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Liz Evans

Liz Evans

The Conversation

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‘Destroy! Be courageous!’ – 2 shimmering meditations on grief, nihilism and motherhood

Two powerful fragmented memoirs by Australian women writers: Erin Vincent’s 14 Ways of Looking and Gemma Parker’s The Mother is Restless and She...

23.03.2026 10

The Conversation

Liz Evans

What’s cooler than sex, drugs and pashing models? I found out from 3 rock memoirs

A former rock journalist reviews memoirs by Lemonhead Evan Dando, teen Rolling Stone writer Cameron Crowe and feminist punk legend Kathleen Hanna.

14.01.2026 20

The Conversation

Liz Evans

Does Nick Cave’s Death of Bunny Munro critique misogyny – or does it hate women?

It’s not often that a screen adaptation manages to outdo a book – but in the case of Bunny Munro, the transformation is nothing short of merciful.

20.11.2025 10

The Conversation

Liz Evans

‘How should I cast my soul?’ Patti Smith’s intimate new memoir is a quest for her true self

Patti Smith’s Just Kids was voted a best book of the 21st century. Her new memoir covers her whole life, charting deep love, unbearable loss and...

03.11.2025 30

The Conversation

Liz Evans

Mandy Sayer’s memoirs challenge the accepted boundaries of a father-daughter relationship

Mandy Sayer’s charming, challenging musician father is central to her four memoirs – including her shimmering latest, No Dancing in the Lift.

22.10.2025 10

The Conversation

Liz Evans

Friday essay: I loved being a ‘90s rock journalist, but sometimes it was a boys’ club nightmare

Liz Evans went to Jarvis Cocker’s house party and was gifted shoes by Kim Gordon. Her review of music books by Kate Mossman and John Harris sits...

19.09.2025 10

The Conversation

Liz Evans

Faith, courage and reconsidering the ‘enemy’: two novels drawing on family history shed light on Australia’s marginalised past

A vivid Torres Strait Islander story emphasising the tragedy of colonial rule and a slow-burning postwar tale of a white woman in Japan are engaging...

04.08.2025 20

The Conversation

Liz Evans

Death, denial and uncertainty define Andrea Goldsmith’s heartfelt new novel, The Buried Life

Andrea Goldsmith’s handling of the alignment between domestic abuse, coercive control, cults, brainwashing and terror is subtle, yet powerful.

30.04.2025 10

The Conversation

Liz Evans

John and Yoko, Cher, Lisa-Marie Presley: 3 memoirs illustrate the peculiar lives of celebrities

Fame and success usually carry a cost, in a world that rewards performance and persona. Former rock journalist Liz Evans saw it up close – and in...

09.02.2025 10

The Conversation

Liz Evans