Stella Day Out celebrates the work of Australian women and non-binary authors.

Monica will be speaking at the Stella Day Out - The Stella Story, alongside other Stella Prize founders in this event that promises to inspire future generations of women and non-binary writers and to delve into the future of this beloved prize.

Click here for further information and tickets.

Monica will be participating in two sessions at the Canberra Writers Festival on August 20th.

SESSION ONE: NAKED AMBITION
A conversation with Robert Gott about his new novel, Naked Ambition.
Sunday 20 August 2023 | 10.30 AM – 11.30 AM
Senate Chamber | Museum of Australian Democracy
Click here for further information and tickets.

SESSION TWO: KEEPING THE FAITH
Exploring remarkable true stories about what happens when your deepest beliefs are shaken.
Sunday 20 August 2023 | 2.30 PM – 3.30 PM
Cinema | Kambri Cultural Centre (ANU)
Click here for further information and tickets.

Monica is speaking at the Wheeler Centre’s Mum’s the Word Gala in March!

A glittering line-up of writers, performers and musicians come together to celebrate the maternal figures that have shaped their lives in a M/OTHER gala spectacular, hosted by the one and only Jan Fran.

Details and bookings here.

Every Friday ABC Radio National challenges our guests with a dilemma from your 'too hard basket' - to discuss, unravel, and maybe even help solve for you.

This week: A old classmate sends you a photo and asks if you remember her, but you don’t.

She replies 'well, I remember you my friend.' You don't want to be rude as her parents know your parents, but you also have no desire to resume any relationship with this person. What do you do?

Guests:
Michael Shafar, comedian and writer
Monica Dux, writer and social commentator

Produced by Tracey Trompf

Listen to the broadcast here.

Monica chats with Jane Caro at the Melbourne Writers Festival about Jane’s latest book The Mother.

Jane is a Walkley Award–winning journalist, social commentator and author, will shed light on her first novel for adults The Mother, a gripping domestic thriller with a moral dilemma at its core. Described as ‘passionate, vivid and unsettling’ (Suzanne Leal), The Mother is an absorbing tale of a young family in danger and the mother who will do anything to save them.

Tickets and more info here.

Every Friday ABC Radio National challenges our guests with a dilemma from your 'too hard basket' - to discuss, unravel, and maybe even help solve for you.

This week: If my son's friends are drinking at my house, do I have to tell their parents?

You don't want to leave the parents in the dark but also don't want to get a child in trouble. What is the right thing to do?

Guests:
Justin Coulson, parenting expert
Monica Dux, writer and social commentator

Hosted by Beverly Wang

Listen to the broadcast here.

Monica Dux chats with comedian Justine Sless about Justine’s new book Mistress of Mirth, on May 12th, at 6.30 at Bargoonga Nganjin, North Fitzroy Library.

You can book here.

To believe or not to believe: atheism on the rise

More Australians than ever before are saying 'no' to religion, and 'yes' to secular beliefs such as atheism. Yet, the majority of the population still identifies with a religion. On God Forbid, James Carleton and the panel examine atheism, disbelief and what we really mean by 'religion'. 

Guests:

Monica Dux is a writer, commentator, and a columnist for The Age. She is the author of "Lapsed, losing your religion is harder than it looks".

David Newheiser is a Senior Research Fellow in the Institute for Religion and Critical Inquiry at Australian Catholic University. He is the author of "Hope in a Secular Age".

Presented by James Carleton and produced by Rohan Salmond & Hong Jiang.

Listen to the podcast here.

On this episode of Soul Search, author Monica Dux and Associate Professor Robyn Horner discuss why atheism is more than mere unbelief, and how theists and atheists may have more in common than you think.

Presented by Dr. Meredith Lake and produced by Karen Tong.

Listen to the podcast here.

Panel: Monica Dux (Lapsed), Sarah Krasnostein (The Believer) & Nardi Simpson (Song of the Crocodile)

Host: Elizabeth McCarthy

In what do you believe? Is there a dominant collective belief system? Do structured systems of faith protect us and give us foundations - or in fact make us even more vulnerable?

Book for this event here.

Farrells Bookshop are delighted to welcome Monica Dux to discuss her explosive new memoir Lapsed, with fellow journalist and author, Jacinta Parsons. 

Bookings essential as places are limited.

BOOK NOW!

Monica Dux talks to Cheryl Akle of the Better Reading Podcast about growing up Catholic and how she lost her faith.

Her latest book, Lapsed, explores her relationship with Catholicism.

Listen here.

Monica Dux talks to Tim Mills from The Harmonic Atheist Podcast.

Topics touched on include:
• Seeing the Jesus character "repackaged" after Vatican II.
• Wanting to feel god's presence, but never actually having any sense that he was real.
• Being afraid of purgatory and hell.
• The consuming ideas of confession and of purging your soul.

…and more.

Listen here.

Join Monica Dux in her attempt to exorcise her religious upbringing, and to answer the question, is Catholicism like a blood group and, if so, is it possible to get a total transfusion?

About the moderator:
Jane Caro (AM) is a Walkley Award winning Australian columnist, author, novelist, broadcaster, documentary maker, feminist and social commentator. She spent 35 years as an award winning copywriter and 7 years teaching Advertising Creative in the School of Communication Arts at Western Sydney University. These days she is a full time writer, social commentator, speaker and broadcaster.

