Talking Words

Kate Forsyth is an award-winning author who has written over 40 adults and children's books, and she holds a PHD on the topic 'The Rebirth of Rapunzel'. Kate chats to Olivia about what happens to our brains when we read, why fairy tales never go out of style and why travel is fantastic for creativity.

Books mentioned:

•The Blue Rose by Kate Forsyth

•The Puzzle Ring by Kate Forsyth

•A Mother's Offering To Her Children by A Lady Long Resident in New South Wales (AKA Charlotte Waring Atkinson, AKA Kate's great-great-great-great-grandmother)

•The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton

•The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

•The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

•Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

•The Elements of Style by Whiton Strunk

•Rapunzel

•Cinderella

Dan Box is a journalist who has worked for news outlets such as The BBC, The Sunday Times and The Australian. He has written one true crime book, Bowraville, and produced a podcast of the same name. Dan chats with Olivia about the importance of journalism, why objectivity is a bit of a myth, and why the Bowraville case changed his approach to journalism.

Books mentioned:

•Bowraville by Dan Box

•Carry Me Home by Dan Box

Matt Okine is an award-winning actor, writer, comedian and musician. In this chapter he chats with Olivia about career moves, his debut novel Being Black N Chicken N Chips and why mixing fact with fiction can sometimes bite you on the bum.

Books mentioned:

•Being Black N Chicken & Chips by Matt Okine

Leah Purcell is an award winning playwright, actor, director, filmmaker, producer, screenwriter, showrunner and author who has written one novel, The Drover's Wife: The legend of Molly Johnson. In this episode Leah yarns with Olivia about writing for different forms, ownership of stories and the importance of listening.

Books mentioned:

•The Drover's Wife: The Legend of Molly Johnson by Leah Purcell.

•The Drover's Wife by Leah Purcell.

•The Drover's Wife by Henry Lawson.

•Box the Pony by Scott Rankin & Leah Purcell.

•Black Chicks Talking by Scott Rankin & Leah Purcell.

Welcome to the season finale of season one! In our final instalment, we have Michael Mohammad Ahmad. Mohammed is an award winning Arab-Australian author who has written The Tribe and The Lebs. He is also the founder of Sweatshop, a literacy based organisation aimed at empowering Indigenous and culturally and linguistically diverse communities. Mohammed chats with Olivia about the importance of representation, how writing is inherently phantasmagorical, and why flared jeans are the best kind of jeans.

Books mentioned:

•The Lebs by Michael Mohammed Ahmad

•The Tribe by Michael Mohammed Ahmad

•Sweatshop Women by Sweatshop

•The Prophet By Kahlil Gibran

•The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Alex Haley and Malcolm X

•The Qur'an

Walter Mason is a blogger, creativity teacher, speaker and author of two travel books: Destination Saigon and Destination Cambodia. He also runs a yearly writing tour for Better Read Tours to the Mekong Delta in Vietnam. Olivia sits with Walter and chats about unlived lives, meditative writing practices, and why Vietnam holds a special place in his heart.

Books mentioned:

•Destination Saigon by Walter Mason

•Destination Cambodia by Walter Mason

•The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron

•Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway by Susan Jeffers

Megan Daley is an award winning teacher - librarian and author of the book Raising Readers, a no-nonsense guide about how to get kids to fall in love with books. Megan talks with Olivia about why reading is essential for children (and adults!) the difficulties of writing a book she didn't want to write, and whether or not she has Hermione's time turner.

Books mentioned:

•Raising Readers by Megan Daley

•Little Cloud by Robert Tallon

•So Much to Tell You by John Marsden

•Dicey's Song by Cynthia Voigt

•Winnie the Pooh by AA Milne

•Matilda by Roald Dahl

•Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson

•Harry Potter by JK Rowling

•Love, Simon by Becky Albertalli

•Inanimate Alice by BradField Narrative Designs Inc.

•Nevermoor by Jessica Townsend

•Mapmaker Chronicles by Allison Tait

•Flowers in the Attic by V.C Andrews

•As Happy As Here by Jane Godwin

•Sick Bay by Nova Weetman

•Go Go and the Silver Shoes by Jane Godwin

•Minnie and the Superguys by Jane Godwin

•Polly and Buster by Sally Rippin

•Percy Jackson by Rick Riordan

Bri Lee is a women's rights activist, speaker and author who has written two books; the multi-award winning title Eggshell Skull, and Beauty, which is available NOW (and probably going to be multi-award winning too, tbh.) Olivia chats with Bri about self worth, Harry Potter and whether Salamander's are amphibian (yes, they are).

Books mentioned:

•This House of Mine by Helen Garner

•Joe Cinque's Consolation by Helen Garner

•Murder Without Motive by Martin McKenzie-Murray

•Tall Man by Chloe Hooper

•Wasted by Elspeth Muir

•Woman of Substances by Jenny Valentish

•Perfect Me by Heather Widdows

•Any Ordinary Day by Leigh Sales

•Harry Potter by JK Rowling

Patti Miller is an award winning author who has written nine books including Ransacking Paris and The Joy of High Places. She is also a memoir teacher who runs yearly writing workshops in Paris through Better Read Tours. Patti sits with Olivia and talks about walking, the nitty gritty details that surround memoir writing and why storytelling is essential for humanity.

Books mentioned:

•The Mind of a Thief by Patti Miller

•Ransacking Paris by Patti Miller

•The Joy of High Places by Patti Miller

•Child by Patti Miller

•The Last One Who Remembers by Patti Miller

We're back, but not quite...Welcome to the second teaser of Talking Words, a podcast presented by Better Read Than Dead and hosted by Olivia O'Flynn. Over the upcoming season you will hear from an array of fascinating authors. From oral story-tellers, to memoir writers, from fictional autobiographies to reference writing, Talking Words is a haven for people who love storytelling. We dive into the importance of literature whilst celebrating its quirks along the way, getting elbow-deep in the exploration of reading, writing and everything that happens in between.They've been writing them, we've been reading them. Now, let's talk about them.