Lee Kofman

Author, mentor, writing teacher and speaker

Welcome

This website is all about literature and writing, which really means – about living an ‘examined’ life, to paraphrase Socrates. Here I share information about my books as well as my literary and teaching gigs. More importantly, I share some of my favourite books, writing resources and exercises, and my blog The Writer Laid Bare, named after my most recent book.

On my blog I write about what I have learnt about writing from the books I’ve read, the writers I’ve met and from my ongoing trial-and-error practice. I also blog about all I don’t manage to learn about writing despite my daily efforts. 

The Writer Laid Bare

Part memoir, part writing handbook, The Writer Laid Bare is an essential compendium for every writer – aspiring, emerging or established – wishing to hone their craft and a fascinating guide to the world of literature for the voracious and curious reader. Written by renowned author and writing coach, Lee Kofman, The Writer Laid Bare is an authentic distillation of the challenges and rewards of writing, offering wisdom, inspiration and practical advice through the lens of the author’s own storied writing career.

Released on 30 March 2022, the book is available for pre-order here.

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Ruptured

Jewish Women in Australia Reflect on Life Post-October 7

The world feels ruptured, but sometimes it is through the cracks that the light gets in.

In this powerful collection of essays, thirty-six women, including Ramona Koval, Dani Valent, Kylie Moore-Gilbert, Kerri Sackville, Deborah Conway and Rachelle Unreich, reveal how their lives in Australia were irrevocably changed by the events of October 7. From race-walker Jemima Montag’s account of competing in the Olympics as a Jewish athlete, to actress Dena Amy Kaplan encountering hostility when she speaks against Jew-hatred, and author Elise Esther Hearst’s attempts to find solace in making comedy, Ruptured is both an exploration of the profound rift created in the wake of that devastating day, and an attempt to mend it.

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Imperfect

How Our Bodies Shape the People We Become

In a captivating mix of memoir and cultural critique, Kofman casts a questioning eye on the myths surrounding our conception of physical perfection and what it’s like to live in a body that deviates from the norm.

Illuminating, confronting and deeply personal, Imperfect challenges us all to consider how we exist in the world and how our bodies shape the people we become.

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Split

True Stories of Leaving, Loss and New Beginnings

In this compelling anthology of personal essays, curated by award-winning author Lee Kofman, some of Australia’s most beloved writers reveal, for the first time, powerful, occasionally funny and often heartbreaking stories of significant endings and their aftermath.

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Rebellious Daughters

An anthology of Australian memoir Lee co-edited with Maria Katsonis

Good daughters hold their tongues, obey their elders and let their families determine their destiny. Rebellious Daughters are just the opposite.

In Rebellious Daughters, some of Australia’s most talented female writers share intimate and touching stories of rebellion and independence as they defy the expectations of parents and society to find their place in the world.

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The Dangerous Bride

A Memoir of Love, Gods and Geography

What do you do when your husband claims to be madly in love with you, but doesn’t desire you sexually? When your therapist is more interested in opening an online sex-toy shop with your husband than in saving your marriage? Do you try yet another counsellor, get divorced or settle for a sexless marriage?

Hoping she could do better the second time round, Lee embarked on a personal exploration to find out whether she could save her marriage while being non-monogamous in an ethical way. Set during Lee’s first years in Australia, it is also the story of migration, and an exploration of the eternal conflict between our desire for security, but also for foreign places—in love and elsewhere. The Dangerous Bride tells the story of her quest.

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The Writer at Work

The Writer at Work
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