Join panelists Margo Kingston, Dale Spender and others for a Ladyfest discussion on Fury: Women Write About Sex, Power and Violence.

In Australia violence against women is a silent epidemic. By the age of 15 almost 20% of women have experienced sexual violence and more than one in three have experienced physical violence. One woman dies every week due to domestic violence in Australia. Violence against women is the leading contributor to death, disability and illness in women aged 15 to 44. Violence against women has been grabbing headlines all year: girls have been mutilated; girlfriends have been shot in bathrooms and thrown from balconies; wives have been burned; and mothers and kids have been left homeless by closing refuges.

In this collection, some of Australia’s best women writers stare straight into the face of the monster and plot its defeat. Violence against women is a serious issue, but Fury is not a dry, academic tome. From personal perspectives to political perspectives to indigenous perspectives, this is a book of engaging, impassioned and intelligent narratives, perfect for a general readership.

Anne Summers writes about the early days of the women’s refuge movement. Van Badham puts the ball back in men’s court and asks what they can do. Mandy Sayer gives a moving account of her childhood, spent fleeing from a violent stepfather. Natasha Stott Despoja writes about family violence from a political perspective. Meena Kandasamy discusses violence against women in India. Clem Bastow urges us to stop tweeting and do something about misogyny. Other contributors include Susan Chenery, Louise Taylor, Margo Kingston, Fahma Mohamed, Max Sharam, Wendy Bacon, Susan Ardill and Helen Razer