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Magdalena Ball
Compulsive Reader's author interviews, book chat, literary discussions, readings and more. It's an audio haven for book lovers! Recent and upcoming guests include Terry Denton, Marion Halligan, Sir Ken Robinson, Emily Ballou, Sofie Laguna, Matthew Riley, John Banville, Felicity Plunkett, Mark Coker, Peter Bowerman, Eric Maisel, Ramona Koval, Tim Flannery, Carl Zimmer, Gail Jones, Jane Smiley, Frank Delaney, Ben Okri, and many more.
Total 181 episodes
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Jim Reese on Bone Chalk

Jim Reese on Bone Chalk

In this guest episode, Daniel Flahie of the Die Healther podcast shares a recent interview with Dr Jim Reese on his new book Bone Chalk.   Jim talks about how he became a writer, his transition from narrative poetry to prose (and the inspiration for that), the relationship between his personal experience with crime, working in prisons (especially San Quentin) and some of the surprising facts he learned doing so, and on writing crime, on the value of education, the relationship between writing, exercise and mental health, some of the key themes in his book, what gets him up in the morning, his inspirations, his upcoming project, and lots more.  Jim Reese is Associate Professor of English and Director of the Great Plains Writing Tour at Mount Marty College in Yankton, South Dakota. He has also worked for over a decade in the United States prison systems as an educator. Dr. Reese has published three books of poetry, and his most recent work Bone Chalk is his first work of published prose. He has many awards including first place in the 2018 Allen Ginsberg Poetry Awards. Find out more about Jim Reese at his website: http://jimreese.org Find out more about Daniel Flahie at: https://twitter.com/danielflahie
29:4413/02/2020
Roslyn McFarland on All the Lives We've Lived

Roslyn McFarland on All the Lives We've Lived

Roslyn McFarland reads from and talks about her new novel All the Lives We've Lived, and discusses such things as her transition from English teacher and author of English HSC text books to fiction writer, the Salt Pan Creek setting of her book, the unique narrative structure and multiple stories within the narrative, her work in progress, and lots more.  Find more about Roslyn at: https://www.facebook.com/RoslynMcFarland.Writer/ Find All the Lives We've Live here: https://www.ginninderrapress.com.au/store.php?product/page/2018/Roslyn+McFarland+%2F+All+the+Lives+We%27ve+Lived
33:5104/02/2020
Jessica Mehta talks with novelist and poet Nina Murray

Jessica Mehta talks with novelist and poet Nina Murray

In this wide-reaching and warm conversation, novelist and poet Jessica Mehta talks with novelist and poet Nina Murray, who reads some of her poems and talks about her latest poetry book Alcestis in the Underworld, the writing year in review, book titles, their relationship with Shakespeare, the appeal of the list poem and variety packs, on poetic themes, poetic sequencing and the critical importance of editing, on making sense of data, patterns and needs and how that relates to the poetic process, wishes for the new year/decade, writerly relationships, and lots more. Nina Murray’s website: https://houndart.wordpress.com Jessica Mehta’s website: https://jessicamehta.com
38:4103/01/2020
Jenny Blackford on The Girl in the Mirror

Jenny Blackford on The Girl in the Mirror

Multi-talented polymath Jenny Blackford reads from her new middle-grade novel The Girl in the Mirror and talks about her attraction to different genres, how the book came about, her attraction to sci-fi (and why she chose to entangle her protagonists), the book’s lovely illustrations (especially those redbacks), on her different fan streams, her large garden, her work-in-progress (and the name of the cat who will be in the book), and lots more!   Find more of Jenny at her website: http://www.jennyblackford.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/dutiesofacat Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jennyblackford Macleans booksellers is carrying The Girl in the Mirror. You can find them online here: https://www.macleansbooks.com.au
29:1920/12/2019
Interview with Sarah Myles

Interview with Sarah Myles

The author of The Wolf Hour reads from and talks about her latest novel, its origins and her research, her characters, writing about Uganda, the micro world of her family and the macro world of global politics, on sibling tension and bonds, her work in progress, and lots more.   Find out more about Sarah and The Wolf Hour at https://sarahmyles.com.au/
29:2228/10/2019
Peter Valentine on World heritage Sites of Australia

