The Lighthouse

"We are going to see a movie in Bankstown – movies are great. All that darkness and silence. I like to sit at the back with my date and focus on each centimetre of space that closes between us in delicate little increments. I like to place my arm just near enough his to feel the warmth of him. I could close my eyes and draw the space between our knees, our shoulders, our pinkie fingers. The anticipation is wonderful. In that moment before we are something, we could be anything."

— from In the 'Moments Before and After' by Katie Bowers.

"Sylvia can still taste the menthol from his breath last night. She recalls how it burnt her lips when he kissed her. Now, she strains to hear his footsteps downstairs, clutching an all too small towel around her shivering body, trapped in her tiny bathroom. It was a foolish idea to think the shower would wash him away."

— from 'Suddenly Loud' by Liselle Mei

"It’s all butterflies and carnations until you wake up to an unwanted armpit in your face. I probably could come around to the idea (his musk is something I occasionally get on board with) but the jet-black forest is tickling my face and all I want to do is sleep. I roll over in hope of returning to less complicated dreams."

— from 'My Catch by Gavin' Douglas

"Sex and gender shape relationships, power, inequality and so much else in our culture. They are ubiquitous, treacherous and delightful; fascinating, complicated and vexed."
— Dr Hannah Holland

Thirty-two award-winning stories in this intriguing and thought-provoking short story anthology explore the many facets of sex and gender. From sexual violence to questions of gender identity these stories from Australian and international authors challenge our perception of who we are.