Wikipedia

Bri Lee

Brianna "Bri" Lee (born 13 December 1991) is an Australian author,[1] journalist,[2] and activist,[3] known for her 2018 memoir Eggshell Skull.[4]

Brianna "Bri" Lee
Born (1991-12-13) 13 December 1991 (age 32)
Queensland, Australia
Occupation(s)Writer, activist, and journalist
Known forLegal activism
Notable workEggshell Skull
Websitehttps://www.bri-lee.com/

Career edit

Writing and journalism edit

Lee's early writing work included a short story published in Voiceworks,[5] while serving as the founder and editor of the (now defunct) feminist quarterly periodical Hot Chicks with Big Brains.[6] Hot Chicks with Big Brains ran from 2015 until 2018, spanning seven issues. It featured articles and interviews with diverse women and non-binary people, including Darug elder Aunty Jacinta Tobin, Isabella Manfredi, Mehreen Faruqi,[7] Ruby Tandoh,[8] and Clementine Ford.[9]

Lee's first book, the memoir Eggshell Skull was published by Allen & Unwin in early 2018. It describes Lee's experience as a complainant in the Australian court system for sexual abuse she was subjected to as a child, while simultaneously working as a Judge's Associate working on similar cases. The memoir was well received, winning several awards including the People's Choice Award at the 2019 Victorian Premier's Literary Awards,[10] as well as the Davitt Award for debut novel[11] and the Ned Kelly Award for best true crime[12] in the same year. Funding for story development for a film adaptation was granted by Screen Australia in March 2023.[13] In 2021, passages from Eggshull Skull were quoted in a parliamentary debate regarding reform to the criminal justice system in Queensland.[14] In 2023, Lee's work was discussed in the Parliament of New South Wales after the second reading speech for the Criminal Procedure Amendment (Child Sexual Offence Evidence) Bill 2023.[15]

In October 2019, Lee's essay Beauty was published by Allen & Unwin.[16] In the essay, Lee examines her struggles with disordered eating. It was praised for its dissection of corporate middle class culture.[17]

In 2020 Lee was appointed the Australian Copyright Agency's writer-in-residence at the University of Technology Sydney.[18]

Her book, Who Gets to Be Smart, was published in 2021 by Allen & Unwin.[19]

In 2022, Lee's journalism for The Saturday Paper investigated a 'loophole' whereby perpetrators of abuse were able to shield their assets from civil claims brought by their victims, by moving them into their superannuation.[20] This was followed by further coverage by other outlets such as the ABC, and calls by Australian of the Year, Grace Tame for the government to enact reforms.[21] The Australian Government subsequently pledged to close this loophole.[22] Similarly, in 2023, Lee's investigative reporting into the financial affairs of Australian fashion label Ellery in The Monthly sparked further investigation and exposure by the ABC and other outlets.[23][24] Lee was nominated for a Walkley Award for the piece.[25]

Lee's debut novel, The Work, dealing with the development of a long-distance relationship between an art gallery owner in Chelsea, Manhattan, and a Queensland country boy turned art dealer, was published in 2024.[26]

Advocacy and media edit

Together with Bond University's Professor Jonathan Crowe,[27] Lee co-authored legal research and built ConsentLawQLD.com, a platform for the advocacy which led to the Queensland Attorney-General referring consent and the 'mistake of fact' defence to the Law Reform Commission in 2019.[28] Lee has been featured in advertising campaigns for brands including Sportsgirl,[29] Mimco,[30] Camilla and Marc,[31] and Fashion Journal.[32] Her advocacy has been recognised with a shortlisting for Women's Agenda Leadership awards[33] and a placement as one of the Australian Financial Review's 'women of influence' in 2019.[34]

In 2021, in partnership with the Women's Justice Network and Gleebooks, Lee launched 'Freadom Inside', an initiative facilitating the provision of books to inmates in women's correctional facilities in New South Wales.[35]

Lee hosts the 'B List Bookclub', a monthly bookclub featuring Australian and international authors, with the State Library of New South Wales.[36] Lee has made several appearances on the ABC program The Drum[37] as well as appearing on Radio National,[38] discussing issues such as law reform, and her written work.

Awards edit

Year Awards and fellowships
2016 Inaugural Kat Muscat Fellowship[39]
2017 Griffith Review Queensland Writer's Fellowship[40]
2018 Queensland Literary Awards – Premier's Young Publishers and Writers Award[41]
2019 Australian Financial Review – Women of Influence 2019[34]
2021 University of Queensland Alumni Award, for advocacy for survivors of sexual assault and for law reform[42]
Awards and listings for Eggshell Skull
Year Award received
2018 The Nib Award for Research and Writing – People's choice winner[43]
2019 Ned Kelly Award for True Crime Writing – winner[44]
Davitt Award for Best Debut Crime Book – winner[45]
Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIA) Biography of the Year – winner[46]
Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIA) Matt Richell New Writer Award – shortlisted[47]
Council for Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (CHASS) Book Prize – shortlisted[48]
The Stella Prize – longlisted[49]
Indie Book Awards – shortlisted[50]
People's Choice Award, Victorian Premier's Literary Awards[51]
Awards and listings for Who Gets to Be Smart
Year Award received
2021 Longlisted for the 2021 Nib Award for research in writing
2021 Shortlisted for the 2021 Dymocks Book of the Year
2022 Indie Books Award for Nonfiction – shortlisted[52]
2022 Longlisted for the 2022 Australia Book Industry Awards for Non-Fiction

