Deceptions, staged reading of a play by Stella Kent
Deceptions is the story of Hobart’s Gwen Harwood who is claimed by many – including Peter
Porter and Clive James – to be Australia’s most significant poet of the twentieth century.
It is the story of a fierce, brave woman who must resort to trickery to have her poetry accepted, but
on a personal level it reveals Gwen being torn between being the perfect mid-twentieth century
mother to her children and wife to husband Bill, and finding the time (and even a space in the
kitchen) to write her poems.
Gwen’s story of a talented woman helplessly trapped by the mores of the time is set against the Orr
affair, one of the first sexual harassment cases in Australian history, which tears apart the
University of Tasmania.
Porter and Clive James – to be Australia’s most significant poet of the twentieth century.
It is the story of a fierce, brave woman who must resort to trickery to have her poetry accepted, but
on a personal level it reveals Gwen being torn between being the perfect mid-twentieth century
mother to her children and wife to husband Bill, and finding the time (and even a space in the
kitchen) to write her poems.
Gwen’s story of a talented woman helplessly trapped by the mores of the time is set against the Orr
affair, one of the first sexual harassment cases in Australian history, which tears apart the
University of Tasmania.
Location
Hadley's Orient Hotel
34 Murrey St, Hobart Tas 7001
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