Peter Valentine on World heritage Sites of Australia

Peter Valentine reads from and talks about his new book World Heritage Sites of Australia.  In this wide-ranging discussion, we talk about the book and how it came about, why he’s pleased it took the more popular and less academic form of a coffee table book, the critical importance of protecting and celebrating our most important ecological areas, his plans for a second part, the need for community engagement, and lots more.   You can find out more about World Heritage Sites of Australia at the National Library of Australia book site.  You can also read or listen to the excellent conversation held with former Greens leader and noted environmentalist Bob Brown at the Canberra Writers’ Festival in August 2019 here: https://www.nla.gov.au/stories/audio/fragile-inheritance-book-launch
32:4218/09/2019
Eliana Gray on Eager to Break

Eliana Gray on Eager to Break

Eliana Gray reads from and talks about their new poetry book Eager to Break.  In this candid interview we talk about such things as writing about, through, and after trauma, on finding new forms of language, on writing about the body, on blurring and allowing for multitudes in pronouns, on self-acceptance, love, and healing, on eggs, and lots more.   Eager to Break can be purchased here: https://www.girlsonkey.com/poetryportalshop/Eager-to-Break-Eliana-Gray-p127089532 Find them on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/foxfoxxfox/
35:2302/07/2019
Interview with Richard James Allen

Interview with Richard James Allen

Richard James Allen reads from and talks about his new poetry book, The Short Story of You and I, exploring topics such as his book's themes and unique dialectical structure, the relationship between the poems and the reader, writing about love, the delicate motion between the metaphysical and the concrete, the relationship between poetry and quantum physics, complexity, the links between his many creativity practices, the relationship between the constructed self and character, and lots more.  Find out more about Richard's many projects at: https://physicaltv.com.au/
30:3224/06/2019
Bram Presser on The Book of Dirt

Bram Presser on The Book of Dirt

Bram Presser drops by to read from The Book of Dirt and we chat about many things including the Holocaust, the origins of his novel, the research he’s done, on the interplay between fact and fiction, the motif of dirt and his many golems, Czech folklore, his works in progress, and lots more.  Find out more about Bram at: https://brampresser.com/the-book-of-dirt/ We ran out of time before I could ask Bram whether his Jewish punk rock band Yidcore would be getting back together, but it turns out that they are, at The Festival of Jewish Arts & Music on the 8th of Sept. Find out more here: https://www.melbournerecital.com.au/events/2019/yidcore/
36:4306/05/2019
Anne Casey on Where the Lost Things Go

Anne Casey on Where the Lost Things Go

Anne Casey drops by to read from and talk about her debut poetry collection Where the Lost Things Go, including the poem that started it all (fifth most read item in The Irish Times “In memoriam II: The draper” which actually made both of us cry, some of the many themes in the book: loss, anger, compassion, the migrant's guilt, poetry as activism, transcendence, and lots more.  Find more about Anne at her website: http://www.anne-casey.com/
33:2211/02/2019
Ali Whitelock on And My Heart Crumples Like a Coke Can

Ali Whitelock on And My Heart Crumples Like a Coke Can

Ali Whitelock reads from and talks about her latest poetry book And My Heart Crumples Like a Coke Can.  We cover such topics as Ali's particular take-no-prisoners style, on being candid, how the book came together, on being a permanent migrant, her work-in-progress, and lots more.  You can find Ali at her website: http://www.aliwhitelock.com
28:2610/01/2019
Steve Armstrong on Broken Ground

Steve Armstrong on Broken Ground

Poet Steve Armstrong joins us to read a number of poems from his new poetry book Broken Ground. We also talk about the healing power of poetry and the magic of nature, about his poetry practice, on writing the 'walking poem', themes, rhythms, on the subtle droll humour running through the book, the difference between writing poetry and using poetry as therapy, on the editing and structuring process of pulling the book together, and much more. Find Steve's book here: https://uwap.uwa.edu.au/products/broken-ground
31:2906/08/2018
Jill Jones on Brink

