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- author Jackie French

Tuesday 17 March 2020

12 Curly Questions with author/activist Kate Bullen-Casanova

1. Tell us something hardly anyone knows about you.
I can wiggle my nose like Tabitha in Bewitched. It’s magic (hehe).

2. What is your nickname? 
Mouse/ Mouski (maybe because of the nose wiggling thing).

3. What is your greatest fear?
Spiders and octopuses; they’ve just got far too many legs!

4. Describe your writing style in 10 words.
Almost always alliterative, royally rhythmical, fiercely feminist and cleverly kind.

5. Tell us five positive words that describe you as a writer.
Fun, Kind, Happy, Clever, Feminist

6. What book character would you be, and why?
Definitely Hermione Granger, because she’s wicked clever and always stands up for other people (or magical creatures) and fights for the good of the world.

7. If you could time travel, what year would you go to and why?
Can I go forward in time? If so, I’d love to visit 2100 to see if everything turns out all right.

8. What would your 10-year-old self say to you now?
A writer! Yes! Well done future Kate — high five!

9. Who is your greatest influence?
My children: Every day I work to make the world a better, fairer place, for them.

10. What/who made you start writing?
I think I’ve always written little stories, even just for myself. However, in the last few years I’ve been working on my craft. I believe in the power of words to change the world.

11. What is your favourite word and why? 
Egalitarianism: well, I love what it means, of course, but I also love the combination of syllables and the way it rolls off the tongue.

12. If you could only read one book for the rest of your life, what would it be?
No! What a tragedy this would be! But I suppose... if I really have to choose... it would be White Teeth by Zadie Smith.


Kate Bullen-Casanova lives in Melbourne with her two young children. After seven years in women’s activism, including time at UN Women and the International Women’s Development Agency, Kate now brings her passion for gender equality to the world of early childhood education through her online community Future Feminists. For more information, see www.futurefeminists.org or follow www.instagram.com/futurefeminists.