling of exclusion felt by men constituted part of the artwork.
Read about it here
[10] Throwing like a Girl: A Phenomenology of Feminine Body Comportment Motility and Spatiality, by Iris Marion Young
Iris Marion Young was an American political theorist and socialist feminist who focused on the nature of justice and social difference in the late 20th century.
Iris Marion Young discusses the impact that the lived experience of being raised as a girl can have on the way that girls, and women,
relate, move and trust their body in the everyday.
Download a copy of the essay here
[11] Matrescence: On the Metamorphosis of Pregnancy, Childbirth and Motherhood, by Lucy Jones
A revelatory account of the transition into motherhood and how it affects the mind, brain and body.
This book is realistic about the experience of motherhood, and speaks to the trauma, difficulties and challenges that a parent can experience that simultaneously is condemned by society.
Link to book, or search you local library
[12] Extra Bold: A Feminist, Inclusive, Anti-racist, Nonbinary Field Guide for Graphic Designers, by Ellen Lupton, Jennifer Tobias, Josh Halstead, Leslie Xia, Kaleena Sales, Farah Kafei, and Valentina Vergara
Extra Bold is the inclusive, practical, and informative career handbook for designers that we've all been waiting for. Written collaboratively by a diverse team of authors, the book opens with critical essays that rethink
design principles and practices through theories of feminism, racism, inclusion, and nonbinary thinking. Extra Bold features interviews, essays, typefaces, and projects from dozens of contributors with a variety of racial and
ethnic backgrounds, abilities, gender identities, and positions of economic and social privilege. The book adds new voices to the dominant design canon. Part textbook and part comic book, zine, manifesto, survival guide, and self-help manual,
Extra Bold is filled with stories and ideas that don't show up in other career books or design overviews. Both pragmatic and inquisitive, the book explores power structures and how to navigate them. Interviews showcase people at different stages of their careers,
and biographical sketches explore individuals marginalized by sexism, racism, and ableism. Jennifer Tobias's original, handcrafted illustrations bring warmth, happiness, humor, and narrative depth. Extra Bold is the design career manual for everyone.
Find it online, or search you local library.
[13] What is queer typography? by Paul Soulellis
I’ve been looking for queer typography. Is anyone else out there? Who else is searching? I wonder if this is even a valid question. Looking for queer anything often feels lonely.
The word queer resists definition, sometimes aligned with ideas about rejection, refusal, deviating from the expected, away from the normative. It’s certainly a political word,
one that’s taken on expansive qualities throughout its history, qualities that aren’t necessarily confined to gender and sexuality.
Read about it here.
[14] OMGLORD
WTF is OMGLORD?
Put simply—things that make G–Lord say OMG. It’s a pretty broad range of topics but always through a common lens of design and creative thinking.
All resources and links are shared purely because I think they are cool, interesting or helpful. No content on this website is sponsored unless explicitly stated.
If you do find this directory useful and would like to show your support, you can sign up for the (v affordable!) paid newsletter option here.
Gabby Lord
I’m a designer with a penchant for organising information. Originally from country Australia, I have worked independently and in branding studios across Sydney,
Berlin and New York City. I now run a small branding studio called Super Keen.
Explore Gabby Lord's world, it's full of amazing references and resources that you may be missing here.