Jill Jones on Brink

Jill Jones joins us to read several poems from and talk about her latest poetry book Brink.  We discuss some of the key themes in the book (what does it mean to be on the 'brink'), the changing face of eco-poetry (and why trees remain fertile subjects for poets), the way the book came together, its editing process, the relationship between fierceness, tenderness, and politics, on appropriation, collaboration, on ways of making meaning, and lots more.  Jones' photo by Annette Willis 2007 Jill's website is: http://www.jilljones.com.au
34:1428/06/2018
Kathryn Fry on Green Point Bearings

Kathryn Fry on Green Point Bearings

Poet Kathryn Fry reads a number of poems from her latest poetry collection Green Point Bearings and talks about the book's inspiration, how many of the poems came about and how the collection came together, her interest in the natural world, on mindfulness and the power of paying attention, on Ekphrasis and the paintings of Margaret Olly, the notion of 'grace from loss' and Wendy Whiteley's secret garden, on her mentorship with Brook Emery, what she's currently reading and inspired by, and much more.  Here are links to a few of the things we spoke about: Green Point Bearings Wendy Whiteley's Garden Jean Kent's Paris in my pocket John Foulcher's A Casual Penance
33:2318/06/2018
Holly Ringland on The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart

Holly Ringland on The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart

Holly Ringland, author ofThe Lost Flowers of Alice Hart joins us to read a little from the book and talk about the wonderful language of flowers she invents for the book and how that came about, writing and trauma, her recently completed book tour, the impact of leaving Australia, Alice in Wonderland, Sturt's Desert Peas and Alice Springs, on the visceral nature of her book and its promotion, and lots more. Find more about Holly at her website: http://www.hollyringland.com/, Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hollygoeslightly/, Twitter: https://twitter.com/hollyringland, and Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/holly.ringland
32:5618/05/2018
Tracy Sorensen on The Lucky Galah

Tracy Sorensen on The Lucky Galah

Tracy Sorensen drops by Compulsive Reader Talks to read from and chat about her new book The Lucky Galah. The conversation is wide ranging but we talk about such things as her fabulous main character Lucky, about anthropomorphism and the relationship between the human and natural worlds, about 'hooking up' with author Charlotte Wood, about the Varuna writer retreat and retreats in general, about the Canarvon dish, magic realism, space travel, and lots more.  Tracy Sorensen's website is: http://squawkingalah.com.au/
35:0827/03/2018
Jennifer Maiden launches her poetry book Appalachian Fall

Jennifer Maiden launches her poetry book Appalachian Fall

The wonderful Jennifer Maiden joins me at Macleans Booksellers in Hamilton NSW for a launch of her new book Appalachian Fall, including a Q&A, 3 poems, and audience questions.  The talk, which is opened by a reading from the introduction by Quemar Press publisher Katharine Margot Toohey, is wide ranging and explores such things as how the book came about, its inspiration, the relationship between poetry and political rhetoric, the bisection between the personal and the political, on the use of personae and humour in poetry, and lots more.  The sound is quiet but the conversation was too good to let go, so turn up your speakers and enjoy.  You can also grab the full transcript on Quemar's Commentary page here: https://quemarpress.weebly.com/commentary.html Find out more about Jennifer's books at: Quemar Press.
52:0114/02/2018
Interview with Jessica Townsend

Interview with Jessica Townsend

Jessica Townsend, the author of Nevermoor: the Trials of Morrigan Crow drops by to read from and chat about her book, which has been had the biggest children’s debut in the Australian market since records began.  We talk about the book's outrageous success, about target markets and how it's impossible to work to them, about magic, about the broader series (including some hints about what's coming in future books), about the upcoming 20th Century Fox film (and a first time reveal of the director!), about some of the key themes in the book, including the notion of a “cursed child”, the nature of wunder, on sentience and the Hotel Deucalion, on Fenestra, the fabulous feline, and lots more.  Find out more about Jessica at: Twitter: https://twitter.com/digressica Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/digressica/
33:3324/10/2017
Gerry Orz talks about Lucky or Not Here I Come

