Meet: Creators of Tender season two
Tender is an audio series that follows one woman’s story as she slowly--but surely--gets to know herself again. Chronicling the life of domestic violence awareness advocate, mother and victim-survivor Roia Atmar, Tender season two invites listeners into the inner-workings of Roia’s after: from a solitary hospital bed, to the haunting stare of a room full of police recruits, to crowded Perth pubs, Tender captures the complex intricacies of what it means to live with abuse.
In this six-part series, you’ll meet activists with lived experiences of domestic abuse, racial and religious discrimination and--most importantly--Roia Atmar. Being a survivor of domestic violence is a convoluted and extensive reality. Tender makes known the negligible and often misunderstood dimensions of surviving interpersonal abuse, the aspects often forgotten in the healing process.
Meet the production team behind Tender season two.
Madison Griffiths is a writer, producer and visual artist. Their work has been widely published across The Guardian, Meanjin, SBS, and more. In 2019, Madison created the first season of Tender which followed her own story after she left an abuse relationship.
“The second season of Tender tells a twenty-year long journey: a comprehensive deep-dive into how one woman survived, and continues to survive, post terror. It was nothing short of a privilege being able to play a part in telling a story as momentous as this, knowing that - despite it all - what lives at the core of season two is hopefulness, resilience and strength.” - Madison Griffiths, co-producer
Beth Atkinson-Quinton is a broadcaster, audio producer and artist. Their work has been published by ABC Radio National, The Guardian, Schwartz Media and more. Recently, she has produced podcasts Better Off Dead (The Wheeler Centre) and A Fluorescent Feeling (Broadwave).
“My experience as a victim-survivor has shaped me in ways I'm still grappling with a decade later. Centring this lived knowledge of what it means to survive these private horrors in the core production team was crucial for what we wanted to create. This made for slow work that necessarily needed to prioritise collective care and patience. We hope this season will be a balm for anyone wading through their after.” - Beth Atkinson-Quinton, co-producer
Roia Atmar is a mother, activist and survivor.
“I can not help but to feel extremely proud to be a part of this amazing project with even more amazing people. It is an absolute privilege being able to not just say but show that victims will not always stay victims if they are supported and given the right tools to pave their way out of the most horrifying experience of their life and into their happily ever after.”
Shakira Hussein is a writer and researcher based at the University of Melbourne and the author of From Victims to Suspects: Muslim women since 9/11
"This story is powerfully told and framed within a wider narrative about violence against women and those who combat it across all sectors of society. The podcast’s focus on ‘what happens after’ is very important. Stories about family and domestic violence too often conclude at the moment when the woman leaves the relationship and/or the abuser is convicted (in the minority of cases where this occurs). It’s important both for women to know that ‘after’ is achievable and for society more broadly to know that ‘after’ brings its own challenges and that long-term support needs to be available and properly funded." - Shakira Hussein, sensitivity editor
Jon Tjhia is a radio maker, musician, artist and writer who lives and works in Naarm on unceded Wurundjeri country. His essays and stories have most recently been published by Institute of Modern Art, Going Down Swinging, LIMINAL and Avantwhatever. His radio and sound works have surfaced at Manchester Literature Festival, the Barbican, City Gallery Wellington, Sydney Opera House and Arts Centre Melbourne, and on podcasts including Short Cuts, Constellations and The Truth. He’s the co-founder of the Australian Audio Guide and Paper Radio, a producer of The Messenger and a member of the Manus Recording Project Collective.
“I’m humbled to be involved in bringing Tender to listeners. My hope is that it can help domestic abuse survivors feel their experiences are recognised and validated by other survivors and society at large, and that it can offer listeners a deepening understanding of trauma’s fundamentally destabilising effects. Most of all, I hope it demonstrates that healing is possible, on personal and social levels, through care, material support, persistence and trust.” - Jon Tjhia, sound designer and engineer
Danae Gibson is a broadcaster, trainer and producer with RTRFM in Perth. Danae has worked with SYN Media, JOY Radio and more.
“It has been a pleasure and a privilege to work with the team on season two of Tender. I feel so fortunate to have played a small part in this important project with remarkable women sharing their stories of survival and strength.” - Danae Gibson, assistant producer