‘I guess it’s just a matter of it’s pertinent, it’s timely, and it seems to be received well.’ When I ask Krien’s reaction to this, ‘I’m not even on twitter,’ she laughs. I became aware of Night Games after the large online response to it, particularly on twitter where many were touting it as a must read. This resonance has extended to the book itself. I think a lot of women really resonated with that.’ ‘A lot of people really responded to me talking about Duthie as being an athlete,’ says Krien, ‘and her surprise at discovering that she wasn’t an equal to these guys. Night Games was developed from an essay Krien wrote for The Monthly in 2011, focusing on Kimberly Duthie, also known as the ‘St Kilda schoolgirl.’ You just go into that dark place and dig your way out.’ There is no real point in taking a break from it because it kind of consumes me, so no. ‘You just kind of wade into it’, she replies. I really wanted to get beyond stereotypes and understand why these things are happening and the nuances of these encounters.’Įxploration of these themes has lead to a book that is frequently uncomfortable, and I wondered if Krien needed breaks from the material in developing the work. The cycle surrounding these events, she says, ‘seems to be a big news splash, moral outrage, and then amnesia kicks in until it happens again. There is a sense of urgency and currency to the text, only highlighted by Milne’s arrest, and Krien says she’s ‘surprised it hadn’t been written.’ Sitting in on the trial of a minor league footballer accused of rape, Krien goes on to explore the power dynamics that exist in the AFL and how these interact with women: from reporters and board members, and, in particular, through victims of sexual assault. Krien has become this go-to person because of her second book, Night Games: Sex, Power and Sport, published in May. ‘It’s how the news works but I always find it a bit scary, because obviously I’ve got a lot to say about it but you just become this sound-bite person.’
‘You suddenly become the go-to person for these things,’ she says, apologising for our delayed discussion. St Kilda footballer Stephen Milne has been arrested and charged with four counts of rape from 2004, after the original investigation was found to be insufficient. The afternoon I have scheduled to interview writer Anna Krien has suddenly turned into a busy one for her.
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