Spinifex Press: 91 books

Who invented hieroglyphics? Who did Einstein’s mathematics? Who led the defence of Viet Nam in 40 AD? Who invented the first computer? Who built the pyramid at Giza? Who developed the merino sheep? Who was the first writer in the world? Who invented the wheel? All were women. When the next person...

As a designer of jewelry, Maisoon wants an ordinary extraordinary life, which isn't easy for a tradition-defying activist and Palestinian citizen of Israel who refuses to be crushed by the feeling that she is an unwelcome guest in the land of her ancestors. She volunteers for the Machsom Watch, an...

Situated between the realms of the real and the fantastic, this collection of eco-poetry relays the ferocious power and long-lasting effects of extreme weather events such as cyclones, hurricanes, and typhoons. Exploring the period before, during, and after a cyclone’s arrival, these emotionally...

Anyone who has ever shopped—or worked in shops—will appreciate these poems that use consumerism as a platform to pass from the baby trade and female genital mutilation to protests of women against war and violence. Poems explore what it’s like to be a young shopgirl; vent frustrations with today’s...

The flap of a butterfly's wing in one part of the world can cause devastating storms on the other side, just as the word "lesbian"—a force full of vitality and world-changing creativity—can destroy families and bring down governments. Evoking the ancient worlds of pre-Vedic and Sapphic...

An essential contribution to the history of the women’s movement.

This feminist classic explores the many manifestations of friendship between women and examines the ways women have created their own communities and destinies through friendship.

Margaret Preston on Australian women artists; Miles Franklin on suffragist Rose Scott; Eleanor Dark on Caroline Chisholm; Kylie Tennant on the future ... Like mirrors reflecting mirrors this book shows the precarious position of women in a country’s history. First published in 1938, the youngest...

A sensitive and groundbreaking study of women, this examination of globalization in India provides a fascinating case study of its effects on female workers in the state of Andhra Pradesh. Originally published in 1982, the book is an important insight into a group dispossessed before the recent economic...

A critical analysis of feminist writings on sexuality from a radical feminist and lesbian feminist standpoint. Critical of libertarianism, Denise Thompson provides a detailed analysis of the mechanisms of domination and the ways in which feminist theory is marginalised. A must-read for any serious feminist thinker.

Lévi-Strauss tried to convince women that we are spoken, exchanged like words; Lacan tried to teach women we can’t speak, because the phallus is the original signifier; and then Derrida says that it doesn’t matter, it’s just talk. Foucault, Derrida, Lacan, Nietzsche: the chant resonates through...

When two women and a dog set off on a holiday, they have no inkling of what’s to come. They wake to find the river has crept up silently during the night. Trapped by floodwater, they devise escape routes only to be faced with more obstacles at every turn. Only the dog remains calm. This poetic novella...

An anomalous kiss. A white turtle ferrying the dreams of the dead. A working siesta in a five-star hotel. A woman’s twelve-metre hair trawling corpses from a river. Or a queue of longings in Darlinghurst. These enigmatic tales are stories of chance and hope. Alternately mythic, wistful or quirky, Merlinda Bobis’ tales resonate with an original and confident storytelling voice.

A powerful collection of poetry about schizophrenia, with an introduction for young people, discussing the causes/effects .