New essay in Griffith Review

My essay, Know Thyself, which was a winner of the 2024 Griffith Review Emerging Voices Competition, is published and available now. 

Know Thyself is a meditation on confronting genetic fate through science and mythology, with particular reference to the oracle at Delphi (the Pythia). It took many years of thinking, writing, rewriting and reluctance to press send before it won the competition and was published. If there are people in your life on similar journeys, I hope that you can share the essay with them.

Know thyself

Having tested positive for the BRCA1 gene, which means she has a high likelihood of developing breast and/or ovarian cancer, Emily Tsokos Purtill opts for surgical intervention – but will this enough to evade the fates?

Griffith Review

This is my third piece in Griffith Review, the others being:

Essay - Farewell to a Trusted Companion in Griffith Review 84: Attachment Styles

Reluctant farewell to a trusted companion – Emily Tsokos Purtill

Living in New York, Emily Tsokos Purtill bought a double stroller for her two children. It became a ticket to friendship, a social life and a way of negotiating the city – until, back in Australia, it came time to give it away

Griffith Review

Fiction - Lunch at The Dream House in Griffith Review 78: A Matter of Taste

Lunch at the dream house – Emily Tsokos Purtill

Dinner with friends reveals a crack in the surface of things, in this pitch-perfect short story from Emily Tsokos Purtill

Griffith Review

It’s always such a pleasure working with editors Carody Culver and John Tague. Thank you to the Copyright Agency and Griffith Review for the award. I look forward to collaborating again in the future.

May 2025