Presenter Mel Cranenburgh winds up 4 years of presenting Backstory today, and joining her are two highly accomplished authors. First, Phillipa (Pip) McGuinness discusses her book 'Skin Deep', which deals with beauty, ageing, health, illness, an

Robert Lukins

Mar 16th, 2022 44m 42s

'Loveland' follows the story of May, who travels from Australia to Loveland, Nebraska to claim a house on a poisoned lake as a part of her grandmother's will. As she seeks to escape her controlling husband and repair the old house, the secrets

Natasha Sholl

Mar 9th, 2022 41m 29s

'Found, Wanting' is author Natasha Sholl's memoir about attempting to rebuild her life in the aftermath of her partner Rob's sudden death at the age of 27 years old and deal with cultural assumptions and expectations about the "right way" to gr

Melissa Manning

Mar 2nd, 2022 44m 25s

Winner of the Victorian Premier's Literary Award for fiction, 'Smokehouse' is a collection of interlinked short stories all set in a small-town community in Southern Tasmania. Author Melissa Manning's book follows a fundamental point of change

Omar Sakr

Feb 23rd, 2022 49m 41s

Author and award-winning poet Omar Sakr discusses his debut novel ‘Son of Sin’. This coming-of-age story follows a young queer Muslim boy as he contends with an intergenerational legacy of family ties and ruptures. The novel explores faith, the

Omar Sakr

Feb 23rd, 2022 48m 24s

Vanessa Len

Feb 9th, 2022 21m 58s

Vanessa Len chats to Mel about her debut novel ‘Only A Monster’, a gripping young adult fantasy that is the first of a trilogy. It follows the tumultuous journey of a half-human, half-monster heroine who, after learning a secret that unravels h

Jessica Au

Feb 2nd, 2022 37m 25s

‘Cold Enough For Snow’ is Jessica Au’s tightly crafted, award-winning second novel that wrestles with the tension that comes with words unspoken. As mother and daughter travel through Japan together, the unbridgeable emotional distance between

Diana Reid

Nov 24th, 2021 26m 57s

Australian author Diana Reid delves into her debut novel ‘Love & Virtue’. The novel introduces Michaela and Eve, two fellow college students in Sydney who come to know the privilege, power and male-dominated culture that wreak havoc in such ins

Hannah Kent

Nov 17th, 2021 31m 42s

Award-winning writer of ‘Burial Rites' and 'The Good People’, Hannah Kent, gives thoughtful insight into her latest novel, ‘Devotion’. Her lush descriptions of nature, religion, land, ghosts and queerness intertwine with the power of love, as w

Delia Falconer

Nov 10th, 2021 35m 16s

Walkley Award-winning author Delia Falconer chats about her fourth book, ‘Signs and Wonders, Dispatches from a time of beauty and loss’. Comprising thirteen essays, it delves deeply into the human impact on the climate crisis, whilst appreciati

Emily Bitto

Nov 3rd, 2021 30m 21s

Stella Award-winning novelist, Emily Bitto delves into her new novel ‘Wild Abandon’. It follows Will, as he journeys to America in an attempt to mend his broken heart and hopefully find some peace and wisdom along the way. The trip takes surpri

Michelle de Kretser

Oct 27th, 2021 35m

In her latest book, two-time Miles Franklin award winner, Michelle de Kretser explores the ‘Scary Monsters’ of racism and misogyny. It follows two distinct novellas based in different times and places, though linked by migrant experiences. Out

In Conversation with Tony Birch

Oct 20th, 2021 52m 53s

Award-winning author of nine books; poet, essayist, historian and activist, Tony Birch joins Mel for a special ‘In Conversation’ event about his latest book, ‘Dark as Last Night’. It is a collection of short stories, encapsulating the complex l

Krissy Kneen

Oct 13th, 2021 41m 33s

In her seventh book, ‘The Three Burials of Lottie Kneen’, Krissy Kneen introduces her late grandmother and family matriarch, Lotty Kneen. Her passing sparked Krissy’s quest to uncover more about her family. Using prose, poetry and imagery, Kris

Jacquie Byron

Oct 6th, 2021 32m 2s

In Jacquie Byron’s debut novel ‘Happy Hour’, we peer through the lens of 65-year old, newly-widowed Franny as she alternately revels in artistry and aloneness. Despite her escapist tendencies, her need for community evolves and she finds solace

Miles Allinson

Sep 29th, 2021 39m 43s

Miles Allinson’s second novel, ‘In Moonland’ explores three timelines that draw on seeking answers to their past and grappling with a turbulent future. It's the follow-up to his highly acclaimed debut novel 'Fever of Animals'. Both novels are o

Mark Brandi

Aug 25th, 2021 39m 45s

Award-winning author Mark Brandi explores his new psychological thriller, ‘The Others’. Tensions rise in isolated rural Tasmania, as 11-year old Jacob’s curiosity and desire to discover what lies beyond his restricted world, boils to the surfac

Amani Haydar

Aug 18th, 2021 37m 23s

Artist, lawyer and women’s health and safety activist, Amani Haydar, gives a confronting and powerful insight into her memoir, ‘The Mother Wound’. After losing her mother and grandmother, she divulges the brutal terrain in building resilience a

Allee Richards

Aug 11th, 2021 43m 33s

Introducing her debut novel, 'Small Joys of Real Life' Allee Richards talks us through the nuts and bolts of her writing. Set amongst pre-pandemic Melbourne, the novel explores how life can take us on unplanned journeys, which inevitably shape

Michael Mohammed Ahmad

Aug 4th, 2021 43m 9s

Award-winning novelist Michael Muhammad Ahmed provides insight into how he went about writing his new novel, ‘The Other Half of You’. Caught between his desire to reject oppressive traditions and live on his own terms, we peer into lead charact

Laura Elizabeth Woollett

Jul 28th, 2021 37m 35s

In her third and latest novel ‘The Newcomer’, Laura Elizabeth Woollett intertwines fiction and reality. Deriving elements from a real murder in 2002, she brings us into a fictional Fairfolk island filled with unanswered questions. Out now throu

Larissa Behrendt

Jul 14th, 2021 41m 52s

Award-winning author Larissa Behrendt takes a deep dive into her new novel, After Story. It follows a mother and daughter as they grapple with grief and loss, while reflecting on their cultural history through a literary tour. The book is out n

Sarah Krasnostein

Jun 30th, 2021 44m 38s

Award-winning author of ‘The Trauma Cleaner’, Sarah Krasnostein, weaves us through her new book ‘The Believer’. From a death doula to a ghost hunter, to a woman facing death and another woman released from prison, we follow six peoples’ stories

Rick Morton

Jun 16th, 2021 43m 33s

Journalist Rick Morton combines memoir with journalism in ‘My Year of Living Vulnerably: A Rediscovery of Love’. Whilst reflecting on childhood trauma and its resounding impact into adulthood, the book also explores loneliness and masculinity.