Join award-winning author Alecia Simmonds as she uncovers a hidden history of love and heartbreak in the archives of law.
Until well into the twentieth century, heartbroken men and women in Australia had a legal redress for their suffering; jilted lovers could claim compensation for ‘breach of promise to marry’. Hundreds of people, mostly from the working classes, came before the courts, and their stories give us a tantalising insight into the romantic landscape of the past – where couples met, how they courted, and what happened when flirtations turned sour. In packed courtrooms and breathless newspaper reports, love letters were read as contracts and private gifts and gossip scrutinised as evidence.
Borrow Alecia’s books here.
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS:
DR ALEICIA SIMMONDS is a senior lecturer in law at the University of Technology, Sydney. Her first book, Wild Man, won the 2016 Davitt Prize for best nonfiction crime writing. She has been the recipient of prestigious academic grants and her writing has appeared in publications including The Guardian, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, Arena and Inside Story.
STEPHANIE WOOD is an award-winning writer whose work appears in publications including Good Weekend magazine (The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald), The Guardian and Vogue magazine. She is the author of Fake: A Startling True Story of Love in a World of Liars, Cheats, Narcissists, Fantasists and Phonies. Stephanie has worked as an editor at newspapers including The Independent and The Daily Mail in London and The Asian Wall Street Journal in Hong Kong. She is a former editor of The Age Good Food Guide and The Age Epicure section. She writes a popular weekly newsletter underpinned by her belief in the power of creativity, curiosity and adventure. stephaniewood.com.au/newsletter/
ABOUT THE VENUE:
ASHFIELD TOWN HALL is accessible by lift from both the street and ground levels.
If you have any access or support requirements in order to participate fully, please let us know in the booking order form to ensure that we can arrange any reasonable adjustments. Please note: the venue is accessible for people using wheelchairs and other mobility aids.
We may take photographs of the speakers and the audience at this event. Read here for more details.