Gerry Orz talks about Lucky or Not Here I Come

Gerry Orz is an award winning actor, director, producer, youth activist, and author of the book Lucky or Not, Here I come, released this month.  He drops by to read from Lucky or Not Here I Come and to discuss his inspiration for the book, some of the key themes, why he decided to broaden his already extensive list of accomplishments to include 'novelist', his characters and their relationships, the concept of lucky, about his writing process, the critical support of his family and school, about the changing landscape for young people, about bullying and why schools need to do more, his wish list, and lots more.   You can find out more about Gerry's work at his website: https://www.gerryorz.com/ His production company: https://www.flyingeagleproductions.com and his YouTube Channel World According to G: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQOJ3FO_6Lpfy6wXwpXA18g
30:3716/08/2017
Patti Miller on Writing True Stories

Patti Miller on Writing True Stories

Award-winning author Patti Miller reads from and talks about her new nonfiction book Writing True Stories. Patti reads from chapter one, and we discuss such things as how Patti became the "memoir whisperer", the rise and rise of the memoir in all of its multi-genred formats, on how we are all creating narrative as we make meaning of our lives (how everyone has a story), on the encouragement of exploration in her writing workshops, the excerpts and structure of the book, and much more.  For more on Patti's upcoming workshops and her many books, visit:  http://www.lifestories.com.au/
32:4124/07/2017
Interview with Melinda Smith

Interview with Melinda Smith

The award-winning author of Goodbye, Cruel, reads from her new book and talks about how it came together, the structure, her linked suites, the influence of Dante, her attraction to Rabi'a Balkhi and Persian poetry in general, on writing about sensitive subjects like suicide, and much more.  Find more about Melinda at her publisher's page: https://pittstreetpoetry.com/melinda-smith/  or on Facebook or Twitter.
38:3219/06/2017
Jennifer Maiden on Play With Knives

Jennifer Maiden on Play With Knives

Poet and novelist Jennifer Maiden drops by to read from her latest novel Play With Knives: Three: George and Clare and the Grey Hat Hacker, and to talk about all three novels in the Play With Knives series, about the joy of working her poetic and complex words and ideas through a thriller styled plot, about her characters George Jeffreys and Clare Collins, and the way they continue to appear through her poetry and fiction, about writing through current affairs like the Trump presidency and the first America Gulf War, about writing literary sex scenes, and lots more.  All three novels can be obtained as free downloads from Quemar Press: http://quemarpress.weebly.com/books.html
32:4712/02/2017
Dr Joanna McMillan talks about Get Lean, Stay Lean

Dr Joanna McMillan talks about Get Lean, Stay Lean

Nutritionist Dr Joanna McMillan talks about her new book Get Lean, Stay Lean, including how the book came together, why people are still struggling with nutritional and weightloss, outlines the Dr Joanna plate, her six steps to success and which one is the most unusual, about the importance of joy, her recipes, about how to sort through the fads (and which is the most dangerous), about eating sustainably - for oneself and for the planet, about the importance of "Hara Hachi Bu",  and lots more. Find out more about Dr Joanna and Get Lean, Stay Lean at https://drjoanna.com.au/.
30:2908/01/2017
Interview with Michele Seminara

Interview with Michele Seminara

Michele Seminara drops by to read from and talk about her poetry book Engraft and how it came together, the variety of forms and how she uses the page, about writing through Shakespeare, Kafka and other authors, about the tension between tradition and post-modernism, about the use of humour and play amidst dark themes, about Verity La which Michele is Managing Editor of, about her new book Scar to Scar, written with Robbie Coburn, and lots more.   Michele's website: https://micheleseminara.wordpress.com/author/micheleseminara/ Verity La: http://verityla.com/ Robbie Coburn's website: http://robbiecoburn.com.au/
32:4129/11/2016
Interview with Michelle Cahill on Letter to Pessoa

Interview with Michelle Cahill on Letter to Pessoa

Michelle Cahill reads "Aubade for Larkin" and talks about her new book Letter to Pessoa, including the book's genesis, its shifting genres (and genders), about literary connection and disconnection, about writing meta-fiction, and the intersections between writing practice and philosophical discourse, about Derrida, about “ambulatory praxis” or the simultaneity of multiple place and the migrant experience, her choice of authors to write letters to, about intertextuality and the canon, power structures and language,and lots more.
35:5627/10/2016
Tim Elliott on Farewell to the Father

