Ascolta ~ Listen
Listening to Australian Italian migrant women’s stories.
“We hear you. Even if you don’t speak or write, know that we have heard you. Know that we share with you those things that have been kept inside, that have been covered with dark blankets of intellect, rationalisation, forgetfulness, obscurity, confusion: the fear, the vergogna, the shame. They may be your secrets, you family’s legacy, but know that they are shared. Know that some of us will give voice to them, write about them. Some of us will not. But know that we hear you.”
Teresa Capetola, Ascolta Women forum, 13th March 2020
Ascolta News
Past and upcoming events for Ascolta Women Inc.
Multicultural Conversation Café
Saturday 10th October 11.30am free lunch at Brother Chris Café 86 Deakin Ave Mildura Bookings essential via Humanitix
Ascolta Women were successful in obtaining a Department of Home Affairs grant to record regional and rural older Italian women’s migration stories. Our first stop is sunny Mildura in October this year, followed by South Australia in 2027.
If you, or someone you know, lives in the Sunraysia, Mallee or Mildura regions we would love to see you
Melbourne Italian Festa
Ascolta Women are at the Melbourne Italian Festa 17th - 18th October 2026 Royal Exhibition Building, Carlton.
Polish your Vespa, dust off your tambourine and bring out your best green, white and red outfits – we are going to the Italian Festa. Ascolta Women are excited to be part of this vibrant and joyful event again this year. Come and say ciao! We will be upstairs in the Gallery Zone R Stall 336 eating cannoli and selling our beautiful anthologies and tote bags. We look forward to seeing you. Here are some photos and cannoli from 2025.
Thursday 29 October 2026, 6:30-8pm. CO.AS.IT., 199 Faraday St, Carlton
Join Dr Teresa Capetola as she explores the questions in her doctoral research and how this work led to the establishment of the multigeneration creative collective Ascolta Women Inc.
Ascolta Women anthologies will be available for purchase at the event.
Featured Book
Women’s bodies have been sites of political struggle for centuries. The writings, artwork and photography reinforce the inextricable connections between our bodies, emotions, thoughts, our sense of selves, and interactions with the world. These stories challenge prevalent thinking in Western society that there is a separation between the mind and the body. Women are deeply attuned to their bodies’ rhythms and changes, and as conduits for thinking and reflecting through bodily connections. In Stories from Il Corpo, we explore and celebrates our bodies as ourselves.
