TONTS.

Welcome to another episode of TONTS. on the road. Audio grabs from Claire's tour of the UK last year. This one is from her London show with the spoken word poet Hollie Mcnish. Hollie is an award-winning poet, writer and performer. She is the Sunday Times bestselling author of Slug (and other things I’ve been told to hate) and won the Ted Hughes award for new work in poetry with her poetry and parenting memoir Nobody Told Me. She has two further poetry collections, Plum and Cherry Pie, one modern adaptation of the ancient Greek tragedy Antigone and alongside fellow poet Sabrina Mahfouz, co-wrote Offside, a play relating the history of UK women’s football. She loves writing and her live readings are not to be missed. Hollie is currently touring the UK at the moment and her new book Lobster is on sale now.For more from Hollie you can find her here and watch here YouTube video performing Megatron in a Boxing ring here You should definitely watch it!For more from Claire Tonti head hereEditing: RAW CollingsSocial Media: Maisie JPOriginal music: Free by Claire Tonti

Jasper Peach is a trans, non-binary and disabled writer, speaker and parent. They are passionate about equitable access and inclusion, focused around the dismantling of misplaced shame via storytelling. Their written work has been published in The Age, HireUp, The Big Issue, Archer, The Guardian, Verandah, Australian Poetry Journal, Meanjin, ABC and SBS online.With a background in Auslan interpreting, broadcasting and civil celebrancy, writing has continued their personal trend of being all about communication and community. Their first book, You’ll be a Wonderful Parent, was published March 2023 by Hardie Grant and is a celebration of rainbow families of all kinds.For more from Jasper you can find them on instagram @jasperpeachsays or find Jasper's book here For more from me you can find me @clairetonti on instagram or at my website www.clairetonti.comEditing: RAW CollingsSocial Media: Maisie JP

Lucy Jones is an investigative journalist and author. She has written extensively on culture, science and na­ture. Her articles have been published on BBC Earth and in The Sunday Times, The Guardian and the New Statesman. Her first book, Foxes Un­earthed, received the Society of Authors’ Roger Deakin Award. She has also written the book Losing Eden which was long-listed for the Wainwright Prize and received a Society of Authors’ K Blundell Trust Award. The Times and Telegraph named it a book of the year (2020) and the paperback became a Times' bestseller (2021).In her latest work Matrescence Lucy Jones presents her radical examination of the transition into motherhood and how it affects the mind, brain and body. These seismic effects are largely unrepresented across literature and the arts, and speaking about motherhood in anything other than pastel hues remains, for the most part, taboo. Jones offers an urgent examination of the modern institution of motherhood and seeks to unshackle parents from oppressive social norms.For more from Lucy Jones you can head to her website To find out more about me and the work I am doing please head to https://www.clairetonti.com or https://www.instagram.com/clairetonti/And if you or someone you know needs support COPE has a brilliant directory where you can find resources in your area.http://www.cope.org.auYou can also contact the show at hello@clairetonti.comEditing: RAW CollingsSocial Media: Maisie JG

This is Part Two of my conversation with writer, feminist thinker and broadcaster Clementine Ford.Clementine Ford is a Melbourne based writer, speaker and feminist thinker. She is the author of four books, Fight Like A Girl, Boys will be Boys, How We Love and het latest book I Don’t the case against marriage. She has been a columnist for Fairfax’s Daily Life and a regular contributor to The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald.Clementine's writing explores issues of gender inequality and pop culture. Her ability to use both humour and distilled fury to lay bare ongoing issues affecting women has earned her a huge and loyal readership amongst both women and men. Clementine’s work has radically challenged the issues of men’s violence against women, rape culture and gender warfare in Australia, while her comedic take on casual sexism and entertainment has earned her a reputation as an accomplished satirist.Clementine’s work has also appeared in the Guardian, Cosmopolitan, Girlfriend, CLEO, Sunday Life and The Big Issue. Clementine has been a guest on ABC’s Q and A, Channel Nine Mornings and is a frequent contributor to Channel Ten’s The Project. As a speaker and presenter, Clementine has appeared at Melbourne’s Wheeler Centre, ACMI, the Sydney Opera House, Adelaide Writers Week, the Brisbane Writers Festival, the Ubud Readers and Writers Festival, the Newcastle Writers Festival, the National Young Writers Festival, the Reality Bites Literary Festival, Women of Letters, Cherchez La Femme and the City of Melbourne’s Conversations series. Additionally, she is regularly invited to speak at schools and universities. Clementine has been a guest on ABC’s Q and A, Channel Nine’s Mornings and is a frequent contributor to Network Ten’s The Project.Clementine’s number one mission is to speak openly and honestly about the state of the world as we live in it. She hopes to give other women the language and confidence to articulate their own feelings of frustration and anger.For more from Clementine Ford head to her instagram or find her work on SubstackTo find out more about me and the work I am doing please head to https://www.clairetonti.com or https://www.instagram.com/clairetonti/And if you or someone you know needs support COPE has a brilliant directory where you can find resources in your area.http://www.cope.org.auYou can also contact the show at hello@clairetonti.comEditing: RAW CollingsSocial Media: Maisie JG

