We’re back. With a whole new series of The Storymakers Institute - powered by you. This is your front row pass to the world’s most intriguing storytellers.

This week on the show, say hello to multiple Walkley Award winning author, journalist and broadcaster, Tracey Spicer AM.

In the last year, we’ve all gone mad for AI. But have we accidentally unleashed Frankenstein’s monster? And what are we going to do about it, now that the cat is out of the bag?

Tracey has some thoughts. Her latest book, Man-Made: How the bias of the past is being built into the future, is available now. Man-Made has been nominated for the Booktopia Favourite Australian Book Award Longlist for 2023. You can vote for Man-Made to make the shortlist here.

In this episode, Tracey Spicer discusses the catalyst for her investigation into artificial intelligence (AI) and the biases built into it. She explores the players and importance of AI, the misdirection and real threats it poses, and the impact on creativity and copyright. Spicer also delves into the dark side of AI and the global divide, the future of sentient robots, and the concept of protopia. She highlights the biases and anxieties surrounding AI and the need for regulation and legislation. Finally, she emphasizes the importance of inclusive design and consideration in AI development.

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Do you lead a good enough Life? And what even is that? This week on The Storymakers Institute, say hello to writer, Avram Alpert.

In Avram’s new book “The Good-Enough Life”, he argues the case that no one truly benefits from a world oriented towards greatness - and reveals how another way of life is possible from this competitive social order - a “good enough life” for all.

For our final episode for this season, I sit down with Avram to dissect his visionary and provocative book. Can we really cultivate a “good enough life” for all -instead of tearing ourselves apart in a race to the top of the social, cultural, creative, and political pyramid?

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Have you turned off the news? This week on The Storymakers Institute, say hello to freshly Walkley awarded ABC Senior Presenter, Geraldine Doogue.

It would be fair to say that 2023 hasn’t exactly been “light” - there’s been plenty of heavy issues to grapple with this year, wherever you may be across the world. When is it ok to put the head in the sand?

In this second last episode for the year, I sit down with Geraldine to talk about whether journalism has exploited the negative biases of the human psyche for too long.

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Think you know AI? This week on The Storymakers Institute, say hello to Canadian novelist, essayist and enemy of boredom, Stephen Marche.

In 2023, Stephen collaborated with Artificial Intelligence on the first AI-generated novel reviewed in The New York Times called Death of an Author - a groundbreaking experiment in the meta world of man meets machine.

In this episode, I sit down with Stephen to talk about the process behind writing this new AI-generated novel (under pseudonym: Aidan Marchine), how paranoid literary and cultural circles are reacting to its use, and hear his surprising thoughts on the evolving relationship between artificial intelligence and human creativity.

This conversation will make you think differently about Artificial Intelligence.

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This week on The Storymakers Institute, say hello to 5 x ARIA, AWMA, AIR and APRA award winning musician, Katie Noonan.

Her latest album, “A Small Shy Truth” with Elixir, draws inspiration from the works of Michael Leunig, a Melbourne-based cartoonist, writer, painter, philosopher and poet.

Michael’s commentary on political, cultural and emotional life spans more than fifty years - often exploring “an innocent and sacred personal world.” And whilst some describe Michael Leunig as a “national living treasure” - others consider him as being “on-the-nose.”

In this episode of The Storymakers Institute, I sit down with Katie Noonan to talk about the new album, cultural cancellation, and find out why she’s not shying away from her creative instincts.

Buy The Album + Tour Dates: https://www.katienoonan.com.au/

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This week on The Storymakers Institute, say hello to author, Tim Winton AO.

According to the 2023 IPCC Report, we have 7 years left to cut carbon emissions by 50% before climate damage to the planet is irreversible. How can “story” influence, affect or alter this trajectory, if at all?

Tim Winton is the author of 29 books. His work is translated into 28 languages and adapted for film, television, theatre and opera. He is listed as an Australian National Living Treasure and received an Order of Australia (AO) in June 2023 for distinguished service to literature as an author and novelist, to conservation and to environmental advocacy.

In this episode of The Storymakers Institute, Tim and I sit down to mull over this grim reality, how story has propped up fossil-fuelled capitalism (whilst creative folk scramble for crumbs off the boardroom floor), and why we need to ignore “bread and circuses” and start breaking some shit.

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This week on The Storymakers Institute - say hello to the award-winning global podcast creator, Eric Nuzum.

