Monica Sestito
WRITER, ORGANISER
Photo by James OlleyMonica teaches, writes and organises in Naarm/Melbourne and is from a Southern Italian and Arab background.
Monica teaches, writes and organises in Naarm (Melbourne) and is from a Southern Italian and Arab background. Her creative writing explores issues of cultural memory across generations, class and gendered oppression. She has also written journalistic pieces on contemporary political issues from the housing crisis to the rise of the far right. Her work can be found in n-SCRIBE and Overland.
Monica holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) from the University of Melbourne and is currently undertaking a Master of Teaching (Secondary) at the same institution while teaching EAL and Italian in a secondary school. Prior to this, she has worked in communications, including for Italian-language media outlets.
Writings:
The Bitter Fruits of Belonging in I Topi Non Avevano Nipoti
“Per fare tutto ci vuole un fiore” (to do anything you need a flower). So recites the matriarchal figure of I Topi Non Avevano Nipoti (The Mice Had No Grandchildren) in an extended funeral sequence mourning her son, who she seems to have smothered to death with her overbearing presence. She references a poem by Gianni Rodari, later put to music by Sergio Endrigo and transformed into one of the most famous Italian nursery rhymes. The absurd sequence captures a core contradiction explored in the play: how family norms can both create and constrict life, planting its seeds and containing its flourishing.
Published: 19 November 2024