Coffee Pod|cast

Do organised crime syndicates serve decent carrot cake at their planning meetings? Ali and Emma discuss Jon Steiner's satirical 'Morning Meeting' performed by Ella Watson-Russell. Includes a great creative writing exercise to try. Let us know what you think of this episode on the Coffee Pod|cast Facebook page.

'Morning Meeting' is published in Jon Steiner's debut collection, The Last Wilkie's and other stories. Watch the book trailer here.

About the author

A native of Washington, D.C., Jon Steiner moved to Australia in 2000. He studied writing at the University of Technology, Sydney.  His work has been published in the 2007 and 2008 UTS Writers’ Anthologies and Spineless Wonders’ Escape anthology (2011). Two of his short stories, 'Gecko' and 'Robber' have been made into short films. Read more about this here. You can read an interview with Jon here. And you can watch a video interview with Jon, his editor Josh Mei-Ling Dubrau with host Emma Rose Smith, here.

About the actor

EllaWatson-Russell has worked across Australia and internationally as an actor, theatre maker, producer and drama tutor. Her acting credits include work for Kings Cross Theatre, Queensland Theatre Company, Teatre Satu, Browns Mart, Darwin Theatre Company and La Mama. Ella presents Little Fiction On Air on 2RPH

Credits

Presenters: Ali Morris and Emma Walsh

Producer: Bronwyn Mehan

Theme music: James Seymour

Coffee Pod|cast has been produced with the support of the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body and we wish to also acknowledge the support of Little Fictions by the Copyright Agency’s Cultural Fund and the City of Sydney Matching Grants program.

The story of the opera singer who developed a hearing impairment. In this episode, Ali and Emma discuss Anna Spargo-Ryan's moving piece, 'Menieres' narrated by Anni Finsterer. Got a story to share about hearing damage? Join the discussion on the Coffee Pod|cast Facebook page.

'Menieres' is published in Shuffle an anthology of microlit edited by Cassandra Atherton.

About the Author

ANNA SPARGO-RYAN is the Melbourne-based author of The Gulf and The Paper House, and winner of the 2016 Horne Prize. Her work has appeared in The Big Issue, Island, Kill Your Darlings, Meanjin, Good Weekend, the Guardian, and many other places. She is a PhD candidate in Creative Writing at Deakin University.

About the Actor

Anni is an actor, writer and director in theatre, film and television. Anni was awarded an AFI Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Television Drama for her performance in 3 Acts of Murder. Her feature film credits include The True Story of the Kelly Gang and Sweet Country. She has appeared in the TV shows Wentworth, Rake, Glitch, Underbelly Badness, City Homicide, All Saints and Love My Way. Her theatre credits include The Readers for Belvoir, In Real Life for Darlinghurst Theatre, Parramatta Girls for Parramatta Riverside, Poor Superman, The Threepenny Opera, Antony & Cleopatra, The Loaded Ute and The Women of Troy for the Sydney Theatre Company.

Credits

Presenters: Ali Morris and Emma Walsh

Producer: Bronwyn Mehan

Theme music: James Seymour

Production Assistant: Hannah Oakshott

Coffee Pod|cast has been produced with the support of the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body and we wish to also acknowledge the support of Little Fictions by the Copyright Agency’s Cultural Fund and the City of Sydney Matching Grants program.

How the seemingly insignificant landmarks can spark powerful memories. In this episode, our caffeine-feulled literary podsters discuss Jill Jones' microlit, 'All That Shudder' narrated by Anni Finsterer. Is the dawn non-binary? Join the discussion on the Coffee Pod|cast Facebook page.

'All That Shudder' by Jill Jones is published by Spineless Wonders in the microlit anthology, Shuffle edited by Cassandra Atherton.

About the Author

JILL JONES has published eleven books of poetry, and a number of chapbooks. Recent books include Viva the Real (UQP), Brink (Five Islands) and The Beautiful Anxiety (Puncher & Wattmann), which won the 2015 Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for Poetry. She is co-publisher, with Alison Flett, of Little Windows Press.

About the Actor

Anni is an actor, writer and director in theatre, film and television. Anni was awarded an AFI Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Television Drama for her performance in 3 Acts of Murder. Her feature film credits include The True Story of the Kelly Gang and Sweet Country. She has appeared in the TV shows Wentworth, Rake, Glitch, Underbelly Badness, City Homicide, All Saints and Love My Way. Her theatre credits include The Readers for Belvoir, In Real Life for Darlinghurst Theatre, Parramatta Girls for Parramatta Riverside, Poor Superman, The Threepenny Opera, Antony & Cleopatra, The Loaded Ute and The Women of Troy for the Sydney Theatre Company.