Eric makes iconic podcasts that routinely top the charts, appear in yearly “best of” lists, win awards, and generate hundreds of millions of downloads.

As VP Programming at National Public Radio (USA), Eric developed some of NPR’s most successful podcasts and continued that record of success during his tenure as SVP, Original Content Development, Audible (Amazon) - and in 2019, he co-founded Magnificent Noise, a podcast production and creative consulting company based in New York City.

In this episode of The Storymakers Institute, I sit down with Eric to talk about being tracked by the stories you consume via #bigdata, and we dive into the double-edged cultural sword of personalisation, its impact on creativity and how it panders to the way you think.

Further Reading: Eric’s book on audio and podcast creation, titled Make Noise: A Creator's Guide to Podcasting and Great Audio Storytelling, was released by Workman Publishing in 2019.

Subscribe to Eric’s newsletter: The Audio Insurgent on Substack.

Further Listening: Fresh Air with Terry Gross, Snap Judgment, Wait, Wait...Don’t Tell Me, TED Radio Hour, Invisibilia, The Butterfly Effect with Jon Ronson, and Where Should We Begin? with Esther Perel.

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This week on The Storymakers Institute, say hello to Palestinian peace builder, National Geographic Explorer, Cultural Educator, Author, Co-founder of Mejdi tours and TED Fellow, Aziz Abu Sarah.

These past several weeks have seen the temperature rapidly climb in the conflict/war between Israel and Hamas. The level of violence, trauma and depth of history in this part of the world is overwhelming, and playing out on screens, in real time.

I don't want to enflame or add further noise with some ‘fresh’ take - but I do think we need to have a serious sit-down conversation about ‘how’ we talk about conflict and the way that stories are told, printed, broadcast and your own personal responsibilities - and how these perceptions and truths shape the direction that this conflict/war takes next. 

Aziz Abu Sarah is a recognised peace builder, cultural educator, responsible travel innovator, and inspirational speaker working around the globe, including Afghanistan, Colombia, Syria, and the Balkans. His life shaped by early experiences growing up in a divided Jerusalem, with its checkpoints, spontaneous violence and trauma - with those details found in his book “Crossing Boundaries” (link below).

In this episode of The Storymakers Institute, Aziz and I sit down to explore the potencies of the narratives we tell/share/broadcast - and how we can bring together a world divided by so many seemingly intractable conflicts.

Further reading: Crossing Boundaries: A Traveller’s Guide to World Peace by Aziz Abu Sarah. Discover more about Mejdi Tours. Discover more about Aziz. Follow Aziz on Twitter and Instagram and LinkedIn.

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This week on The Storymakers Institute, say hello to writer, music teacher and fellow ABC broadcaster, Ed Le Brocq.

Ed was born on the White Cliffs of Dover and began playing violin when he was eight years old. He studied music in Manchester, Berlin and London, played professionally in the UK and Hong Kong and moved to Australia in 2003. Ed was the presenter of ABC Classic FM’s breakfast program for many years.

In this episode of The Storymakers Institute, I sit down with Ed to talk about his new book: Sound Bites - The Bendy Path of Classical Music from Ancient Greece to Today and the impact of music in an ever changing world around us. And in this conversation, we move away from the current gloom, as Ed invites you on a journey through a living tradition that spans millennia: the tradition of Western classical music.

Further reading + listening: Ed’s other books include: Cadence, about his journey by bicycle from England to Hong Kong with only a violin for company, and Danger Music, describing his year teaching music in Afghanistan. You can hear Ed on Weekend Breakfast on ABC Classic in Australia.

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This week on The Storymakers Institute, say hello to Josh Szeps: a self described ne'er-do-well, (now former) ABC Broadcaster, Professional Fellow at UTS and Host of Uncomfortable Conversations podcast.

It’s become pretty clear in recent years that the public square has descended (at least on some level) to cross talk, siloed chatter, and attempted manipulation of the masses through downright lies. And there stoking the fires are the institutions and platforms clocking up eyeball blinks for a dollar or a đồng. The more sensational, the more outrageous. The better. In this conversation, I dive into the trappings of modernity with Josh to explore how we got here, what stories prop up the age of outrage, and what Josh is doing to counterbalance it.

Become a paid subscriber of The Storymakers Institute to unlock full-length episodes, explore the full show archive, and more. If you're not a paid subscriber, you're only getting half the story. Subscribe: thestorymakersinstitute.substack.com/subscribe/