It has been said that we’re in the grip of an anxiety epidemic. Pundits point to all manner of causes – inequality, social media, the gig economy, populist politics – but what are the true origins of this angst and what can be done to allay our

Leigh Sales: Any Ordinary Day

Sep 16th, 2019 52m 32s

In Any Ordinary Day, ABC 7.30’s anchor Leigh Sales investigates how ordinary people endure the unthinkable. Her widely acclaimed book weaves together stories of those who have survived everything from natural disasters to terrorism – and even L

Alison Whittaker: Blakwork

Sep 3rd, 2019 1h 1m

Gomeroi writer and Fulbright scholar Alison Whittaker melds memoir, reportage, fiction, satire and critique in her fearless collection Blakwork, which was shortlisted for a Victorian Premier’s Literary Award. She speaks with ABC RN’s Daniel Bro

Is Russia the Enemy We’ve Come to Believe?

Aug 6th, 2019 52m 50s

We are used to vehemently decrying Putin’s domestic and foreign actions, but have we begun to exaggerate the Russian threat, fuelling hatred, suspicion and sowing misunderstanding? Is it time we re-evaluate our expectation that Russia will beha

Behrouz Boochani: No Friend but the Mountains

May 23rd, 2019 52m 28s

Winner of the 2019 Victorian Premier's Prize for Non-Fiction and the Victorian Prize for Literature, Behrouz Boochani is a Kurdish–Iranian journalist and refugee who has been detained by our government on Manus Island since 2013. Behrouz spoke

Angela Saini: Inferior: How Science Got Women Wrong

Sep 27th, 2018 57m 6s

In Inferior: How Science Got Women Wrong, award-winning journalist and former BBC reporter Angela Saini sets out to understand exactly what differences do or don’t exist in how men and women think and feel. She examines everything from how scie

Gay for Page

Aug 3rd, 2018 55m 41s

Sally Rugg welcomes some of the Festival’s most esteemed guests for a celebration of iconic queer literature. From Maggie Nelson'sThe Argonauts to Jeanette Winterson's Sexing the Cherry, join Yrsa Daley-Ward, Masha Gessen, Eileen Myles, Carmen

Recognise

Aug 2nd, 2018 1h 2m

In the media, literature and the arts, Indigenous Australians are frequently portrayed as being powerless victims, with opinion leaders being quick to assume knowledge about Aboriginal status in modern society. In this captivating and lively di

Pamela Paul: By The Book

Feb 6th, 2018 1h 2m

Can you remember every book you’ve read? Pamela Paul can. For 28 years, the editor of the New York Times Book Review has been keeping a journal of every book she’s read. Called ‘Bob’, it faithfully catalogues her life as a reader. Author and fo

Ivan Coyote: Tomboy Survival Guide

Jan 28th, 2018 59m 28s

Catch celebrated storyteller Ivan Coyote in full flight as they chat to Amelia Lush about Tomboy Survival Guide, a warm and winning memoir of growing up outside the usual gender labels.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Annabel Crabb and Leigh Sales: Our Reading Year

Nov 22nd, 2017 59m 49s

Acclaimed journalists by day, keen readers by night, the beloved double act of Annabel Crabb and Leigh Sales has charmed Australia with their podcast Chat 10 Looks 3 and their TV show When I Get A Minute. The pair share an unmistakable chemistr

Jamie Morton: My Dad Wrote a Porno

Jun 23rd, 2017 57m 56s

What do you do when, one Christmas, your father hands you his terrible, self-published erotic novel? If you’re Jamie Morton, you create a comedy podcast entitled My Dad Wrote a Porno and read it chapter by chapter to a delighted global audience

Bob Brown — On Optimism

Mar 30th, 2017 32m 38s

Bob Brown may have made his reputation as a senator and leader of the Greens, but his achievements and passions started much earlier and continue to grow. His recently released Green Nomads is a photographic journey of Australia's magnificent B

SWF Gala: The Book That Saved Me

Jun 3rd, 2016 1h 27m

For both writers and readers, there is an alchemical power in literature that can bring solace, wisdom, laughter and tears. Some of the world’s most acclaimed authors took to the stage during the 2016 Sydney Writers' Festival to share the books

Give Me Back My Pre-Internet Brain

Sep 8th, 2015 1h 2m

Does leaving your smart phone at home make you feel panicked? Maybe its absence feels like a guilty pleasure. Today, a life without the internet is like a life without reality. We have taught our brains to expect connectedness, instantaneous an

Daniel Mendelsohn and David Malouf on the Classics

Jul 6th, 2015 59m 45s

American memoirist and critic Daniel Mendelsohn and Australian writer and poet David Malouf share a deep appreciation for the classics. The pair sat down to muse on why ancient narratives hold such power, the key elements of artistic longevity,

Rate