Join us for the best of this week's Books and Arts.

Master storyteller Armistead Maupin reveals his own story in Logical Family: A Memoir, a new project brings poetry to the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, Jessica Townsend's new fantasy series which inspired a fierce bidding war from publishers and actor Daniel Monks shares what's on his Top Shelf.

British historian Bettany Hughes takes us to the ancient sites of goddess worship to trace the evolution of Venus as a symbol of female power, Leon Trotsky in exile where he struck up an unlikely relationship with artist Frida Khalo and award winning US author Jesmyn Ward's latest novel Sing, Unburied, Sing.

Plus Australian writer Catherine McKinnon shares what's on her Top Shelf and Michael Mackenzie attends the Australian debut of a production titled Séance, fresh from its sell out season at the Edinburgh Arts Festival.

We speak with American literary star Jeffrey Eugenides about his new collection of stories, Fresh Complaint, shine a light on an ugly culture of sexual harassment within the Australian theatre industry, and visit a house on the outskirts of Sydney that was, arguably, central to the development of modernist art in NSW in the 1940s, 50s and 60s.

A special forum about creating a meaningful life in theatre, particularly if you tick female on the census box, recorded at the Billie Brown Studio, Queensland Theatre, in South Brisbane.

Taking you behind the scenes of Australian TV crime series with a panel of insiders. Recorded at the first ever BAD Crime Writers Festival in Sydney.

Join us for the best of this week's Books and Arts.

From the 2017 Ubud Writers and Readers Festival, an extended discussion with one of Colombia's leading novelists, Hector Abad, about his heartbreaking memoir Oblivion.

We catch up with American author Amy Tan to discuss her memoir, Where The Past Begins, which is a glorious maze of letters and journal entries that reflect on her journey as a daughter and writer. Actor and director Lex Marinos considers what he has learnt about the craft after fifty years in the profession, and curator Gareth Colliton puts together an exhibition of artefacts which purports to show that Star Wars has a history dating back 5000 years.

In celebration of its 150 years, we broadcast from the Victorian College of the Arts, Melbourne University, to find out what it's like to go to art school today.