Register now.

Monica was a guest on Radio National’s The Bookshelf, discussing Cassandra Austin’s latest novel, Like Mother.

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Michael Mohammed Ahmad's character Bani Adam is back, walking the streets of his town, railing against stereotypes, working the heavy bag in a boxing gym, reading books and trying to please his family. But now he has a baby, a child he addresses as he tries to make sense of his new identity as a father, in The Other Half of You (Hachette).

Parenting is also at stake in Cassandra Austin's Like Mother: a story layered with secrets and surprises and the hot heaviness of being in a small town in the 1960s. Monica Dux, who has herself written on motherhood, reads this for us.

And entire new worlds are created, drawing upon West African mythology and the layers of colonialism, in Suyi Davies Okungbowa's epic fantasy, Son of the Storm read by speculative fiction writer Eugen Bacon.

Monica Dux has written a book called Lapsed... about walking away from Catholicism, her childhood religion.

It’s a relevant story in today’s world because Catholicism in Australia has been in slow decline over the last 50 years... but at 22% of all Australians, it’s still the biggest single religion in Australia and it’s held ground much better than the Anglican Church.

It’s partly about growing up Catholic... but it’s more about why it has such a hold over people... even once they think they’ve left it behind.  Losing your religion is not as easy as you think.

Listen to the podcast here.

Writer, columnist and social commentator, Monica Dux shares her frank attempt to exorcise her religious upbringing in conversation with Sue Lawson.

As part of Clunes Booktown Festival, a month-long celebration of books & writing.

Book here!

Writer, Monica Dux, grew up a devout Catholic, once telling a high school friend she wanted to be a nun.  

But, over time, she lost her religion, and eventually became so disillusioned with the Catholic Church she decided to quit.

She discovered, “you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave”.

Monica talks to Paul Barclay about her memoir, Lapsed. 

Recorded at an Avid Reader event, via Zoom. on April 14, 2021. Listen here.

From devout ten-year-old performing the part of Jesus in a primary school play to blaspheming, undergraduate atheist, Monica Dux and her attitude to the Catholic Church changed profoundly over a decade. Eventually, she calmed down and was just ‘lapsed’. Then, on a family trip to Rome, her young daughter expressed a desire to be baptised. Monica found herself re-examining her own childhood and how Catholicism had shaped her. Was it really out of her system or was it in her blood for life?

In Lapsed, Monica sets out to find the answer.

Join us for this FREE event.
RSVPs essential. Zoom links will be sent 24 hours head of the event.

Losing your religion is harder than it looks...

Author Monica Dux is in-conversation with Benjamin Law discussing Lapsed.

Please note: this is an ONLINE EVENT via Zoom. RSVPs are essential, please register here.

Losing your religion is harder than it looks...

ABC Radio National's Paul Barclay is in-conversation with Monica Dux discussing Lapsed.

Please note: this is an ONLINE EVENT via Zoom. Tickets can be purchased here.

In recent years, more and more Australians have listed their religion as none.

In 2016, just under 20% of Australians defined themselves as not religious.

Ten years later, that number was 30%. Journalist and author Monica Dux is among them.

Her new book, Lapsed, tells the story of her Catholic upbringing, how it shaped her and how she left it behind.

Watch the video here.

With wry humour and razor-sharp observations, Lapsed is the story of one woman’s attempt to exorcise her religious upbringing, and to answer the question, is Catholicism like a blood group and, if so, is it possible to get a total transfusion? Join us to celebrate the release of this timely and evocative book.

This event is free to attend but bookings are essential as places are strictly limited.

Please book here.

Here's a sneak peek for you! Monica Dux dropped in to chat about her new book 'Lapsed' that will be released in early April. This is a memoir that looks very closely at her relationship with the Catholic Church and is very very funny.

View the video here.

Growing up, Monica Dux was the "perfect Catholic girl".

As a blaspheming, atheistic adult, she thought she'd left it all behind.

That is, until an incident in a church, in Rome, under the watchful eyes of Saint Catherine, brought it all back....

With guest Monica Dux, writer, journalist and author most recently of Lapsed: Losing your religion is harder than it looks.

To acknowledge International Women’s Day and the reality of women’s lives and their own freedom to choose, Readings is thrilled to bring you a panel of important voices straight from the newly released Choice Words: A Collection of Writing about Abortion. Among those joining us for this event supported by the Victorian Women’s Trust will be editor Louise Swinn, social commentator and writer Clementine Ford, and contributors Amy Gray and Monica Dux.

Modern Dilemma: when your friends’ child is caught stealing

Your friends' 18 year old son is caught stealing at the local supermarket where he works and was sacked as a result.

The police weren't called, and you're confident his parents don't know about it.

Should you tell them?

Author and columnist for the Age, Monica Dux and architect and father of older children, Neill Johanson weigh in on this one.

Hear from three brilliant Australian feminist writers at this special event celebrating women’s voices. On the eve of International Women’s Day, Roj Amedi, Jane Gilmore and Leena van Deventer will discuss the ways women are speaking out and breaking the silence across politics, media, technology and more. Hosted by Monica Dux.

This event will also feature the launch of the 2018 Feminist Writers Festival program. Attendees will get a sneak peek at the program for the Melbourne festival, to be held in May, and have the first chance to purchase discounted festival tickets.