Menopause is Not a Use-By Date: Celebrating Stories of Older Women

Next date: Thursday, 16 October 2025 | 11:30 AM to 01:30 PM

Meet three powerhouse authors redefining what it means to age.

Dr. Rachel Matthews, Jacquie Byron, and Trish Bolton will come together to celebrate vibrant, fearless women rewriting the rules of later life.

Together, they’ll challenge outdated stereotypes and explore stories of love, identity, and reinvention.

Dr Rachel Matthews is an Australian author and writing lecturer, acclaimed for her tragicomic explorations of social issues. Her debut Vinyl Inside was highly commended for the Australian Vogel Award, while her PhD novel Siren tackled sexual violence in Australian football. Her latest work, Never Look Desperate, was named one of 2023’s Best New Australian Fiction by The Australian and The Guardian. Alongside publishing in The Age and Sydney Morning Herald, she contributes to ABC Radio and leads Readers Are Writers workshops worldwide, fostering inclusive literary communities.

Trish Bolton is the author of Whenever You’re Ready, published by Allen & Unwin in 2023. Her work has appeared in publications including The Saturday Paper, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald, Overland, and The Big Issue. She has received an Australian Society of Authors mentorship, two Varuna fellowships, and recognition in both Australian and UK literary awards.

Jacquie Byron has spent over 25 years telling stories across journalism, publishing, and communications, with roles ranging from motoring writer to Place Bureau Chief at Hoyne. Her debut novel Happy Hour (Allen & Unwin) was longlisted for the Indie Book Awards, featured in Better Reading’s Top 100, and chosen as the 2022 title for the public library program Together We Read. A Glenfern Fellow and Billilla Studio Artist in Residence, she continues to work as a senior writer while developing her next novel.

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