Hello + Welcome to Copy & Cake, a newsletter on the intersection of considered living and creative practice.

What is Copy & Cake?

It’s an experiment in living well, that proposes that our work as writers and creatives can be vastly improved when we elevate our everyday lives. I share personal reflections and actionable content (‘the copy’) about life, writing and creative work, while showcasing the little things I do/read/buy to sweeten and elevate the other parts of my life (‘the cake’), which in turn motivates me to do the work.

I romanticise as much of my days as I possibly can and always strive to live better in the hope that it will improve my work as a writer. I make cups of tea in beautiful tea cups, take myself out on solo dates and eat my porridge in my one beautiful bowl, so that if I am having the kind of day where the words won’t come, I can still say ‘What a devastatingly unproductive day, but would you look at this tea cup?’

I guess it’s a more expansive version of my Instagram account: a place where I can collect my thoughts on anything topical and zeitgeisty; share recommendations for books, bakeries and restaurants; reflect on my experiences and lessons as a multi-hyphenate (author-lecturer-speaker-journo-mentor); divulge the details of my deepest material desires; and curate writing advice for those who want it. Think the equivalent of a chat with a close friend over sweets and a warm drink.

What’s in the name?

It’s obviously a play on that great cafe staple: Coffee & Cake. The deal here is much less favourable though, because I can’t actually give you a cake (or for that matter, a coffee). But I can give you copy - and copy is what we call the honed, carefully-curated material we journos file to our editors after loads of contemplation, research, drafting and editing.

In Everything Is Copy, the HBO documentary on the life of journalist, screenwriter and director Nora Ephron, Ephron recounts “Everything is copy” as her screenwriter mother’s constant refrain. It was a lesson, Ephron eventually realises, that was equipping her for her own writing career, where everything is material.

In this newsletter, I want to hold space for both intellect and frivolity. I don’t want to hold back on my penchant for nice things, because those nice things are often the antidote to the instability and underappreciation of writing and creative work.

Who am I?

I am a Sydney-based journalist, bestselling author, sessional academic and mother to three kids. My work has been published in The Guardian, Sydney Morning Herald, The Australian, SBS, ELLE, Marie-Claire and more. I sit on the board of the Australian Society of Authors, advocate for culturally and racially-marginalised writers and artists, and eat a lot of baked goods. My PhD looked at the representation of racially and culturally marginalised girls in Australian teen fiction, and my Masters thesis, completed at the University of Sydney, analysed the representation of Arab-Australians in Australian print media through the lens of Stanley Cohen’s Moral Panic theory.

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Is it free?

Copy & Cake is free for now, but I’ll soon be launching a paid subscriber version. Paid subscribers will automatically go in the draw for giveaways, and have access to some premium content (it’s where I will answer questions about writing, for starters).

But, like, why should we pay?

Being a writer in Australia sucks right now. It’s sucked for some time. Most mediums not backed by a billionaire - and thus, supporting a billionaire’s agenda - are floundering. My per-word rate at some of the biggest publications in the country decreases every few years, which means that as a journalist, my earning potential is dwindling with age and passing time, unlike pretty much every other industry where you at least get a pay rise for inflation. I felt this when I was a journalist, but I feel it in multiple ways now that I am also an author and academic. Australian authors have an average income of just $18,000, and 74% of the academics at my current university are on sessional contracts, renewed on a semester basis. This basically means that even if I wanted a full-time job, I couldn’t get one, even after years and years (and years!) of study and experience in the field. The lack of job security makes it hard to commit to anything, and makes it impossible to get a loan (or even refinance an existing one).

I also think it’s a sad reflection of our reality when we make work in the media and the arts untenable for those who don’t have wealth behind them.

How is that your problem?

Honestly, it isn’t. But writing is work. It involves reading and research and time. We pay for food and clothes and Netflix, but more often than not, we don’t think about the importance of paying for good writing. And writing can change the world!

Goods and services cost money, and you’re paying for them via your taxes (like at the library or national park) even when you think they’re free. By paying your favourite writers and artists, you are sending a message about your values and what you think is important.

I have spent almost 20 years in this industry honing my skills, and launching a paid version is a reflection of that experience and skillset.

Can we support your writing for free?

Absolutely! In fact, the below goes for all writers where and when you can:

1. Request and borrow our books at your local library.
2. Promote our writing on your socials.
3. Rate/Review our books on places like Goodreads and Amazon.
4. Subscribe to our newsletters.
5. Follow us on social media.
6. Attend our events.