Booksmart

In this episode of Booksmart, Randa Abdel-Fattah sits down with Soaliha for a powerful conversation that spans her brand-new novel Discipline, the controversies rocking Australia’s literary scene, and the realities of racism and resistance today across the country and beyond. 

Together, they unpack Randa’s decision to speak out against the Bendigo Writers Festival - where more than 50 writers and hosts withdrew in solidarity after a restrictive code of conduct was sent just days before the event, that authors said silenced people from speaking out and criticising Israel. Randa and Soaliha also discuss the so-called “March for Australia” rally and what it reveals about race, identity, and public discourse in this country.

At the heart of the conversation is Randa’s new book Discipline. Set in Sydney during May 2021, it follows Ashraf, an academic in freefall, and Hannah, a young journalist grappling with racism in the newsroom and the demands of new motherhood. As Israel’s bombardment of Gaza intensifies during Ramadan, both are forced to reckon with their choices, values, and silences. With its sharp focus on academia and the media, Discipline asks what we’re willing to sacrifice in the pursuit of justice.

Randa is also an ARC Future Fellow at Macquarie University, a lawyer, and the award-winning author of twelve books for children and young adults, translated into more than thirteen languages. Her writing and research centre Islamophobia, race, Palestine, youth identities and activism, and her work has been recognised by awards including the Stella Prize, the NSW and Victorian Premiers’ Literary Awards, and the Prime Minister’s Literary Award.

We hope this Booksmart episode will leave you thinking differently about literature, politics, and the responsibility of those with a platform to speak (and go and grab a copy of the book while you're at it!). 

In this week's episode of Booksmart, Soaliha Iqbal sits down with writer Natalia Figueroa Barroso to talk about her extraordinary debut novel Hailstones Fell without Rain.

Of Uruguayan descent with Charrúa, Yoruba and Iberian origins, Natalia was born on Dharug Ngura and raised between her birthland and her homeland. A member of Sweatshop Literacy Movement (who we are huge fans of too!), her essays, poems and short stories have been widely published across Meanjin, Overland, Red Room Poetry, Griffith Review and more.

Hailstones Fell without Rain is a semi-autobiographical, multi-generational work of fiction that’s pacy, funny, wise and deeply moving. For fans of Elizabeth Acevedo and Angie Cruz, it’s a novel that explores heritage, family, belonging and identity through sharply drawn, unforgettable characters.

Natalia unpacks the intersections of culture, storytelling and self-discovery, and what it means to write a debut that’s both deeply personal and powerfully universal. Now run, don't walk, and grab your copy!

In this week's episode of Booksmart, we’re joined by the wonderful Nicky Gonzalez, the author of one of this year’s most haunting debuts, Mayra - a novel that brims with tension, longing, and the sticky heat of Florida’s swamplands.

Set in the sultry, surreal wilds of the Everglades, Nicky’s novel dives deep into the complicated terrain of female friendship. The novel explores the intoxicating bond between Ingrid and Mayra - two childhood best friends reunited for a mysterious weekend away that quickly turns unsettling. As the lines between past and present blur, and the house itself becomes a character, the story becomes a slow-burning psychological reckoning with desire, identity, and the stories we tell ourselves about the people we once were.

In the chat with Soaliha, Nicky discusses how growing up in Hialeah shaped her literary voice and approach to writing, how she captures the sensual strangeness of the Florida landscape, and why the nostalgia of girlhood can be both beautiful and dangerous.

If you’ve ever been haunted by a friendship that shaped you - or intrigued by the idea of a house that seems to breathe with secrets - you'll get a lot out of this episode.

The Nile brought them life, but the Nile was not their friend.

When a little boy drowns in the treacherous currents of the Nile, the search for his body unearths calamity and disaster, and exposes forgotten secrets buried for generations in a small northern Sudanese village.

Three women try to make their way through a world that wants to keep them back, separated from each other by time but bound together by the same river that weaves its way through their lives, giving little but taking much more.

In this episode of Booksmart, Soaliha Iqbal sits down with leading Sudanese writer, physician, and activist Reem Gaafar to discuss her formidable debut novel, A Mouth Full of Salt.

It's no surprise that this book has hit the bestselling charts. The novel weaves a powerful narrative of grief, migration, memory, and womanhood, exploring the psychological toll of political violence, as well as the unique complexities of returning home.

Reem discusses Sudan’s 2019 revolution, the challenge of translating collective trauma into fiction, and why platforming women’s stories, especially in moments of rupture, is a political act. This intimate conversation moves between literature and lived experience, touching on motherhood, exile, and the radical power of bearing witness - and it couldn't be more timely. 