Tim Elliott on Farewell to the Father

Tim Elliott joins us to read from and talk about his memoir Farewell to the Father.  He discusses how the initial article and book came about, the reasons for its powerful impact on readers, the themes that underlie the book including notions of failure, toxic masculinity, and the keeping of secrets, mental illness and the changing perception of it, about the difficulties (and joy) of writing memoir and rediscovering his father that way, the literary nature of the book (and some of the books that inspired him), some of his upcoming appearances, and lots more.
33:0025/08/2016
Joel Deane on Year of the Wasp

Joel Deane on Year of the Wasp

Joel Deane reads from and talks about his new poetry book Year of the Wasp.  Joel discusses a number of the themes and motifs throughout the book and in individual poems, the way the book came together, the power of poetry in getting to the heart of who we are, metapoetics and the artistic process, about the intersection of poetry and trauma, about the way his work connects wtih visual art, the interaction of the personal and the political in his work, and much more.
32:5901/08/2016
Hazel Smith on Word Migrants

Hazel Smith on Word Migrants

Poet, performer, professor and new media artist Hazel Smith drops by to read from and talk about her latest book of poetry Word Migrants. Hazel is an incredible reader and her readings alone are worth listening to, but she also talks with me about the genesis of the book as a whole, and about each of the poems she reads, about the sonic/musical quality of her work, her key themes, particularly migration in all its many variants, and disappearances, about "uncreative" or conceptual poetry, and about her new book on the relations
32:0628/06/2016
Jane Caro talks about Plain-Speaking Jane

Jane Caro talks about Plain-Speaking Jane

Author, novelist, journalist, broadcaster, columnist, advertising writer and social commentator Jane Caro, chats about her memoir Plain-Speaking Jane, about the power of plain speaking - not just in terms of being candid, but in terms of breaking silence and comunicating with different audiences (with a bit of Australian politics thrown in there too...), about the power of connections, about her anxiety and how she was able to move beyond it, why advertising is such an incubator for great writers, about the dangers of focusing on the great over the good, about the power of connection, her many works in progress, and lots more.
29:3706/06/2016
Vivian Gornick reads from and talks about The Odd Woman and the City

Vivian Gornick reads from and talks about The Odd Woman and the City

In this special "on location" Sydney Writers Festival show, Vivian Gornick reads from and talks about the writing of her latest book The Odd Woman and the City, about the nature (and freedom) of “oddness”, about the joy and vitality of New York City, about the literary self vs the living self, the conversation between life and literature, about the nature of factual truth and memory, about self-doubt and the stretch into discomfort that is a writer's work, about sitzfleish and speilkas, about the way in which she's a minimalist, about understanding the past, about her work in progress and the joy of re-reading, and lots more.
25:2423/05/2016
Dimitrios Ikonomou reads from and chats about The Diary of Norman K

Dimitrios Ikonomou reads from and chats about The Diary of Norman K

Author and scultor Dimitrios Ikonomou reads from his new novel The Diary of Norman K, and chats with Justin Goodman about his book and its origins, his characters, on having an unreliable narrator on an unreliable journey, on meta-fiction, on the relationship between his sculptures and his writing, on the quantum nature of memory, on role models, on being an outsider, the line between reality and perception, the signified and the signifier, and lots more.
37:3418/05/2016
Rebecca Starford on Bad Behaviour

Rebecca Starford on Bad Behaviour

In this special Newcastle Writers Festival episode, Rebecca Starford, the author of Bad Behaviour, reads from and talks about her memoir and how it came about, her "characters" and why she needed to revisit them, about the complex and fuzzy lines between bullying and being bullied, about the importance of being honest about her own character in the story, on the way writing about her experiences has open doors for others to talk more openly about their own, on coming of age and coming out, the latest news on the television option for the book, about her work in progress, and lots more.
32:0415/03/2016
Mark Flanagan on David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest and Infinite Winter

Mark Flanagan on David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest and Infinite Winter

