You haven't truly travelled on Sydney's public transport until you've innocently rested your hand on a railing only to find it enmeshed in a wad of old chewing gum. To make up for all those times, you can soon happen upon something a lot more pleasant on your morning commute.
This week, some of Australia's best and brightest writers who identify as female are hiding their books across buses, trains, light rails and ferries in honour of International Women's Day, which is coming up on Sunday, March 8. International Women's Day aims to celebrate women in all their multi-faceted glory and challenges society to continue the fight for gender equality. Literary ninja collective Books on the Rail have teamed up with authors like Maxine Beneba Clarke, Clare Bowditch, Dr Anita Heiss, Jamila Rizvi, Carly Findlay, Kitty Flanagan, Gabbie Stroud and Holly Wainwright in their book-democratising mission to share stories across the city via public transport networks. The concept is simple: pick up your free read, take it away to enjoy, then once you're finished, release it back into the wild on your next public transport trip.
Keep your eyes peeled when you're on PT this week and you might snag a beauty. Travelling interstate? The feminist freebies are also being shared across Melbourne and Brisbane too.