author bri lee on responsible travel, place in storytelling, and what she’s reading
bri lee is an australian author and freelance writer. her first novel, eggshell skull, a memoir about her experiences with the australian legal system, won the people’s choice award, the victorian premier’s literary award, and the abia award for biography of the year. a trained lawyer, bri has been a staunch advocate for law reform in the criminal justice system. bri recently hosted our writer’s retreat in tasmania’s bay of fires, and will lead a group of writers, researchers, and book lovers on a literary expedition to morocco later this year. ahead of the trip, we sat down with bri to talk growing up in brisbane, the privilege of travel, and her favourite spots in sydney.
You grew up in Brisbane, and now live in Sydney. How have each informed you as a person (and a writer)?
I love brisbane, all my family are still there, and I love going back to visit. the roads are wider, the pace is a little slower, and trips to noosa and the sunshine coast bring me great joy. moving to sydney was really important for my career and for my sense of independence and adventure. my long morning walk takes me around the opera house, and I find the hustle and pace really invigorating. there are lots of cliches about sydney (many of them accurate) but I love how globally-minded it is compared to many smaller cities in australia. the literary and academic communities here have been so welcoming and supportive of me as well.
how important is place in your writing? how does it inform your characters and how they view the world, what they value, and how they relate to one another?
place and character are inextricably connected. in australia in particular a lot of class issues relate to postcodes, real estate, and privilege. most of us die very close to where we were born, and social mobility is mostly a myth. also, you can't really write about important social issues here without engaging with the legacy of invasion - this nation has a really splintered identity due to the ongoing unwillingness to engage in genuine listening and truth-telling. place is the foundation of all story.
Your work explores themes of power and privilege in the judicial and education systems. Travel, too, involves a great degree of privilege. How do you reconcile your own privilege with your travels? How do you think we can make travel meaningful and impactful?
travel can be a wonderful way to create bridges of understanding between peoples and cultures. it can also go terribly wrong if the people travelling bring their presumptions and entitlements with them. I think a lot of what goes 'wrong' is when people with privilege think their travel dollars are buying them some kind of special treatment, whereas the bedrock of responsible travel is to behave as though you are a guest in someone else's home--because you are! for example, so many people work so hard for so many hours to save enough money to travel, but don't take the time to buy and read a basic phrasebook that allows them to say 'hello' and 'thank you'. also, in the vast majority of situations, I believe that if you have money enough to travel, you have money enough to tip. tourism is a huge component of many communities' and countries' economies. ignoring that fact, or trying to ignore that your leisure time is someone else's work time, is the ultimate arrogance.
What can travellers expect from an Aweventurer trip with you? What do you hope to share with the group and what, in turn, do you hope to learn from those who come with you on the trip?
a bit of everything! history and literature of course, because that's my thing. but food (both cooking it and eating it) is also my thing. fashion and design are my things too. so is a bit of adventure... honestly, I want to do it all. I like to read books and watch documentaries about a place before I go there, but then arrive with a completely open mind. I'm also grateful for the note-taking and noticing techniques I've picked up over the years as a life writer. I'm hoping the workshops I run on these trips will be equally as useful to writers and non-writers, because they're as much about looking and listening and remembering as they are about words.
An out of towner is visiting Sydney for the day. Where do you take them?
early morning to bondi beach, big breakfast overlooking the coast, stay out of the heat (and learn about history) at the australian museum, from where it's a short walk to an arvo around the opera house and botanical gardens. In the evening we go to any one of the best restaurants near me in kings cross, then depending on the guest? drinking and dancing.
Where do you get your best writing done?
it can strike anywhere, anytime. for me there is no line between art and life. I am always noticing.
What makes travel transformative for you?
to be a good writer, and to be a good person, we must be able to identify and question our presumptions. if we are unable to interrogate the lenses through which we see the world we will always be stuck in narrow-minded bubbles that limit truth and human connection. travel is like an injection, straight to the heart, straight to the brain, of clarity. when we are able to see and understand what is 'normal' elsewhere, we are better able to interrogate and reshape what is 'normal' at home and in ourselves.
Favourite international travel destination?
impossible!!! Always the place I'm going to next, haha, so right now? morocco.
Joan Didion’s packing list has become pretty famous in recent years. What are your travel essentials?
I'm a pale redhead: slip, slop, slap. and a notebook that fits in my pocket.
Favourite books, travel or otherwise?