Clementine Ford is a Melbourne based writer, speaker and feminist thinker. She is the author of four books, Fight Like A Girl, Boys will be Boys, How We Love and het latest book I Don’t the case against marriage. She has been a columnist for Fairfax’s Daily Life and a regular contributor to The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald.Clementine's writing explores issues of gender inequality and pop culture. Her ability to use both humour and distilled fury to lay bare ongoing issues affecting women has earned her a huge and loyal readership amongst both women and men. Clementine’s work has radically challenged the issues of men’s violence against women, rape culture and gender warfare in Australia, while her comedic take on casual sexism and entertainment has earned her a reputation as an accomplished satirist.Clementine’s work has also appeared in the Guardian, Cosmopolitan, Girlfriend, CLEO, Sunday Life and The Big Issue. Clementine has been a guest on ABC’s Q and A, Channel Nine Mornings and is a frequent contributor to Channel Ten’s The Project. As a speaker and presenter, Clementine has appeared at Melbourne’s Wheeler Centre, ACMI, the Sydney Opera House, Adelaide Writers Week, the Brisbane Writers Festival, the Ubud Readers and Writers Festival, the Newcastle Writers Festival, the National Young Writers Festival, the Reality Bites Literary Festival, Women of Letters, Cherchez La Femme and the City of Melbourne’s Conversations series. Additionally, she is regularly invited to speak at schools and universities. Clementine has been a guest on ABC’s Q and A, Channel Nine’s Mornings and is a frequent contributor to Network Ten’s The Project.Clementine’s number one mission is to speak openly and honestly about the state of the world as we live in it. She hopes to give other women the language and confidence to articulate their own feelings of frustration and anger.For more from Clementine Ford head to her instagram or find her work on SubstackTo find out more about me and the work I am doing please head to https://www.clairetonti.com or https://www.instagram.com/clairetonti/And if you or someone you know needs support COPE has a brilliant directory where you can find resources in your area.http://www.cope.org.auYou can also contact the show at hello@clairetonti.comEditing: RAW CollingsSocial Media: Maisie JG

TONTS. On The Road.This episode is part of series of episodes that were recorded on the road as part of my tour of the UK and Ireland last year. In this first on the road episode I talk to the incredibly kind Sabrina Kennedy Charge nurse at the Bristol New Horizon Mother and Baby Unit. The unit is the smallest in the UK and is a 4-bed South West regional service providing treatments and interventions to meet the physical and mental health needs of mothers and their infants. Our 24-hour inpatient service supports, assists and supervises each mother to help develop the relationship with their infant.  This episode is so precious to me as Sabrina explains so beautifully what it's really like inside this kind of facility and the nature of the work, caring for mothers at risk who are in deep pain and in need of compassion and support. I felt so privileged after this episode to be able to sing for the women in the unit. Such a beautiful memory. To find out more about me and the work I am doing please head to https://www.clairetonti.com or https://www.instagram.com/clairetonti/And if you or someone you know needs support COPE has a brilliant directory where you can find resources in your area.http://www.cope.org.auYou can also contact the show at hello@clairetonti.comEditing: RAW CollingsSocial Media: Maisie JG

Larissa is a freelance illustrator with many strings to her bow. In 2021 she decided to couple her creative powers with her entrepreneurial mindset and founded the bereavement care charity Possum Portraits. This charity provides bereaved Australian parents with keepsake portrait drawings of babies lost to miscarriage, stillbirth or neonatal death free of charge. You can find more from Larissa at https://www.larissa-reinboth.com and find more about her incredible work with Possum Portraits at https://www.possumportraits.orgAnd from Claire including updates on live events and her music you can head to https://www.clairetonti.comor https://www.instagram.com/clairetonti/You can contact the show at hello@clairetonti.comAnd if you or someone you know needs support for perinatal mental health the following organisations are great resources:https://www.sands.org.auhttps://www.cope.org.auhttps://www.gidgetfoundation.org.auEditing: RAW CollingsSocial Media: Maisie JG

In a very special episode of TONTS. I deep dive into the wonderful world of Bluey podcast with Bluey expert and podcast host Mary Bolling. Mary is a journalist, mum and kids culture enthusiast, and one half of the Gotta Be Done podcast, deep-diving Australian juggernaut Bluey (and parenting, pop culture and everything else!) since 2019. In typical TONTS. and Bluey fashion we talk about the themes in Bluey that so closely match our own experiences. Two mums deep diving into the highs and lows of parenting, grief, loss, miscarriage, the power of story and the vital role of play and silliness. What a joy!You can find more from Mary Bolling on instagram at https://www.instagram.com/marytbolling/ and listen to her podcast Gotta Be Done here https://www.blueypod.comhttps://www.clairetonti.comhttps://www.instagram.com/clairetonti/You can contact the show at hello@clairetonti.comEditing: RAW CollingsSocial Media: Maisie JG

Tess Lehman is a photographer, creative, proudly queer and a mother of 3 living in Newcastle, Australia. Her story is honest and raw and an example of what happens when we have the courage to really live a creative life and find ourselves with vulnerability, humour and joy. In this episode we talk about Tess' coming out story and why it took her to midlife to acknowledge she is queer, what it was like to completely change her life, single parenting, motherhood and identity and also her ADHD diagnosis. We also deep dive into her love of boiler suits. Of which I definitely share. Who doesn't love a onesie with pockets?You can find more from Tess Lehman at https://tessdoes.com/ and on instagram at https://www.instagram.com/tessdoeshttps://www.clairetonti.comhttps://www.instagram.com/clairetonti/You can contact the show at hello@clairetonti.comEditing: RAW CollingsSocial Media: Maisie JG