Sydney Writers' Festival

Hear two celebrated Australian writers discuss their heart-rending and lyrically drawn new novels with writer and podcaster Nicole Abadee. Globally bestselling author Nikki Gemmell offers insights into The Ripping Tree, her gripping novel of survival that examines the dark heart of early colonisation in characteristically evocative prose. Miles Franklin Award winner Sofie Laguna talks about Infinite Splendours, an incandescent tale of art and nature, and the lasting impact of childhood trauma.  Please note, this podcast episode contains discussion of sensitive subjects some listeners may find distressing, including domestic violence and sexual assault.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Award-winning author Nam Le (The Boat) speaks with Rebecca Giggs about her narrative non-fiction debut Fathoms – a powerful, surprising and compelling view of some of the most urgent issues of our times. “What I love about Fathoms is its language: the wonder in it, and of it,” said Nam. “I found it a book of rare beauty and ambition.” Enjoy this poetic and immersive discussion into the art of writing about the world and those animals that magnetise our imaginations and which we fill with stories.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After last year’s devastating bushfires brought the climate crisis home for many Australians, calls for action were soon drowned out by the COVID-19 pandemic. Hear a panel of our sharpest minds draw focus to the growing spectre of global warming, unpack the political roadblocks and consider how to achieve real progress. Featuring journalist Paddy Manning (Body Count: How climate change is killing us), documentarian Craig Reucassel of The Chaser (Fight for Planet A), and Walkley Award–winning journalist Marian Wilkinson (The Carbon Club), in conversation with author, researcher and broadcaster Rebecca Huntley (How to Talk About Climate Change in a Way That Makes a Difference). See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hear a panel of leading technology experts discuss the "horrifying, beautiful, wonderful, terrifying reality of big tech” (Rae Johnston). Together, they tackle questions about who owns what on the internet, the right to privacy, digital threats to democracy, Australia’s legislative showdown with Silicon Valley, the sinister impact of the algorithm and more. Award-winning STEM journalist and proud Wiradjuri woman Rae Johnston speaks with tech reporter Angharad Yeo, cyber policy analyst Ariel Bogle, Reset Australia Executive Director Chris Cooper and Technology Editor for The Australian Financial Review Paul Smith about the role of big tech in our lives – online and off.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mehreen Faruqi (Too Migrant, Too Muslim, Too Loud) was the first Muslim woman to become a senator in Australia. A life-long feminist and anti-racism activist, she received the Edna Ryan Grand Stirrer Award in 2017, which recognises those who boldly challenge the status quo. Osman Faruqi is the Editor of 7am, Schwartz Media’s daily news podcast. Previously a reporter with the ABC, he’s an award-winning, respected and fearless commentator and has his first book – on race relations in Australia – on the way. He is also Mehreen’s son. Sally Rugg (How Powerful We Are) leads this riveting conversation on politics, media – and some affectionate roasting – between two grand stirrers.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Meg Mason (Sorrow and Bliss) and Ewa Ramsey (The Morbids) wrote two of the biggest literary hits of the past twelve months, with novels acclaimed for their razor-sharp wit and canny sense of humour. Meg’s Sorrow and Bliss circles the breakdown of a marriage, retracing a history of hurts, failures and disappointments to manage a path through family and selfhood. And Ewa’s titular ‘Morbids’ are a support group for people with death anxiety. Her novel follows a member of the group, Caitlin, as she comes to terms with her past and learns to start living again. Meg and Ewa discuss their novels that both explore the nuances of mental illness with compassion and a dry sense of humour with The Guardian’s Bridie Jabour. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Greatly missed on TV screens, the nation’s favourite film critics Margaret Pomeranz and David Stratton reunite in this special conversation on Australian movie adaptations of books. The famously sparring duo settle back into their critics’ chairs to discuss and debate Neil Armfield’s Candy (starring Heath Ledger and Abbie Cornish), Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby, Simon Baker’s Breath (based on Tim Winton’s Miles Franklin Award–winning novel of the same name), Bruce Beresford’s Ladies in Black, Robert Connolly’s The Dry and Peter Weir’s classic Picnic at Hanging Rock. Discover which films Margaret and David believe did justice to the original text, bested the books or lost their lustre when transposed from page to screen.