Hello! My name is Eliz and I am from Melbourne Australia, also known as the cultural capital of the country. Growing up I spent my days daydreaming and creating characters that led me to my love of storytelling. As well as exploring different parts of Australia due to numerous road trips my family would take my sister and I on that fed my hungry curiosity.
Besides thinking about the world you can also find me playing my guitar, listening to music or reading tarot cards for family and friends. My aunty taught me the trade three years ago and now everywhere I go I have a deck in my back pocket.
In 2018 I graduated from a Bachelor of Arts in Professional and Creative Writing at Deakin University and have now started the Masters of Arts in Writing and Literature, with a focus on young adult and children’s literature. My dream is to write fantasy/fiction stories that also shed a light on social issues such as gender equality and toxic masculinity. Advocating for causes is a passion of mine and I hope to set an example of new protagonists that inspire the next generation. Eventually I want work as a lecturer at a university as some of my biggest inspirations were my teachers. Traveling the world, helping others while sharing and challenging ideas is how I want to spend my days.
One of my favourite places to visit in Melbourne is ACMI (Australian Centre for the Moving Image). It is an extraordinary museum for experiencing exhibition’s and art house films from well known directors to university students. My favourite was seeing the Alice in Wonderland exhibition, celebrating the historical growth of Lewis Carroll’s young female explorer. Not only did it highlight her importance as a figure in literature but in culture that is still relevant today. Women today are showing even more solidarity while standing up and fighting for gender equality. Alice reminds us of being a strong female lead, questioning everything around you, realising your own agency and continuing to pave a new way for generations of girlhood to come!
-Eliz Bilal
Junior Girl
Girl Museum Inc.