7am

From afar, Alice Springs/Mparntwe is a whirlpool of myth and truth. It’s a town with competing interests and few solutions, marked by chaos and decades of government overreach. 

Today, Yorta Yorta man and host of 7am Daniel James traces the origins of the so-called crime crisis in Alice Springs and reflects on all the interventions, big and small, that have led to this point. 

Please enjoy “Children of the Intervention” by Daniel James, a companion piece to 7am’s three-part podcast series This is Alice Springs. 

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Guest: Yorta Yorta man, award winning writer and broadcast, host of 7am Daniel James

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Tucked away in a Sydney suburb is one of Australia’s largest landfill sites. Here lies a stark reminder of the millions of tonnes of waste that form the collateral of our modern lives. 

Author and critic James Bradley visited the landfill to reflect on our relationship with private consumption and investigate why there is so little accountability for the damage caused by our waste. 

Please enjoy “The Tipping Point”, read by James Bradley and first published in the September edition of The Monthly.

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Guest: Author and critic James Bradley

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Indonesia’s recently sworn in President Prabowo Subianto is many things. To millions of young Indonesians, he is a daggy dancer on TikTok. But to a cohort of voters with longer memories, he is a veteran of a brutal and oppressive military force.

Today, principal fellow of the Indo-Pacific Research Centre at Murdoch University Jacqui Baker charts Prabowo Subianto’s extraordinary climb to the presidency and what it means for Indonesia’s fragile democracy. 

Please enjoy “Forcing History”, read by Jacqui Baker and first published in the Australian Foreign Affairs October issue.

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Guest: Principal fellow of the Indo-Pacific Research Centre at Murdoch University Jacqui Baker

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This year, Andrea Robin Skinner, the daughter of the late Nobel Prize-winning Canadian author Alice Munro, revealed something about her mother that had stayed hidden throughout Munro’s entire life. When Skinner was nine years old, Munro’s husband – who was also Andrea's stepfather – had assaulted her. 

Today, art critic and author Sebastian Smee reads his piece on the author Alice Munro. It’s an insightful and sharp piece of writing by one of the best observers of the art and literary worlds. 

Please enjoy ‘Into the Dark: The Legacy of Alice Munro”, read by Sebastian Smee, first published in The Monthly’s November edition.

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Guest: Art critic and author Sebastian Smee

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Peter Dutton’s first major promise when he became opposition leader was to build nuclear power plants. It was a curious idea with no cost attached, and polling suggested it had little community support.

Today, journalist Marian Wilkinson joins with her investigation into the conservative charity group figures driving the opposition leader’s pivot to nuclear energy.  

Marian’s sharp reporting on the nuclear lobby only becomes more relevant with each day we inch closer to the next federal election. 

Please enjoy “Dutton’s nuclear power plants”, read by Marian Wilkinson and first published in The Monthly earlier this year. 

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Guest: Investigative reporter Marian Wilkinson

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Elif Shafak is an award-winning British Turkish novelist whose work has been translated into fifty-five languages. In this episode, from Schwartz Media’s podcast Read This, Michael chats with Elif about her latest novel, There are Rivers in the Sky, which follows a single drop of water across millennia.

Reading list:

The Bastard of Istanbul, Elif Shafak, 2006

The Forty Rules of Love, Elif Shafak, 2009

Honour, Elif Shafak, 2011

10 Minutes 38 Seconds In this Strange World, Elif Shafak, 2019

The Island of Missing Trees, Elif Shafak, 2021

There are Rivers in the Sky, Elif Shafak, 2024

You can find these books and all the others we mentioned at your favourite independent book store. 

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Guest: Elif Shafak

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Winner of both the Miles Franklin Award and the Stella Prize, author Evie Wyld writes dark and often trauma-informed books, but she also has a remarkable capacity to capture the tenderness of memory. In this episode, from Schwartz Media’s podcast Read This, Michael is joined by Evie for a conversation about her latest book The Echoes, which explores how we tell stories around and into the absences that define us.

Reading list:

After the Fire, A Still Small Voice, Evie Wyld, 2009

All The Birds, Singing, Evie Wyld, 2013

The Bass Rock, Evie Wyld, 2020

The Echoes, Evie Wyld, 2024

You can find these books and all the others we mentioned at your favourite independent book store. 

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Guest: Evie Wyld

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Writer Leslie Jamison is celebrated for her ability to link the personal to the cultural to the critical in ways that resonate and move and connect with readers. In this episode, from Schwartz Media’s podcast Read This, Michael sits down with Leslie to discuss her latest book, Splinters: Another Kind of Love Story, a memoir about rebuilding a life after the end of a marriage

Reading list:

The Gin Closet, Leslie Jamison, 2010

The Empathy Exams, Leslie Jamison, 2014

The Recovering, Leslie Jamison, 2018

Splinters: Another Kind of Love Story, Leslie Jamison, 2024

You can find these books and all the others we mentioned at your favourite independent book store. 

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Guest: Leslie Jamison

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Rumaan Alam is a best-selling author who made a splash in 2020 with his critically acclaimed novel Leave the World Behind. In this episode, from Schwartz Media’s podcast Read This, Rumaan joins Michael for a conversation about his latest novel, Entitlement, and they discuss class, desire, and the influence of Sylvia Plath.

Reading list:

Rich and Pretty, Rumaan Alam, 2016 

That Kind of Mother, Rumaan Alam, 2018

Leave the World Behind, Rumaan Alam, 2020

Entitlement, Rumaan Alam, 2024

You can find these books and all the others we mentioned at your favourite independent book store. 

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Guest: Rumaan Alam

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Musician and writer Nardi Simpson is a Yuwaalaraay woman from freshwater country in north-west New South Wales. Her debut novel was 2020’s critically acclaimed and multi-award-winning Song of the Crocodile. In this episode, from Schwartz Media’s podcast Read This, Michael sits down with Nardi for a wide ranging conversation about her new book, The Belburd.

Reading list:

Song of the Crocodile, Nardi Simpson, 2024

The Belburd, Nardi Simpson, 2024

You can find these books and all the others we mentioned at your favourite independent book store. 

Socials: Stay in touch with Read This on Instagram and Twitter

Guest: Nardi Simpson

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