Jessica Knight in-conversation with Alexandra Larach

Jessica Knight grew up on a dairy farm in rural Victoria, her crib next door to where all the cows were milked. It’s a loving Mormon household, a god-fearing home. While they don’t have very much, it’s their values and good humour that allows them to laugh at what scares them.

All young Jessica wants is to be good and make her parents and her Heavenly Father happy. She cleans the house and helps out with her siblings; all the while being subjected to intensive medical tests and major surgeries. Doctors consider her a puzzle and a medical mystery. But what if you decide you want to be open about your fears? This is the story of how one young woman learned to move on from the life she was expected to have, embraced what she was scared of, and looked to her future with an open heart and mind.

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Jessica Knight is a writer, performer and zine maker based in Melbourne. She has participated in the National Young Writers Festival, The Emerging Writers Festival, Red Dirt Poetry Festival. She performed a one woman show entitled Mormon Girl in 2019 at The Melbourne Fringe Festival. Jessica has written poetry and personal essay zines created with artist friend Miranda Costa aka McDrawn. Jessica has been published in a variety of outlets including Archer Magazine, Scum Mag and Meanjin. Jessica received an Arts Access Creative Accelerate grant in 2021 that helped make the writing of Strange Little Girl possible.

Alexandra Larach is a leader in creating unforgettable literary gatherings. She is best known for her work with Sisters in Crime NSW and Book Fair Australia, weaving magic that brings book lovers and writers into the same spellbinding narrative. With love for the thrilling word of crime and mystery, Alexandra's passion knows no bounds. Ask her about her favourite authors like Agatha Christie and you'll uncover a budding author's heart ablaze with inspiration. Alexandra Larach doesn't just facilitate interviews - she crafts experiences that leave minds racing and hearts pounding for more.