Ascolta Women is a collective of creative multigenerational Italian, Italian-Australian and Italian-affiliated women from across Australia, Canada and London. 

Ascolta Women is a trauma-informed space which means any written content topics that may potentially affect others - grief, death, suicide, violence, abuse -  is prefaced with a content warning. We state content warnings about our work upfront to give women the choice of listening or leaving.

Another key rule is that we empower and build confidence. We NEVER preface our work with an apology.

Ascolta Women hold a safe space for each other and what is discussed in workshops, stays in the workshops. We respect privacy and confidentiality.

We were established in 2020, to give voice, and to listen, ascoltare, to unheard stories from the Italian diaspora. In 2023 Ascolta Women Inc. became an incorporated association. This means members are governed by a formal committee elected annually at the Annual General Meeting. The President, Secretary, Treasurer and general members guide and oversee decisions. 

Anything that may involve or impact on Ascolta Women Inc. must be communicated to and endorsed by the committee at one of its regular monthly meetings. 

Decisions are supported by a briefing process to provide committee members with all the relevant information. 

Member interest in presenting to a group or a conference or creating an Ascolta presence at an event must first be communicated to the committee for consideration via our email ascoltawomen@gmail.com

Ascolta women’s core purpose is creative writing through regular online 

discussion about our multiple and varied migration legacies and Italian heritages.

Ascolta Women communicate through creative media that includes writing, photography, visual arts and through academic and community dialogue.

Stories
We have published and launched the following anthologies:

Stories from the Inside (2021)

Stories from La Tavola (2022)

Stories from La Notte (2023)

Stories from La Terra (2024)

Stories from the other side (2025)

Stories from il corpo (2026)

Community
We have organised community readings and events in Mildura, Melbourne, Adelaide and Brisbane.

Academic
We have presented our work at national and international conferences, such as American Association of Italian Studies (USA, 2021); Australasian Centre for Italian Studies (Perth, 2023; Canberra, 2024) and at the 40th anniversary of Lilith conference, Melbourne (2025).

Women share experiences, stories and memories in a convivial practice of deep listening and attentiveness, the essence of the Ascolta Women Process. This practice centres around a thematic topic in a year-long project to develop a collection of stories, photography and visual art around the theme.