Episode 23: Anne Summers

Anne Summers is an author, journalist,

editor, publisher and columnist.

The fact that I need to use five adjectives to accurately

describe her role in Australian writing culture speaks volumes

about Anne's impact, influence and ability. To my knowledge,

she is the first guest of Penmanship to appear

on an Australian postage stamp, as part of a series

celebrating Australian legends

in 2011. Her career began with the publication of an

ambitious and controversial book named Damned

Whores and God's Police in 1975. Anne has written eight

books so far, but it's the updated 2016 edition of that first title

which brings her to Brisbane in late April for an event at Avid

Reader bookstore.

Before the 40th anniversary book launch at Avid, I met Anne at

her hotel room in South Brisbane for a conversation which touches

on how she became a contributing writer to Australian

newspapers and radio while still a child; the difficult and lengthy

process of writing Damned Whores and God's Police; how she

made the transition from journalism to working for a prime minister

– twice! – in 1983 and 1992; what makes a great magazine profile,

and how she decided to launch her online magazine Anne Summers

Reports after a disagreement with an editor at a

major Australian magazine.

Dr Anne Summers AO

is a best-selling author and journalist with a long career in

politics, the media, business and the non-government sector in

Australia, Europe and the United States. She is author of

eight books, including the classic Damned Whores and God’s

Police, first published in 1975. This bestseller was updated

in 1994 and, again, in 2002 and stayed continuously in print until

2008. A new edition was published on International Women’s Day

2016. In 1975 she became a journalist, first on The

National Times, then in 1979 was appointed Canberra bureau

chief for the Australian Financial Review and

then the paper’s North American editor. In 1987 in New York

she was editor-in-chief of Ms. – America’s

landmark feminist magazine – and the following year, with business

partner Sandra Yates

bought Ms. and Sassy magazines

in the second only women-led management buyout in US corporate

history. In November 2012 she began

publishing Anne Summers

Reports, a lavish free digital magazine that promises

to be ‘Sane, Factual, Relevant’ and which reports on politics,

social issues, art, architecture and other subjects not covered

adequately by the mainstream media. In September 2013, Anne

launched her series of Anne Summers

Conversations events with former prime

minister Julia

Gillard in front of a packed Sydney Opera House. In

1989 she was made an Officer in the Order of Australia for her

services to journalism and to women. In 2011, along with three

other women, Anne was honoured as an Australian Legend with her

image placed on a postage stamp.

Show notes and links to what was discussed in this episode:

http://penmanshippodcast.com/episode-23-anne-summers/

Anne Summers on Twitter: @SummersAnne

Penmanship on Twitter: @PenmanshipAU

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