Gutsy Girls: Love, Poetry and Sisterhood

A unique behind-the-scenes story of love, sisterhood and the trail-blazing Australian poet Dorothy Porter

Dorothy Porter was one of Australia’s most charismatic and courageous literary figures. Achieving broader fame through her bestselling queer crime verse novel, The Monkey’s Mask, and its film adaptation, she took poetry and performance to new heights.

Her younger sister, Josie McSkimming, watched Dot become an award-winning poet, but it was a family of complex dynamics. Born to renowned barrister Chester Porter, Dot, Josie and their sister, Mary, grew up in an unpredictable family home on Sydney’s northern beaches. Each forged her own impressive career, but Josie and Dot sought very different escapes from their formidable father. Josie fell into (and out of) evangelical Christianity and psychotherapy while Dot found ‘the Arts’ and sex.

With unprecedented access to Porter’s personal diaries and letters, Gutsy Girls is an intimate story of sisterhood, finding creative power and blazing your own trail.

Format: Paperback
Pages: 288
Imprint: University of Queensland
Publication date: 04/02/2025