Conversations: Archive: 2015-2017

The 1969 final between the South Sydney Rabbitohs and the Balmain Tigers is the stuff of footy legend

Tony Atkinson's appetite for mischief and knack for being in the right place at the right time have delivered him a colourful life (R)

A writer recalls the precious stretch of time between the birth of his son, and the death of his father (R)

Understanding and managing the psychopaths in our midst at work and at home

David Gillespie is a former corporate lawyer and investor and the author of the best-selling book, Sweet Poison.

Some years ago, David found himself working alongside a toxic human being, whom he now considers to have been a psychopath.

Psychopaths are typically people incapable of human empathy.

They tend to be charming in the initial phases of a relationship, then become parasitic and domineering.

In the workplace, their presence is often disruptive, and dangerous to the health of the people around them.

David has immersed himself into contemporary research into psychopathic behaviour, and developed some advice on dealing with a psychopath who worms their way into your life.

Further information  

Taming Toxic People is published by Macmillan

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Cryptic crossword compiler, David Astle, untangles the history of riddles (R)

Sarah Percy explains the history and motivations of unconventional combatants

Writer Kate Forsyth has an enduring fascination with the Pre-Raphaelites, the rebellious and progressive artists of Victorian-era Britain

Historian Sheila Fitzpatrick has pieced together the story of her late husband's life as a young man in war-torn Europe

Ghost-writing and true crime: how a journo cracked the thriller market

Iain McCalman shares extraordinary stories from the history of human contact with the reef (R)