Danielle Wood

Housewife Superstar

The Very Best of Marjorie Bligh

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Housewife Superstar is the life story of eccentric Tasmanian domestic goddess, Marjorie Bligh. Marjorie, who died in 2013 at the age of 96, was the author of a library of advice books covering topics including food, household management, health and beauty, poetry, gardening and recycling. Marjorie was the go-to-girl for all manner of problem-solving, knowing what to do when a goldfish has constipation (feed it Epsom salts), and what to do when you run out of rouge (cut a beetroot in half and slap it on your cheeks). Housewife Superstar is an illuminating look at a true Australian treasure.

Reviews for Housewife Superstar

“Simultaneously traditional and off-beat, this eccentric little biography suits its subject.”

– The Weekend Australian

“It would have been easy to send up [Marjorie’s] unwitting kitsch. Indeed, Housewife Superstar was partly inspired by rumours that Bligh was the inspiration for Dame Edna. But Wood does much better than that. The Edna connection proves to be a mere after-dinner mint to the hearty casserole of Bligh’s experiences, which her biographer uses to illuminate the status of women and ‘women’s work’ in Australia, as well as the relationship between domestic and public life.”

– The Age

Mothers Grimm

Sly, cheeky and blackly comic, this quartet of long stories takes the threads of old stories and weaves them into something entirely new. A catalogue of heartache, heartbreak, desire, love and death, it brings the mothers of ‘Rapunzel’, ‘Hansel and Gretel’, ‘Briar Rose’ and ‘The Goose Girl’ into the here and now. Happy endings not guaranteed.

Rosie Little’s Cautionary Tales for Girls

Not for good girls, this collection of contemporary fairy tales advises young adventurers on the dangers one might encounter when steeping off the trodden path to grandmother’s house. A contemporary Little Red, Rosie Little shares with you her piquant stories of dating and mating, desire and destiny. A Sydney Morning Herald Best Young Novelist of the Year pick for 2007.

The Alphabet of Light and Dark

A love letter to the island of Lutruwita/Tasmania, The Alphabet of Light and Dark is an exploration of the complexities of past and place, dispossession and belonging. Melding family and colonial history, and composed in evocative and lyrical prose, it won the Australian/Vogel’s Literary Award in 2002.

Island Story

Tasmania in Object and Text

This compendium pairs diverse and fascinating objects from the collection of the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery with fine writing from Tasmania’s rich literary scene. The ‘inspired juxtaposition’ of object and text guides the reader/viewer on an unexpected tour of the nature, culture, art and history of the island state.

Deep South

Stories from Tasmania

Spanning two centuries of writing, this collection brings together the finest stories about Tasmania. Twenty-four diverse and fascinating short works showcase the island’s colonial past, its darkness and humour, and the unique beauty and savagery of its landscape.

Danielle lives and works on Mumirimina, Muwinina and Melukerdee country. She acknowledges with deep respect the Palawa people who are the traditional owners of Lutruwita/Tasmania.

© 2026 Danielle Wood

Website by Lightsmith Media

Photography by Karen Brown