Bri Lee | |
---|---|
Born |
Queensland, Australia | 13 December 1991
Occupation(s) | Writer, activist, journalist |
Known for | Legal activism |
Notable work | Eggshell Skull |
Website |
www |
Brianna "Bri" Lee (born 13 December 1991) [1] [2] is an Australian author, journalist, and activist, known for her 2018 memoir Eggshell Skull.
Brianna Lee was born in Queensland, Australia. [3]
Lee's early writing work included a short story published in Voiceworks, [4] while serving as the founder and editor of the (now defunct) feminist quarterly periodical Hot Chicks with Big Brains. [5] 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, [6] Ruby Tandoh, [7] and Clementine Ford. [8]
Lee's first book, the memoir Eggshell Skull was published by Allen & Unwin in early 2018. [9] 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]
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 in rape and sexual assault to the Queensland Law Reform Commission in 2019. [28] [29]
Lee has been featured in advertising campaigns for brands including Sportsgirl, [30] Mimco, [31] Camilla and Marc, [32] and Fashion Journal. [33] Her advocacy has been recognised with a shortlisting for Women's Agenda Leadership Awards [34] and a placement as one of the Australian Financial Review's "Women of Influence" in 2019. [35]
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. [36]
Lee hosts the 'B List Bookclub', a monthly bookclub featuring Australian and international authors, with the State Library of New South Wales. [37] Lee has made several appearances on the ABC program The Drum [38] as well as appearing on Radio National, [39] discussing issues such as law reform, and her written work.
Year | Awards and fellowships |
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2016 | Inaugural Kat Muscat Fellowship [40] |
2017 | Griffith Review Queensland Writer's Fellowship [41] |
2018 | Queensland Literary Awards – Premier's Young Publishers and Writers Award [42] |
2019 | Australian Financial Review – Women of Influence 2019 [35] |
2021 | University of Queensland Alumni Award, for advocacy for survivors of sexual assault and for law reform [43] |
Awards and listings for Eggshell Skull | |
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Year | Award received |
2018 | The Nib Award for Research and Writing – People's choice winner [44] |
2019 | Ned Kelly Award for True Crime Writing – winner [45] |
Davitt Award for Best Debut Crime Book – winner [46] | |
Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIA) Biography of the Year – winner [47] | |
Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIA) Matt Richell New Writer Award – shortlisted [48] | |
Council for Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (CHASS) Book Prize – shortlisted [49] | |
The Stella Prize – longlisted [50] | |
Indie Book Awards – shortlisted [51] | |
People's Choice Award, Victorian Premier's Literary Awards [52] |
Awards and listings for Who Gets to Be Smart | |
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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 [53] |
2022 | Longlisted for the 2022 Australia Book Industry Awards for Non-Fiction |