Monitor meets...
Francesca Rendle-Short

Where are you from and how long have you lived in Canberra?
I grew up in Brisbane. I’ve lived in Canberra long enough to bump into someone I know every time I go somewhere.

What do you do at the University?
Lecture in the creative writing program.

What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear University of Canberra?
The tree-top view outside my window.

What is your favourite thing about Canberra?
The big western skies in the gloaming.

If you could change anything about Canberra what would it be?
Domestic architecture—particularly the height of ceilings in ex-guvies.

What are you: reading / watching / listening to?
- I'm reading Benang by Kim Scott because I've been told there is a line about
burying memory in shame. I haven't found it yet.
- I’m watching The Chaser because they’re so gutsy.
- I’m listening to any adagio movement by any composer because my new cat is called Adagio for short.

Name three famous people (alive/dead/fictional) you would like to have
dinner with and where in Canberra you'd take them?
- Vita Sackville West—pizza at the Fyshwick Markets
- Richard E Grant as Ralphie Compton in Wah-Wah—Vietnamese at ‘eat-street’ in Dickson
- Hélène Cixous—The Ginger Room at Old Parliament House

What couldn’t you live without and why?
Paper and pen to write on—because I would stop breathing.

Where did you go on your last holiday?
East Balmain, Sydney to visit the Biennale (especially the figurines of Antony Gormley on Wharf 1—they took my breath away)

How would you spend your ideal weekend?
A sleep-in—a good coffee (always)—a bit of art (any where, any sort)—a newspaper or two to read, to feel as though I’m in a bigger world—a walk in the garden in the sun in my pyjamas (to make me feel as though I don’t have to do anything)—all the while chatting with friends.