Mark Flanagan is the founder and editor of Run Spot Run, and the instigator behind Infinite Winter, an online book club of hundreds of readers who have banded together to jointly read David Foster Wallace’s Infinite Jest in celebration of the book’s 20th anniversary.  In this episode of The Compulsive Reader Talks, we discuss Infinite Jest's timeless and ongoing appeal, what its like to group read it for the second time, the value of slow, attentive reading, about the guides and resources provided at Infinite Winter, about some of the more interesting things that have come out of his group reading, about what he's looking forward to, and lots more.
31:3903/03/2016
Christine Evans on Cloudless

Christine Evans on Cloudless

The author of Cloudless reads from and talks about her new verse novel Cloudless, her unique characters, the way the book came together, why she used verse, about the interlinking lives, about Perth in the 1980s, about the magic in her book (and her taste for Magic Realism), about the way time distorts, her work-in-progress, and lots more.
27:2410/12/2015
Martin Langford on his new book Ground

Martin Langford on his new book Ground

Martin Langford reads from his new poetry book Ground, and talks about his overarching principle of spaces places and the evolution of the book as a collection, about time and timelessness, about Australian history and how it plays out in Ground, about settlement and displacement, about Sydney and its layers, about eco-poetry and why his writing, though nature-rich, isn't, about  meta-poetry and the Kingfisher's, his next project, and lots more.
37:2127/10/2015
Jean Kent talks about The Hour of Silvered Mullet

Jean Kent talks about The Hour of Silvered Mullet

In this episode held live (complete with rich sound effects) from Lake Macquarie Pub, acclaimed poet Jean Kent reads from her new book The Hour of Silvered Mullet, and talks about the importance of scent, her settings, eco-poetics, the way in which the book came together, the conjunction between the ordinary (say, a mullet jumping out of the water) and the extraordinary, the inspiration for her poetic characters (especially Morag), on nostalgia or the way the past pulls us from the present, and lots more.
29:4513/09/2015
Carolyn Martinez talks about Finding Love

Carolyn Martinez talks about Finding Love

Carolyn Martinez, author of Inspiring IVF Stories and Finding Love: 7 Things you Need to Know Before You Date Again  reads from and talks about her new book, about her path to becoming an author, about her writing process, the most surprising response from readers, about her publishing house Hawkeye Publishing and the way it has grown beyond her two releases, the secret of her productivity, about the importance of communities and why she seems to create them around her, and lots more.
28:2717/08/2015
Ali Cobby Eckermann on her book Inside my Mother

Ali Cobby Eckermann on her book Inside my Mother

Ali Cobby Eckermann joins us to read from and talk about her latest poetry collection Inside my Mother, as well as the "My Mother's Heart" sesion at the Sydney Writers Festival, the many meanings of "mother", both personal, universal, and metaphoric, about language and its multiplicities, about the tension between the desire for independence and the hunger for the protection and love that mothers represent, about the abundant animals in her work, about sadness, anger, and healing, her work-in-progress, and lots more.
32:4910/08/2015
Lucy Dougan on The Guardians

Lucy Dougan on The Guardians

The author of The Guardans reads a number of poems from her book and talks about how it has has come together, about the key themes in the book: masks, the roles and genetics we inherit, about poetry as archeology, on animals, parenting, the "wild estate", on poetry as craft and craft as poetry, her new current project, and lots more.
33:5127/07/2015
Beth Spencer on Vagabondage

Beth Spencer on Vagabondage

Award winning novelist, poet and nonfiction writer Beth Spencer reads from and talks about her latest poetry book,Vagabondage.  In this candid conversation we discuss her own journey, the idea of "leaving no trace", about aging, displacement, homelessness, her writing processes, about giving up and then re-finding herself as a writer, verisimilitude and the poetic form, the value (and pain) of solitude and attention, about time's cyclical and mosaic quality and why poetry works so well to describe that, and much more.
33:4715/06/2015
Graham Stull on The Hydra

Graham Stull on The Hydra

The author of The Hydra reads from and talks about his new novel and where his ideas for it came from, about his biologist turned Frankenstein protagonist Brian Matterosi, on viral engineering, genre fiction, indie publishing, distopias, population and ecology, the relationship between economics and fiction, on multi-nationality, the shifting sands of 'truth' (and how that makes good fodder for fiction, a preview of his next novel The Fortune Teller, and lots more.
33:0208/06/2015
Ben Okri on The Age of Magic

