Someone Like Me
Description
What does it mean to write Autistically? Narratives about Autism were, for too long, dictated by non-Autistic people. As lived experience and #OwnVoices revolutionise publishing, how can we move from writing about Autism to fully embodying Autistic experience on the page?
IMPORTANT BOOKING INFORMATION
Address: West Footscray Library, 539 Barkly St, West Footscray, VIC 3012
Please arrive 10 minutes early
Transport
Train: West Footscray station (850m), Footscray station (1.8km), Tottenham (1.9 km)
Bus: Route 220 stops nearby
Bike: Bike parking outside the library at 539 Barkly St
Taxi/Rideshare: Can drop off directly in front
Car: Street parking in the area, and there is a carpark next to the post office at 528 Barkly St
This venue is fully accessible by wheelchair via the main entry.
Accessible parking is available, and the venue has accessible toilet facilities.
A quiet space may be accessed upon request.
Carer Tickets
A support person accompanying a person with disability is entitled to free entry.
Please select one Carer / Support Person – Free ticket with the purchase of a paid ticket. A valid Victorian Carer Card or Australian Companion Card must be presented at entry.
One free support ticket per eligible attendee.
We’re committed to creating an inclusive experience for everyone. Please let us know any accessibility needs when registering for this event or send us a message.
Lineup
Caitlin McGregor (moderator)
Caitlin McGregor is a writer, illustrator, editor, parent, and gardener based in Maldon, on unceded Dja Dja Wurrung Country. Their writing has been published in a range of magazines and literary journals, including Meanjin, Kill Your Darlings, Sydney Review of Books, Going Down Swinging and The Big Issue. Caitlin was the winner of the inaugural KYD Creative Nonfiction Essay Prize in 2022, and in 2023 they were the illustrator for the debut issue of Sunder Poetry Journal. They are currently a PhD candidate at the University of Melbourne.
Dr Clem Bastow
Dr Clem Bastow is a screenwriter, cultural critic and award-winning critical Autism studies researcher from Naarm–Melbourne. By day, Clem is Senior Tutor in Screenwriting at the University of Melbourne; by night, Clem works as a screenwriter and neurodiversity consultant for film and TV, most recently for Spooky Files (ABC/BBC, 2024-25). Clem’s debut non-fiction book, Late Bloomer, was published in 2021, and they are co-editor with Jo Case of Someone Like Me: an anthology of nonfiction by Autistic writers (UQP, 2025). They have contributed to edited collections including Investigating Stranger Things and ReFocus: The films of Elaine May, and their writing appears regularly in The Guardian.
Cubbie Berry
CB Mako (cubbie/they/them) is both a violist and a writer. Based in Naarm, cubbie is one of the violists of the Inner West Symphony Orchestra. As a writer, cubbie is a contributor to anthologies, Someone Like Me: An anthology of non-fiction by Autistic writers, Raging Grace: Australian writers speak out on disability, Growing Up Disabled in Australia, Collisions: Fictions of the future and Mascara Literary Review’s Resilience. They have won the Grace Marion Wilson Emerging Writers Competition, and have been shortlisted in Overland’s Fair Australia Prize and the Lord Mayor’s Creative Writing Awards and longlisted in the Liminal Fiction Prize. Writing by cubbie appears in The Suburban Review, Peril Magazine and Kill Your Darlings, among other publications.
Jess Ho
Jess Ho (they/them) is a freelance writer, journalist and critic based in Naarm/Melbourne. Raised By Wolves, their memoir, was published in 2022 by Affirm Press. They are the host and producer of Bad Taste, a podcast about who we are through the foods we eat; and For The Culture, a podcast about how food shapes us, and how we shape food. They were previously the food and drink editor of Time Out Melbourne, and their work has appeared in outlets such as Gourmet Traveller, Eater, The Guardian, The Age Spectrum, and Good Weekend. While Jess is primarily known for being a food writer, their work is skewed towards decolonising the way we consume food.
Tickets for good, not greed Humanitix dedicates 100% of profits from booking fees to charity
