Justine Sless

Justine was born in Sunderland and lived there till she was 19, she now lives in Melbourne Australia.

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Justine began her working life at 15 in Chalkie’s fruit shop in Grangetown. When she emigrated to Australia she worked for ten years as a chef. Sless went on to work in community engagement and social impact, creating opportunities to for local communities to connect through markets, volunteer, employment, education programs and arts festivals.

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 In 2007 Sless started doing stand-up comedy and has gone on to perform many solo shows in Australia, UK and Europe. Sless teaches comedy in schools, workplaces and libraries and is also a comedy mentor and creative writing tutor.

Sless is the Australian producer of Funny Women and the Australian Ambassador for CRAIC Comedy on Prescription.

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Justine has been a writer for a long time, starting off with penning some awful poems as a teenager. She went on to write seriously in 2016 and in 2025 it became clear that she had lived with dyslexia her whole life, making sense of so much failure and shame associated with writing. Sless can tell a great story but can’t edit it to save her life! Much to Justine’s astonishment she gained a masters by research in creative writing.

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The seed for writing Before I Sing You This Song was ten years ago when she watched the documentary the Little Waster about Sunderland comedian Bobby Thompson.  This solidified her belief, that you can take the girl out of Sunderland but you can’t take Sunderland out of the girl. Before I Sing You This Song is the story of Elsie Bishop who wants stand-up comedy in the era of Bobby Thompson.

After many submissions and rejections advising Justine that the novel is just ‘too Northern,’ Sless is beyond delighted to come back to Sunderland to launch Before I Sing You This Song with the support and guidance of Crear Publishing.

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Justine is also author of Mistress of Mirth’s COMEDY Tour, Measured Silk and Other Stories and a recipe book she created with her daughter called Fress with Sless. 

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Also by Justine Sless
Mistress of Mirth’s COMEDY Tour

Measured Silk and Other Stories

Fress with Sless

 

 

Praise for Before I Sing You This Song

 

As the son of Bobby Thompson the Little Waster, I was fortunate enough to get the chance to read the book prior to its release. Previous publications were done in the interests of chasing profits, this book however has been compiled out of interest in the subject. That I am just a daft Geordie I found it a most engaging read. Justine has captured the moment and is quite clearly a gifted author.

Keith Thompson

Justine’s work explores social class, gender and northern identity in the 1970s, in her portrayal of one woman’s determination to forge a path for herself. In a time of increasing polarisation, it is more necessary than ever to hear the stories of places like Sunderland.

Jessica Andrews Author Saltwater & Milk Teeth

 

Before I Sing You This Song is a gorgeously funny novel that doesn't shy away from the difficult truths of life. Elsie is a sparkling heroine whose wit and humour pulls us deep into the vibrant heart of working-class Northern life. You'll laugh, you'll cry, but you'll never regret a second that you spend reading this delightful book.

Jen Bowden host of Northern Voices Podcast

 

 

"Before I Sing You This Song" is a masterpiece that transports readers to the stage of Northern England in 1978, where Melbourne author Justine Sless introduces Elsie Bishop, a renegade determined to claim her place at the mic. The novel expertly navigates two compelling landscapes, delving into the realities of a misogynistic comedy scene while immersing readers into the complexities of working-class life in Sunderland. However, it transcends mere sociological exploration, offering a testament to authenticity. Elsie draws strength from her community, her tribe, but ultimately, from herself. This poignant tale resonates with themes of laughter, love, and the courage to rise above narrow ideas. Don't miss this beautiful book.

Dr Rachel Matthews, author of ‘Never Look Desperate’, Transit Lounge.

 

Praise for Measured Silk & Other Stories

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A writer with a natural instinct for character, Sless writes about women in a way that matters. 
Sharp, social, astute, her stories pull the rug out from under housewives to air lives swept away. 
Ordinary details shine, the domestic sparkles with wit, this is a writer who understands that behind every joke is a sad story told with a grin. 
I found myself going back to read sentences again, struck by the pace, the description of the everyday so luminous, unapologetic and joyous it feels like salvation. 
Angela Readman (Author Don’t Try This at Home, winner Costa Short Story Award)
 

Sless writes with a beguiling blend of intimacy and darkness in this absorbing collection of stories about relationships, loneliness and escape.
Alison Moore (author The Lighthouse, Man Booker Shortlist)

 

Lyrical and spare, Sless's prose etches an emotional heft so deep that it almost feels like a sleight of hand. Infused with the inescapable weight of loneliness, these subtly interconnected stories reveal the momentary solace found in small rituals and everyday kindnesses.
Their soft tracings have left indelible marks on my heart.
Melissa Manning Author Smokehouse (2022 Victorian Premier's Literary Award for Fiction)

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Justine is a stand-up comedian, so I wasn't sure what to expect, something light, something that might even make me laugh out loud. I got something entirely different.
The stories in Measured, Silk are about women, not extraordinary women - though what are women's lives, if not extraordinary - they are women you meet at school pick up, pass in the supermarket, your neighbours. You.
They are stories of loneliness and isolation, of women struggling to be what society expects and gendered roles demand, without seeing or acknowledging the burden of that expectation. Without extending a helping hand. They are stories about class.
I was knocked sideways. Justine's writing is beautiful, deceptively light and economic, the stories compact, the connections between them poignant and powerful.
And given Justine's comedy chops, there is humour too, the domestic demands and minutiae of women's lives writ large.

Trish Bolton Author

 

A collection of quiet, understated stories that hit you in the heart and gut.

 Certain images will stay in my mind: -the old woman with her Hills Hoist waving at the train and a young woman, lonely as hell, waving back. The old guy eating his packet of biscuits followed by a bottle of pink milk in the shopping mall, in memory of his little brother. Oh so heart wrenching. 

I also really liked the way some of the characters crossed into different stories, there were links, but the other characters couldn't see those links only the reader. 

Ruth Cherrington author Not Just Beer and Bingo

 

Praise for Mistress of Mirth’s COMEDY Tour

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Wittily playful with form and presenting an intelligent and perceptive argument about the problems women have faced in entering the sphere of stand-up comedy. A smart piece of work. Quite an achievement. A very impressive piece of writing, offering both imaginatively packaged analysis and a collection of playful, engaging and coherently themed short stories - Sless is to be congratulated on her work.

Dr Oliver Double, University of Kent

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Rich Funny Fascinating

Arts Hub

Akin to Genius

Angela Savage CEO Public Libraries Victoria

 

Do yourself a favour and get a ticket for Sless's Comedy Tour. Then strap yourself in and prepare for a wild ride through the world of women's stand up - from Bakhtin to Bergson via Freud and the Droll Dolls. Prepare to laugh, to cry, to be moved and to be outraged. Above all, let's count our lucky stars Sless has persevered in her quest to be a comedian and has gifted us this important book. May we all be inspired to create mirthful mutinies.
A./Prof. Kerry Mullan Chair Australasian Humour Studies Network

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