Canadian activist, editor, journalist and novelist Cory Doctorow joins author C.S. Pacat for an expansive conversation about the imperfect present and foreseeable future.

In the first event in our Dead Calm series, we delve into the detail of the process of dying. Host Hilary Harper is joined by Sarah Winch, Efterpi Soropos and Denise Love – people who witness, ease or facilitate the transition from life to death in a professional capacity – to discuss definitions of death, the best environments for death and how medical practitioners can work with spiritual and religious people to make deaths as peaceful as possible.

Following the 2018 AFLW Grand Final weekend, Karen Lyon, Sam Lane and Angela Pippos – all experienced Australian Rules journalists (and fans) – unpack the highs and lows of the year in women’s footy. They’ll share their insights and predictions on the future of the game.

In this year’s Hazel Rowley Memorial Lecture, Jenny Hocking explores a matter that goes to the heart of questions of power and sovereignty in Australia, the secret role of the Palace in the dismissal of the Whitlam government, and her latest book, The Dismissal Dossier: Everything You Were Never Meant to Know About November 1975 – the Palace Connection.

In conversation with Sophie Black, Francesca Donner and Matilda Dixon-Smith discuss failure, achievement and ambition in reporting gender in the #MeToo era.

A unique critical observer of art and violence, Sarah Sentilles digs into our world’s most brutal and profound instincts with critic and writer Maria Tumarkin.

In this meeting of the Longform Society, Sophie Cunningham, Mel Campbell, Maxine Beneba Clarke and Cameron Adams discuss and dissect the writing that celebrates our ongoing fascination with celebrity, and some of the most memorable pieces by, or about, the superstars of our times.

The past decade or so has seen incredible changes in how we read. New devices, platforms and marketplaces for books have risen and fallen, while traditional publishing houses and booksellers have adapted to suit readers’ changing habits and preferences. But how have things changed for authors? In the midst of all the upheaval, who’s looking out for them – and what role does copyright play? Spoiler alert: broadly, authors’ incomes have plummeted. In this discussion, Professor Rebecca Giblin and Canadian American activist and author Cory Doctorow speak with literary agent Alex Adsett and copyright expert Zoë Rodriguez to help us get to the bottom of who advocates for what, and who actually benefits.

At the Wheeler Centre in conversation with Don Watson, Stan Grant talks about why brighter futures for Indigenous people require all Australians to reckon with past and present injustices. He also shares his ideas for meaningful self-determination and building sustainable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities across Australia.

For this special episode of the Wheeler Centre podcast we brought together two of Australia's best book designers for a podcast-only conversation about their careers, their craft and how it all comes together. Sandy Cull is a freelance book designer and a member of the Australian Book Design Hall of Fame, while Imogen Stubbs is an emerging designer and art director at Text Publishing. Coming at this conversation with different experiences, they compare notes on the book design industry, how they approach the creative process and how they have worked with authors and publishers to create the perfect cover.