Jessica Chapnik Kahn is an Argentinian Australian writer, actor, singer-songwriter and performer. Her creative practice spans literature, music, stage and screen, including acclaimed solo music released under the name Appleonia and performances at major cultural events including TEDxSydney and the Sydney Opera House. She is also known for her deeply personal writing shaped by migration, identity, motherhood and survival, including her experience as a survivor of the Bondi Junction tragedy.
MADRE is an acclaimed poetry collection exploring the emotional, physical and spiritual transformation of motherhood. Written in the intimate moments following the birth of her first child, the book combines lyrical poems with expressive drawings created using her non-dominant hand. Raw, tender and deeply universal, MADRE captures themes of identity, devotion, silence and connection, while reflecting on the inseparable nature of birth, grief, love and renewal.
In 2024, the work found new life when Sydney composer Anna Hirst Friedman transformed selected poems into a powerful vocal composition, expanding the book’s exploration of motherhood into music.