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  • 30th June 2026
  • By Ellen van Neerven

Episode 1: Work

Episode 1
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Hosts Ellen van Neerven and Hermina Burns share a selection of poems that pay homage to the work that women and gender diverse people do, the hidden histories of unpaid labour, and the real meaning of work.

Featured poets: Maya Angelou, Hermina Burns, Dr Jeanine Leane, Ellen van Neerven, Rebecca Elson.

Poems (in order):
Angelou, Maya. “Woman Work.” And Still I Rise, Random House, 1978.
Burns, Hermina. “Ironing.” Bite of a Bluebottle, Bristlebird Press, 2019.
Leane, Jeanine. “Unfinished Business”. Cordite Poetry Review, 1 February 2019.
van Neerven, Ellen. “Vinegar”. Cordite Poetry Review, 1 February 2019.
Elson, Rebecca. “Antidotes to Fear of Death”. Responsibility to Awe, Carcanet Classics, 2018.

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Between the Leaves is a poetry podcast hosted by Ellen van Neerven and Hermina Burns. In each episode, Ellen and Hermina illuminate poems written by women and the gender diverse, as well as their own original works, moving through themes like love, race and feminism.

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Ellen van Neerven
Ellen van Neerven (they/them) is a writer, editor and educator of Mununjali and Dutch heritage. Ellen’s fiction debut Heat and Light (UQP, 2014) was the recipient of the David Unaipon Award, the Dobbie Literary Award and the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards Indigenous Writers Prize. Their first poetry collection Comfort Food (UQP, 2016) won the Tina Kane Emergent Award and was shortlisted for the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards Kenneth Slessor Prize. Throat (UQP, 2020) was the recipient of Book of the Year, the Kenneth Slessor Prize and the Multicultural Award at 2021 NSW Literary Awards and the inaugural Quentin Bryce Award. Personal Score: Sport, Culture, Identity (UQP, 2023, Two Dollar Radio, 2024) received the Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for Non Fiction and was longlisted for the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction. Their first play, swim, produced by Griffin Theatre Company, premiered at Carriageworks in Sydney in 2024. Ellen’s latest book Ruby’s Web (Magabala, 2026) is a middle grade novel. It is a powerful story about finding your voice, seeking help, and addressing cyberbullying and victimisation.