Journalist and author Caroline Baum (Only) joins two of Australia’s favourite broadcasters and authors for a whirlwind of a conversation comprising incredible stories, curious characters, robots, alchemy and hyper-optimism. Host of ABC’s Conversations Richard Fidler has turned his love affair with Prague into a personally curated history – The Golden Maze – a work that is both a biography of a city and the stories and people that define it. Former host of ABC Radio National’s The Book Show Ramona Koval recently embarked on a global quest to better understand the ingenuity, science and tales that make us human in A Letter to Layla. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Award-winning author Michelle de Kretser (Scary Monsters) speaks with Andrew Pippos about his debut novel Lucky’s – an unforgettable family epic that was shortlisted for the 2021 Prime Minister’s Literary Awards. “In Andrew Pippos’ Lucky’s, the grand story of the Greek diaspora is rendered beautifully intimate,” said Michelle de Kretser. “Pippos writes lively, evocative prose while handling structure and characterisation with flair.” Listen to this conversation that ranges from the local – the Australian Greek literary tradition – to the epic – The Iliad and The Odyssey. And enjoy insights into the craft of writing from two literary sensations along the way. 

See omny.fm/listener for privacy information.

One of the enduring beliefs of Australian identity is the idea that we as a nation embody the larrikin spirit, that we’re easy going, anti-establishment, laissez-faire. But arguably, behind our ‘she’ll be right’ veneer, we’re an anxious, obedient people living in what some believe is the most over-regulated nation of all of the world’s democracies. In this spirited and thought-provoking conversation, David Marr, Joe Williams and Rebecca Huntley separate the shit-stirring from the boot-licking with ABC’s Laura Tingle.

Please note, this podcast episode contains references to sexual assault and massacres of Indigenous peoples. It also contains explicit language. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“The noise that is most difficult for any of us is the noise that is inside our own heads.” – Stephanie Dowrick

After years in which many of us were forced to spend more time alone, a panel of writers join Anton Enus for a profound and fascinating reflection on the pitfalls, pleasures and peace of solitude, and its powerful relationship with self-renewal, self-understanding and creativity.

Christine Jackman’s Turning Down The Noise: The quiet power of silence in a busy world follows her quest to strip out the constant stimuli of modern living. Donna Ward’s She I Dare Not Name: A spinster’s meditations on life is a memoir of living life alone in a world built for couples and families. And three decades on, Stephanie Dowrick’s classic Intimacy and Solitude: Finding new closeness and self-trust in a distanced world is more timely than ever, and has been republished with new reflections on life in the pandemic. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the words of Sydney Writers’ Festival Guest Curator Nayuka Gorrie, “The future is black, abolitionist and whatever we want it to be.” Lorna Munro, Mali Hermans, Keith Quayle and Estelle Clarke join Nayuka to consider those futures – hopeful, defiant and clear-eyed – and ask how we might radically reimagine black stories.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prize-winning Australian writers Malcolm Knox and Michael Robotham join Ashley Hay to discuss the riveting new novels that extend their reputations as masters of their crafts. A prolific journalist and author, Malcolm chats about the hilarious and mesmerising Bluebird, which examines nostalgia, gentrification and the Australian dream through the lens of decades of secrets buried in a beachside suburb. One of the country’s finest and bestselling crime writers, Michael talks about the pulse-quickening When She Was Good, which sees the return of forensic psychologist Cyrus Haven, embroiled in an explosive murder case with disturbing origins.

Please note, this discussion includes references to topics such as sexual abuse and torture. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Youth activists have become some of our strongest voices advocating for climate justice. They are heralded as leaders of the future, yet fear that without action from politicians, they will never see the future they’ve been burdened with building. In this electrifying conversation, a panel of Australia’s most inspiring young activists, Jean Hinchliffe (Lead the Way), Daisy Jeffrey (On Hope) and Varsha Yajman, share how they are tackling the most pressing issue of our time with Santilla Chingaipe. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander listeners are advised that this podcast episode contains the names of people who have died.

“That sense of loving does not mean silence. It doesn’t mean acceptance...When you love something, you’re not silent about it.” – Vicky Shukuroglou

Loving Country: A Guide to Sacred Australia is a guidebook by Dark Emu author Bruce Pascoe and co-author and photographer Vicky Shukuroglou. It offers a new way to explore and fall in love with Australia by seeing it through an Indigenous lens. The duo speaks with ABC Radio National’s Daniel Browning about their beautifully designed road map that celebrates some 65,000 years of inhabitancy, including the fish traps at Brewarrina and rivers that feed the Great Barrier Reef, and the need to love and protect Country amidst the recent and ongoing destruction and devastation of sacred sites in this land. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hear from two acclaimed novelists as they discuss their captivating new works of historical fiction set against the backdrop of our colonial past. Based on devastating true events in 19th-century Wiradjuri Country, Anita Heiss’ Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray (River of Dreams) is an epic story of love and loss centred on a young couple’s search for home. Meg Keneally’s novel The Wreck follows a young woman fleeing London for Sydney after a failed rebellion in 1820, and is a moving tale of treachery and courage that is rich in history. The two are joined by Roanna Gonsalves for this fascinating discussion on the power of naming, voice and language, the writing process and how history holds a mirror. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“The point of conversations like these is to counter the unbelievable gaslighting of the rest of the world. That is the point of feminist writing. It’s saying again and again and again that rage is appropriate and that everything is not okay.” – Laurie Penny

Twenty-five years ago, award-winning journalist Virginia Trioli tried to get to the bottom of questions about sex and power in Australian public life in her book Generation F. In a new edition published in 2019, Virginia revisited the horrifically – and historically – polarising conversation on appropriate responses to sexual abuse and harassment that continues today. Activist, journalist and author Laurie Penny is a powerful voice in global feminism. Their 2017 book Bitch Doctrine: Essays for Dissenting Adults applied dark humour and urgent provocations to hard conversations on online harassment, the transgender rights movement and other definitive issues of our time. With author Sisonke Msimang, the pair tease out the shifts and faultlines of being a feminist in public life.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.