The Juicy Life

An evening of storytelling about love, friendship, and destroying all expectations.

Join award-winning Arab-Australian writer Sheree Joseph to celebrate the release of her debut memoir, Juicy; a warm, witty and deeply honest exploration of heartbreak, grief, identity and the joy of rebuilding a life on your own terms.

Joined by acclaimed writers Michael Mohammed Ahmad, Winnie Dunn and Shirley Le, this special evening will delve into writing the self, finding humour in life's messiest moments, the complexities of family and friendship, and what it means to reject the stories we're told about how our lives should unfold. Hosted by writer, performer and content producer Mark Mariano.

Together, these five celebrated voices will explore love, loss, culture, ambition and belonging in an evening of generous conversation, laughter and powerful storytelling. Whether you've ever navigated heartbreak, questioned expectations, or simply love hearing great writers in conversation, this promises to be an unforgettable celebration of living richer, deeper, juicier lives.

Sheree Joseph is an award-winning Arab-Australian writer living on the unceded lands of the Darug peoples in Western Sydney. She is the former Managing Editor of The Vocal, an award-nominated solutions journalism publication at Fairfax. Her work has appeared in The Sydney Morning Herald, ABC, SBS, Overland, Russh, Junkee, The Lifted Brow, and The Everywoman. As an ongoing member of Sweatshop Literacy Movement, Sheree has published her fiction in Sweatshop Women (2020) and Love (2025). Her debut memoir, Juicy, has been released through Pantera Press.

Michael Mohammed Ahmad is the founding director of Sweatshop Literacy Movement and the author of three award-winning novels: The Tribe (Giramondo, 2014), The Lebs (Hachette, 2018) and The Other Half of You (Hachette, 2021). He is also the editor of several critically acclaimed anthologies, including After Australia (Affirm Press, 2020). Mohammed received his Doctorate of Creative Arts from Western Sydney University in 2017.

Winnie Dunn is a Tongan-Australian writer from Mount Druitt. She is the general manager of Sweatshop Literacy Movement and the editor of several acclaimed anthologies, including Brownface (Cordite, 2018), Sweatshop Women (Sweatshop, 2019), Straight-Up Islander (SBS, 2020) and Another Australia (Affirm Press, 2022). Winnie’s debut novel, Dirt Poor Islanders (Hachette, 2024) won the 2025 Sydney Morning Herald Best Young Novelists Award and the 2025 Creative Australia Kathleen Mitchell Award. Dirt Poor Islanders was also shortlisted for two NSW Premier’s Literary Awards and shortlisted for the Miles Franklin Literary Award.

Shirley Le is a Vietnamese-Australian writer from Yagoona. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Macquarie University. Her short stories and essays have been published in Overland, SBS Voices, The Lifted Brow, Griffith Review and Meanjin. Her debut novel is Funny Ethnics (Affirm Press, 2023).

Mark Mariano is a Filipino-Australian writer, performer and content producer from Doonside, on Darug land. He has been published in Buzzfeed Australia, Red Room Poetry, SBS Voices, Racism: Stories on Fear, Hate & Bigotry, StoryCasters, Stories Out West and Love.

The Living Room Theatre is a fiercely independent performing arts company founded in Sydney in 2000, creating 28 original works over 25 years without a permanent home, working through residencies, partnerships, and borrowed spaces to produce urgent, embodied, and unflinching art examining how violence and trauma persist in relation to the female body. Now, with a permanent home at 21 Shepherd, the company enters a new chapter, and The Rose Read Bookshop is excited to be partnering with the space.

Drinks and nibblies available for a small donation to the theatre.