Listen, laugh, cry and connect, as you share in the spirit of storytelling and community with Life Lines.
After enjoying a welcome drink and supper, listen as a series of raconteurs open their hearts and lives to the audience on matters that have evoked suffering, joy and every human experience in between. There is magic created in personal storytelling such as this; the very air will be vibrating with kinship and cognizance.
A police raid. A TV kiss. A first push against convention.
From life-changing moments to long journeys of self-discovery, gather with us to hear the highs and lows of three diverse and powerful accounts of Queer experience. For the LGBTQIA+ community and all its allies, this is an evening for everyone who values the humanity, authenticity and connectivity that lives in story sharing.
Sparkling wine or juice on arrival is included, along with supper shared from a gorgeous Tilly Divine grazing table.
DETAIL
Date: Friday, 10th July 2026
Location: Tilly Divine, 174 Liebig St
Time: 7:30-9:30pm
Tickets: $25
THE PANEL
Paul Venzo
Paul Venzo is an Associate Professor of writing and literature at Deakin University. He is an internationally published researcher on sexuality and gender in literature for children and young adults, poetry and poetics, and self-translation, and in 2018, wrote an article for the journal Hecate informed by his personal experience of the infamous homophobic police raid on Tasty nightclub in 1994. Paul is the co-author of the marine science education picture book The Great Southern Reef, and his monograph A Poet’s Guide to Venice and the Veneto will be released in late 2026. Paul has been involved in various community-based organisations in Warrnambool and district and is the current President of Holiday Actors, a southwest Victorian youth theatre company that recently celebrated its 40th anniversary.
Samantha Byres:
Samantha Byres is a writer from Whanganui, Aotearoa. She attended the International Institute of Modern Letters in Wellington and her work appears in various New Zealand and Australian journals. Her debut novel Dead Ends was released by UQP in 2025 and she is currently working on a collection of short fiction. Sam lives in Naarm/Melbourne with her girlfriend and dog. For Life Lines 2026, Sam will be reading a new piece of memoir entitled That's So Gay and will speak of her experiences of coming out in small town NZ in the mid 1990s in response to NZ television's first lesbian kiss.
Wenn Lawson:
Wenn Lawson, auDHD, dylexic and dyspraxic, is an Associate Professor with Curtin University, Western Australia, and a passionate autistic researcher, author, speaker and poet. Wenn has been recognised extensively for his work in the space of autism advocacy and research, including the Lesley Hall prize for Lifetime Achievement as a leader in disability, and along with his team, received the EdX 2023 award for excellence in online teaching (Autism and Mental Health MOOC). Although now a happy family man, Wenn was assigned female at birth and traversed a long road to self-discovery. After nineteen years with a husband and raising four children, Wenn left the marriage and entered a lesbian relationship in the mid-80s, a time notoriously difficult for same-sex couples. Twenty-two years later, with the support of his partner, Wenn transitioned from female to male.
Carlynne Nunn (Moderator)
Carlynne Nunn is a Uniting Church minister and a Committee Member of Warrnambool Storytelling Festival. A relative newcomer to the city, Carlynne moved to Warrnambool in 2024, bringing with her a strong interest in verbal storytelling, Queer events and advocacy. She also makes great playlists!