Ben Okri on The Age of Magic

Ben Okri joins us live from the Sydney Writers Festival to read from and talk about his latest novel The Age of Magic and what inspired it, its characters, on the true nature of magic, on the book's themes incuding what Goethe calls des Pudels Kern (the real nature or deeper meaning of things), on transcendent knowledge and why we truly are living in an age of magic, on the value of slow reading, why we need new forms of fiction, his new poetry book Wild, on the relationship between writing poetry and writing prose, upcoming work, and lots more.  Note: this interview took place following Ben's Age of Magic Talk which I referred to several times in my interview.  The talk can be listened to in full here: http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/booksandarts/sydney-writers27-festival3a-ben-okri/6488934
26:4223/05/2015
Joan Schweighardt on The Accidental Art Thief

Joan Schweighardt on The Accidental Art Thief

The author of The Accidental Art Thief reads from and talks about her new novel and the inspiration for it, her quirky "under-the-radar" characters, her gorgeous Albuquerque setting, some of her key themes, on keeping secrets, her new work in progress, and lots more.
27:2917/05/2015
Philip Salom on Alterworld

Philip Salom on Alterworld

The author of Alterworld: Sky Poems, The Well Mouth, Alterworld reads from and talks about his new poetry collection and how it came together as a trio over 27 years, about his settings, the poetic afterlife, mythologies, the power of poetry, on black humour, his current work in progress, poetry and politics, and much more.
32:0517/02/2015
Masterchef Julie Goodwin on 20/20 Meals

Masterchef Julie Goodwin on 20/20 Meals

Masterchef and author of 20/20 Meals Julie Goodwin talks about her new cookbook, about her journey from being a keen home cook to becoming a Masterchef and of making a business out of cooking, about the way in which food is a key to understanding other cultures, about the importance of ordinary, daily cooking, about how she chose and tested the meals in the book, tips for getting kids to participate in cooking, about her new cooking school Julie's Place, about her singing, and lots more.
28:3007/11/2014
Jeri Kroll on Workshopping the Heart

Jeri Kroll on Workshopping the Heart

The author of Vanishing Point, and Workshopping the Heart reads from and talks about her latest books of poetry, about the transition from poetry to drama, the relationship between poetry and theatre, about her protagonist Diana, on writing about anorexia, about family damage and healing, on how the different books of poetry came together in Workshopping the Heart, about the relationship between the domestic and the universal, her new work and lots more.
32:5927/10/2014
Brooke Davis on Lost and Found

Brooke Davis on Lost and Found

Australian Book Industy Award Winner Brooke Davis reads from and talks about her novel Lost & Found, about her lovely, quirky characters, about writing a novel as PhD project and its impact on her work, about the intersection of grief and art, about disenfranchisement and loud voices, about notions of goodness and badness, about how she's dealing with the massive and atypical success of her first novel, about the nature of grief, and lots more.
33:4029/07/2014
Andy Kissane on Radiance

Andy Kissane on Radiance

The author of the poetry collection Radiance reads a selection of poems from his new book, talks about how the book came together as a collection, its structure and epitaphs, his themes, on being a "cricket poet", on hanging out with great, dead authors, about his character "The Moon", his current work-in-progressand lots more.
34:0123/06/2014
Interview with Carmel MacDonald Grahame

Interview with Carmel MacDonald Grahame

The author of Personal Effects reads from and talks about her novel and how the story came together, about the cyclical (and pieced together) nature of time in her book, about mosaic (pique assiette) and its role in the novel, about writing as craft, about her characters and the sacrifices they make, about the books themes, her new projects and lots more.
29:2926/05/2014
Vanessa Berry on Ninety 9

Vanessa Berry on Ninety 9

The author of Ninety 9 reads from and talks about her new book, about band t-shirts, growing up in the 1990s (and what has and hasn't changed), on the joy of 'zines, on the conjunction of the mythical and the domestic, on the power of capturing ephemera, her upcoming projects, and lots more.
28:4023/02/2014