Credits

Presenters: Ali Morris and Emma Walsh

Producer: Bronwyn Mehan

Theme music: James Seymour

Production Assistant: Hannah Oakshott

Coffee Pod|cast has been produced with the support of the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body and we wish to also acknowledge the support of Little Fictions by the Copyright Agency’s Cultural Fund and the City of Sydney Matching Grants program.

In this episode, Ali and Emma discuss Deborah Van Heerkeren's 'Time of Death' narrated by Eleni Schumacher. Join the discussion about this poignant microfiction on the Coffee Pod|cast Facebook page.

'Time Of Death' is published in the Time anthology edited by Cassandra Atherton.

About the Author

Deborah Van Heekeren was born in Sydney and moved to Maitland from the Central Coast in 2013. Recently retired from her academic career in anthropology, she is concentrating on her creative art practice.

About the Actor

Eleni Schumacher trained at Atlantic Acting School (NYC), has appeared on Foxtel's A Place to Call Home and is due to appear in Black B*tch (ABC), as well as a schools tour for Echelon Productions in 2019. Eleni recently completed a tour across Australia, NZ and Hong Kong with Poetry In Action.

Credits

Presenters: Ali Morris and Emma Walsh

Producer: Bronwyn Mehan

Theme music: James Seymour

Production Assistant: Hannah Oakshott

Coffee Pod|cast has been produced with the support of the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body and we wish to also acknowledge the support of Little Fictions by the Copyright Agency’s Cultural Fund and the City of Sydney Matching Grants program.

There's more on the blink than a car engine beneath the scorching outback Australian sun in Susan McCreery's 'Breakdown'. Ali and Emma share a coffee break while listening to actor Mark Dessiax reading 'Breakdown' and follow up with a wide-ranging discussion which looks at the many layers of this short short fiction. Join the conversation on the Coffee Pod|cast Facebook page, here.

'Breakdown' is published in Susan McCreery's collection Loopholes by Spineless Wonders.

About the Author

SUSAN MCCREERY is a writer from Thirroul, NSW. Her microfiction has been published by Spineless Wonders (Writing To The Edge, Flashing The Square, Out of Place), as well as by Seizure and Cuttlefish.  In 2014 she was awarded a Varuna fellowship and an Australia Society of Authors mentorship for her short story collection. She has worked as professional proofreader for the past eighteen years, and when not at her desk she can be found swimming long distances in the ocean.

About the Actor

MARK DESSAIX is the recipient of an ongoing scholarship to the Stella Adler Academy of Acting in Los Angeles. He  is currently living in New York where he continues to study acting for stage and film.

Credits

Presenters: Ali Morris and Emma Walsh

Producer: Bronwyn Mehan

Theme music: James Seymour

Production Assistant: Hannah Oakshott

Coffee Pod|cast has been produced with the support of the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body and we wish to also acknowledge the support of Little Fictions by the Copyright Agency’s Cultural Fund and the City of Sydney Matching Grants program.

Ever found yourself dregging on a bus on the way to work, fantasising about fries and pondering the metaphysics of seat allocation? Is there a word for mirroring manspreading behaviour? Is dregging even a thing? Find out the answers to these and other off-beat questions mulled over by Ali and Emma as they listen to Harriet McInerney's 'Average Morning' read by Joel Horwood.

'Average Morning' was first performed at 'Humans of Parramatta Road', Little Fictions, Knox Street Bar, Chippendale.

About the Author

Harriet McInerney is a Sydney-based writer. She is the author of the chapbook Houseplant (SOd), and recently completed a residency in text-based practice at Arteles Creative Centre (Finland). Her microlit, 'The City Was Growing Inside Her' is published in Landmarks (Spineless Wonders, 2017).She is commissioning editor and publicist at New South Books.

About the Actor

Joel Horwood is an actor, known for Secret City (2016), The Greenhouse and Infidels (2017). Joel is a graduate of the acting course at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts. While still training, Joel was cast as soldier Len Barwick in the Logie nominated ABC docudrama, The War That Changed Us (dir. James Bogle). He performed the lead role of Ort Flack in the stage adaptation of Tim Winton’s novel, That Eye, The Sky.

Credits

Presenters: Ali Morris and Emma Walsh

Producer: Bronwyn Mehan

Theme music: James Seymour

Production Assistant: Hannah Oakshott

Coffee Pod|cast has been produced with the support of the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body and we wish to also acknowledge the support of Little Fictions by the Copyright Agency’s Cultural Fund and the City of Sydney Matching Grants program.

Finding the sublime in the suburbs, this performance piece from Papua New Guinean-Australian writer, Alana Hicks has our two hosts in awe. Ali and Emma chat about the pastiche of images Hicks writes about in 'Movements' and they wonder whether you think it ends on a pessimistic note or not. Join the discussion on the Coffee Pod|cast Facebook page.