If you’re drawn to literature that sits at the intersection of resistance and remembrance, this one’s for you.

Not to hype this week's book too much....but Soaliha has confirmed that Candice Chung's new memoir Chinese Parents Don't Say I Love You is one of the best books she has read this year. So, PSA: Go and buy this book, stat. 

Candice is a writer, editor, and a former restaurant reviewer for The Sun-Herald - and is a founding member of Diversity in Food Media Australia, which supports and promotes underrepresented voices in food media. 

Her new memoir - already receiving rave reviews - is a story about saying the unsayable with food. ICYMI: here's an excerpt from Soaliha's review over on Missing Perspectives:

"When her retired Cantonese parents offer to be her new food buddies, she considers what paths lay in front of her: eating together in that familiar though profoundly pregnant silence so many of us children of immigrants know, or forging ahead and addressing what the silence obscures, even denies.

You might have noticed from reading this column that I rarely include memoirs, but I was hooked by Candice Chung’s writing three paragraphs into the first page. Earnest and perceptive, she meditates on topics so many of us know shouldn’t be taboo, and yet we struggle to talk about."

So, what are you waiting for? Listen to this interview with Candice, then go buy the book (and let us know what you think!).

Meet Anne-Marie Te Whiu (Te Rarawa): a poet, editor and cultural producer - who is making BIG waves in the literary world. It was an honour to have her join us on the podcast this week.

ICYMI: Anne-Marie has released Mettle, a remarkable and impressive debut collection of poems that speak to the complexity of family, identity and the proud legacy of Māori language and culture. Her collection of poetry centres on the resilience and fortitude that has rippled through Anne-Marie's family and Māori lineage - despite the challenges and traumas faced in present day, or transmitted generationally.

After reading Anne-Marie's work and listening to her incredible conversation with Soaliha, we are certain that the poet will become a household name - and we cannot wait to hear what she has in store. 

Khadija Gbla is an absolute force to be reckoned with - and we've been closely following her work for a long time.

If she's not on your radar already - Khadija is a leading human rights activist and writer, amongst many other things. She was born in Sierra Leone, spent her youth in Gambia, and, as a teenager, moved to Australia. She is a leading voice and campaigner on Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in Australia. 

In the new anthology Someone Like Me, Khadija reflects on her autism diagnosis, fighting for the rights of her son, and breaking intergenerational trauma. Edited by Clem Bastow and Jo Case, the collection of stories in Someline Like Me features twenty-five Autistic women and gender-diverse writers who share their personal stories and challenge these stereotypes. 

This is a deeply moving conversation and it was an honour to have Khadija join us for this chat with Soaliha. 

It goes without saying that due to misrepresentations of Autism in media and popular culture, many Autistic people miss out on seeing themselves, their unique experiences and their triumphs, platformed or seen. 

In the new anthology Someone Like Me, award-winning author Fiona Wright reflects on her experience of anorexia – with the unique perspective of an autism diagnosis in her mid-thirties, and the knowledge as many as half of all people with anorexia may be autistic.

Edited by Clem Bastow and Jo Case, the collection of stories features twenty-five Autistic women and gender-diverse writers who share their personal stories and challenge these stereotypes. This groundbreaking anthology covers a wide range of topics, from relationships and spontaneous dance parties to the natural world, eating disorders, intense passions, and religion. 

We'll be interviewing another contributor - leading activist Khadija Gbla - so watch this space, and be sure to grab a copy. 

Just a disclaimer - Fiona's story includes discussion of anorexia, so listen with care. 

Acclaimed wildlife scientist Vanessa Pirotta has been mugged by whales, touched by a baby whale and covered in whale snot (just casually - as you do). 

Pirotta’s enthusiasm and deep knowledge of whales shine through in her book Humpback Highway as she explores a variety of timely topics – from why whale snot and poo are important for us and the ocean to the life cycle of whales, the challenges humans present to these marine giants, and new technologies - so we can see where they swim, listen to them talk and even spy on them underwater.

This week at Missing Perspectives, we're keen to platform leading women in STEM - and we couldn't of a better person to interview. This episode was proudly sponsored by NewSouth Books.

Hello, friends - we're back with a really special episode! Soaliha Iqbal got to sit down with Samah Sabawi to discuss Samah's book Cactus Pear For My Beloved. It's a really moving conversation.

Samah shares the story of her parents, and many like them, who were born while their parents were being forced to leave their homelands. Cactus Pear For My Beloved is a narrative memoir of her own family's story from before the Nakba in 1978 until now - and draws on Samah's PhD in post memory within the context of generational trauma and exile.

As you can imagine, this book is more timely than ever - and absolutely a must-read.