References edit

  1. ^ Bri Lee. Who Gets to Be Smart. Allen & Unwin. ISBN 9781760879808. Retrieved 27 October 2021 – via allenandunwin.com.
  2. ^ "Journalism + Other Writing". Bri Lee. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  3. ^ "Consent law in Queensland". Consent law in Queensland. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  4. ^ Lee, Bri (2018). Eggshell Skull. Allen & Unwin.
  5. ^ Lee, Bri (Winter 2015). "Hunting with Robert". Voiceworks. 100: 57–59.
  6. ^ Lee, Bri. "Hot Chicks with Big Brains". Archived from the original on 6 August 2018. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
  7. ^ "Issue #4". Hot Chicks with Big Brains. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  8. ^ "Issue #5". Hot Chicks with Big Brains. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  9. ^ "Issue #6". Hot Chicks with Big Brains. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  10. ^ "VPLAs 2019: Manus detainee Boochani wins $100k top prize". Books+Publishing. 1 February 2019. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
  11. ^ "'The Ruin' wins best novel at 2019 Davitt Awards". Books+Publishing. 2 September 2019. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
  12. ^ "Winners of the Ned Kelly Awards 2019 announced". Books+Publishing. 9 September 2019. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
  13. ^ "Screen Australia funds Eggshell Skull adaptation development". Books+Publishing. 22 March 2023. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
  14. ^ Queensland Parliamentary Hansard. 2021.
  15. ^ "Hansard & House Papers". www.parliament.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  16. ^ Lee, Bri (2019). Beauty. [S.l.]: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 978-1760876524. OCLC 1111771887.
  17. ^ "A Review of 'Beauty' by Bri Lee". Westerly Magazine. 16 January 2020. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  18. ^ "Bri Lee joins UTS as Copyright Agency's Writer-in-Residence". University of Technology Sydney. 24 February 2020. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
  19. ^ Silcox, Beejay (10 June 2021). "Who Gets to Be Smart by Bri Lee review – gutsy but unfocused interrogation of academic privilege". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 10 June 2021. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
  20. ^ Lee, Bri (26 March 2022). "Delays are allowing abusers to hide assets from their victims". The Saturday Paper. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
  21. ^ Shine, Rhiannon (22 June 2022). "Grace Tame wants Albanese government to close paedophile superannuation loophole". ABC News (Australia). Retrieved 3 August 2023.
  22. ^ Shine, Rhiannon (18 January 2023). "Government pledges to close child abuser superannuation loophole". ABC News (Australia). Retrieved 3 August 2023.
  23. ^ Lee, Bri (1 April 2023). "Debt-à-porter". The Monthly. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
  24. ^ Brown, Rachael (1 July 2023). "Designer Kym Ellery's edgy outfits won over celebrities. Her 2019 fashion business collapse left suppliers owed millions". ABC News (Australia). Retrieved 3 August 2023.
  25. ^ Gorman, James (20 September 2023). "2023 Walkley Business Journalism Award Finalists Announced". The Walkley Foundation. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  26. ^ Lee, Bri (2024). The Work. Allen & Unwin. ISBN 9781761069390.
  27. ^ Wolfe, Natalie (10 July 2019). "The few seconds and hair touch that let a rapist go free". News.com. Retrieved 3 September 2010.
  28. ^ D'Ath, Yvette (9 July 2019). "Palaszczuk government to refer consent laws to Queensland Law Reform Commission". The Queensland Cabinet and Ministerial Directory. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
  29. ^ apatelsus (28 January 2019). "Meet That Girl: Bri Lee". Blog | Sportsgirl. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  30. ^ "Unite – Meet Bri Lee". www.mimco.com.au. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  31. ^ "Bri Lee". Camilla and Marc. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  32. ^ "Queensland's sexual consent law is changing thanks to Bri Lee". Fashion Journal. 8 August 2019. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  33. ^ "Announcing the finalists of the 2019 Women's Agenda Leadership Awards". Women's Agenda. 15 August 2019. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  34. ^ a b "Bri Lee". Afrwomen of Influence. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  35. ^ "Women's Justice Network". Gleebooks.com.au. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  36. ^ "The B List Bookclub". State Library of NSW. 16 April 2020. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  37. ^ "The Drum: Tuesday 23rd of June", ABC News (Australia), 23 June 2020, retrieved 21 February 2021
  38. ^ "Women and the Law". ABC Radio National. 3 May 2017. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  39. ^ "Announcing The 2016 Kat Muscat Fellow". Express Media. 22 February 2016. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  40. ^ "Fellowship winners announced". Griffith Review. 10 January 2017. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  41. ^ "2018 Queensland Literary Award winners show off local talent". Ministerial Media Statements. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  42. ^ "Meet our 2021 UQ Alumni Award winners, Bri Lee and Mikhara Ramsing". law.uq.edu.au. 16 September 2021. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  43. ^ "Winners announced today for the national 2018 Mark and Evette Moran Nib Literary Award – Waverley Council". www.waverley.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  44. ^ "Ned Kelly Awards 2019 Winner – Allen & Unwin – Australia". www.allenandunwin.com. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  45. ^ "The Davitt Award winners 2019". www.readings.com.au. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  46. ^ "Biography Book of the Year". ABIA. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  47. ^ "2019 ABIA Shortlist Announce". ABIA. 10 April 2019. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  48. ^ "Media Releases | CHASS". Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  49. ^ "Announcing the Winner of the 2019 Stella Prize". The Stella Prize. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  50. ^ AusIndieBooks (4 December 2018). "Longlist Announced for the 2019 Indie Book Awards". indie-book-awards. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  51. ^ "Victorian Premier's Literary Awards 2019". The Wheeler Centre. Archived from the original on 29 December 2018. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  52. ^ "Indie Book Awards 2022 shortlists announced". Books+Publishing. Retrieved 26 January 2022.

External links edit

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