'Movements' by Alana Hicks is published in Flashing The Square

About the author

Alana Hicks is a Papua New Guinean-Australian director and writer, who has worked on a range of projects from short films and documentaries to web sketch comedy and theatre. She spearheaded The Kvetch Set Sketch Collective’s three seasons, plus directed a number of live Kvetch Set productions. Alana completed a Graduate Certificate in Screenwriting from AFTRS and recently received the Writing NSW Early Career Writers Grant. Alana has been a collaborator with performance collectives Outspoken, Word Travels, and Token Word and participated as a slam poet and playwright at the Sydney Festival, National Young Writers Festival, National Playwriting Conference and Sydney Writers Festival. Alana works in the charity sector, making digital content for a not-for-profit refugee and migrant organisation.

You can read an interview with Alana Hicks here.

Credits

Presenters: Ali Morris and Emma Walsh

Producer: Bronwyn Mehan

Theme music: James Seymour

Production Assistant: Hannah Oakshott

Coffee Pod|cast has been produced with the support of the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body and we wish to also acknowledge the support of Little Fictions by the Copyright Agency’s Cultural Fund and the City of Sydney Matching Grants program.

She frets about droughts and flooding rains, about pressure system's and cold fronts - it's in her genes, it seems. Take a listen to Mark Smith's 'The Meteorologist's Daughter' and find out what our podcast hosts, Ali and Emma have to say about this emotionally-charged piece of microlit.

'The Meteorologist's Daughter' is published in the microlit anthology, Flashing The Square.

About The Author

Mark Smith lives on Victoria’s Surf Coast, where he writes novels and short stories, and runs outdoor-education programs for young adults. His second novel, Wilder Country, won the 2018 Indie Book Award for Young Adults. You can read an interview with Mark about writing microlit, here.

Credits

Presenters: Ali Morris and Emma Walsh

Producer: Bronwyn Mehan

Theme music: James Seymour

Production Assistant: Hannah Oakshott

Coffee Pod|cast has been produced with the support of the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body and we wish to also acknowledge the support of Little Fictions by the Copyright Agency’s Cultural Fund and the City of Sydney Matching Grants program.

Ever wished you could be put on ice? In this episode, Ali and Emma discuss Sigley Hood's surreal microlit, 'Ice Cube' in which a woman finds herself literally frozen out by her family. Or is it she who is giving her husband and kids the cold shoulder? Listen to Eleni Schumacher's narration and decide for yourself. Join the discussion on the Coffee Pod|cast Facebook page.

'Ice Cube' is published in the Spineless Wonders' anthology, Shuffle.

About the Author

SIGLEY HOOD is currently studying the Associate Degree in Professional Writing and Editing at RMIT. She reports that the story idea for ‘Ice Cube’ surfaced when she was sitting in a bar waiting to meet friends—her mind being obviously just loose enough.

About the Actor

ELENI SCHUMACHER is an actor and theatre maker. She recently appeared in Montague Basement's production of Sarah Kane's "Crave" for the Sydney Fringe Festival.

Credits

Presenters: Ali Morris and Emma Walsh

Producer: Bronwyn Mehan

Theme music: James Seymour

Production Assistant: Hannah Oakshott

Coffee Pod|cast has been produced with the support of the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body and we wish to also acknowledge the support of Little Fictions by the Copyright Agency’s Cultural Fund and the City of Sydney Matching Grants program.

It's common to build a picture in our minds about new neighbours based on the sounds that come through the walls - but what if this eavesdropping becomes the stuff of vivid sexual fantasy? In this episode, Ali and Emma discuss a variety of reactions to noisy neighbours when they listen to Paulette Smythe's 'When B Moved In' narrated by Alex Neal.

About The Author

PAULETTE SMYTHE lives in Melbourne where she teaches English to migrants and refugees. Her writing has previously been published in Antipodean SF, Bewildering Stories, Verandah and Eureka Street.

'When B Moved  In' is published in the Spineless Wonders' anthology of sound-themed microlit, Shuffle edited by Cassandra Atherton.

About the actor

ALEX NEAL  graduated QUT Acting in 2017, and has been living and working in syd for 4 months.  In that time he has completed a TVC for ESS super and is currently working  on an AFTRS short film and will appear in the Australian film, Danger Close.

Credits

Presenters: Ali Morris and Emma Walsh

Producer: Bronwyn Mehan

Theme music: James Seymour

Production Assistant: Hannah Oakshott

Coffee Pod|cast has been produced with the support of the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body and we wish to also acknowledge the support of Little Fictions by the Copyright Agency’s Cultural Fund and the City of Sydney Matching Grants program.