In conversation: Marina Kamenev

Join Marina Kamenev, in conversation with Tami Sussman, to discuss her new book Kin: Family in the 21st Century, in-store at Gertrude & Alice Cafe Bookstore. Marina and Tami's books will be available for sale at the event, and both authors will be available for book signings following the talk.

WHEN: Tuesday, 19th November, 2024, at Gertrude & Alice Cafe Bookstore. Please arrive at 6:45pm for a prompt 7pm start.

TICKETS: 

Admission: $25.00 (excluding external fees), includes admission for one, a beverage and nibbles upon arrival.

1 x Admission + 1 x Book Bundle: $55.00 (excluding external fees), includes admission for one, a copy of Kin: Family in the 21st Century (RRP: $36.95), a beverage and nibbles upon arrival.

Here’s an exercise: take a piece of paper. Grab a pen, pencil, crayon — any drawing utensil within reach. Now, draw a typical family.

About Kin:

The shape of family has changed in the 21st century. While the nuclear family still exists, many more types of kinship surround us.

Kin is an investigation into what influences us to have children and the new ways that have made parenthood possible. It delves into the experiences of couples without children, single parents by choice and rainbow families, and investigates the impacts of adoption, sperm donation, IVF and surrogacy, and the potential for a future of designer babies. Assisted reproductive technology has developed quickly, and the ways in which we think and speak about its implications — both legally and ethically — need to catch up.

Written by journalist Marina Kamenev, Kin: Family in the 21st century is an incisive and powerful look at how families are created today, and how they might be created in the future.

‘A careful and compassionate exploration of the creativity, pain and power involved in the eternally imperfect art of family making.’ — Gina Rushton, author of The Most Important Job in the World

About the Author:

Marina Kamenev is the former deputy arts editor of the Moscow Times and has been widely published in the Atlantic, Time, Sunday Life, The Monthly and Marie Claire, often writing about family. She lives in Sydney and is the mother of two.

About the Moderator:

Tami Sussman is an Australian-based author with a background in theatre, comedy, spoken word poetry and copywriting. She facilitates creative writing workshops for primary and high school students and regularly contributes humorous opinion pieces for online and print magazines. Tami is also a celebrant, the most sarcastic participant in your group chat and a loyal servant to the little creatures in her home.

‘A forensically researched book that’s impossible to put down, Kamenev deftly demonstrates how society’s understanding of family has changed through the generations and what it might mean now. You’ll be thinking about the issues she explores for years to come.’ — Isabelle Oderberg, author of Hard to Bear: Investigating the science and silence of miscarriage

About Gertrude & Alice Cafe Bookstore

Rated as one of the top 10 bookstores in the world by National Geographic, Gertrude & Alice Cafe Bookstore is an oasis for writers, readers, and coffee lovers. Books overflow from the shelves of their store, featuring a mix of new, second-hand, antiquarian and rare books. Stay a while & enjoy some homemade chai, and amazing coffee, and unearth a book treasure or two. Read more about the bookstore's story here, and about the real Gertrude & Alice here.