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Beloved author Christos Tsiolkas speaks with Jessie Tu about her debut novel, A Lonely Girl is a Dangerous Thing, a story of female desire and the consequences of wanting too much and never getting it. “As soon as I started reading Jessie Tu’s A Lonely Girl is a Dangerous Thing, it was like a drug rush,” said Christos. “I experienced what all of us who love reading desire: to hear a voice – bold and coherent – that we have not heard before. I was elated.” Enjoy this wide-ranging conversation reflecting on respecting the ones who came before, a shared love of American fiction, writing about anger and the craft of storytelling.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you find yourself in dire straits, whether or not you’re rescued may come down to where you are in the world. One of the great international divides, the duty to rescue others is a truly curious product of common law. Continental Europe: you’re obligated to reasonably help, no matter how late you’re running. In the UK...carry on. Throughout his career as a solicitor, barrister and politician, Bernard Collaery (Oil Under Troubled Water) has been a fearless advocate for human rights, specialising in litigation in some of Australia’s highest profile catastrophic personal injury cases. In this Curiosity Lecture, hear Bernard explore where Australia sits on this legal sliding scale of saving. This session was recorded live outside at the Blacksmiths’ Workshop, Carriageworks for Sydney Writers' Festival 2021. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Extraordinary times call for extraordinary leadership, but as the planet warms and the pandemic persists, democracies are faltering and true accountability seems somewhat lacking. Triple J Hack’s Shalailah Medhora leads a panel of renowned journalists in a conversation ranging from how governments do (and don’t) take responsibility when things go bad to accountability in the face of reporting sexual misconduct and leaders’ divergent responses to COVID-19. Ultimately, they ask: who’s in charge? And where does the buck stop? Featuring The Guardian’s David Marr, The Sydney Morning Herald’s Kate McClymont (Dead Man Walking) and The Monthly’s Nick Feik. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Australia’s unofficial poet laureate Paul Kelly has spent a career putting words to – and making poetry of – our lives. His ‘mongrel memoir’ How to Make Gravy was described as “a manual on how to look at things, how to pay attention” (Australian Book Review) while his anthology Love is Strong as Death collects those poems that inspire and challenge him – and in turn, inspire us. Paul joins Wiradjuri and Kamilaroi writer Stan Grant (With the Falling of the Dusk) for a memorable conversation about the role of literature and poetry in their lives and the power of a story sung well.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Getting lost in a book is more than just a turn of phrase; a great read can transport us to continents and cultures far beyond our own. In lieu of travel, what books can we count on to carry us across the globe or to different times? Join a panel of renowned guests and literary travellers as they celebrate the escapist joys of reading and reveal the writers they rely on to whisk them away from their reading nooks to far-flung locales. Featuring Tegan Bennett Daylight, Richard Fidler, Heather Rose and Maxine Beneba Clarke in conversation with ABC RN’s Kate Evans. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Exploring who you are takes a lot of courage. Yuin writer Gary Lonesborough’s first book The Boy from the Mish is a funny and big-hearted queer Indigenous young adult novel set in a rural Australian community. It’s a branch of hope extended to teenagers who think they’re alone. Benjamin Law speaks to Gary about this beautifully written story about finding love – and yourself. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

‘Guwayu’ is a Wiradjuri word meaning ‘still and yet and for all times’. Guwayu – For All Times is a groundbreaking collection of 63 poems from 36 First Nations poets in 12 First Nations languages. Commissioned by Red Room Poetry, this collection – 16 years in the making – is an exquisite expression of living First Nations culture, with the diversity of languages represented unprecedented in publishing. Hear from the remarkable poets and contributors to the anthology, Ellen van Neerven, Nardi Simpson, Kirli Saunders and Joel Davison, in conversation with ABC Radio National’s Daniel Browning. Presented in partnership with Red Room Poetry. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Although one in five Australians live with disability, people with disabilities remain under-represented in our literature. Growing Up Disabled in Australia is an urgent anthology of first-person stories described by The Sydney Morning Herald as “gripping the reader by the collar while pulling the rug out from under their feet”. Hear from four of the collection’s contributors – Fiona Murphy, Alistair Baldwin, Gayle Kennedy and Belinda Downes – as they speak with its editor, Carly Findlay, about navigating disability and what it means to be regarded as ‘different’.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.