Sydney Writers' Festival

Top End Girl is the rollicking and thought-provoking memoir from actor, activist and writer Miranda Tapsell, spanning the world from Kakadu to Cannes. It captures her love of Darwin and the Tiwi Islands, and a childhood of barely seeing herself represented on screen. Miranda talks about how she built a stellar career, shooting to fame in The Sapphires and then, as an award-winning actor, decided to change what she saw on screen herself. ABC Radio National’s Daniel Browning joins the writer and star of Top End Wedding to discuss a ripping yarn that holds up a mirror to Australian society and its prejudices. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sweatshop: Western Sydney Literacy Movement presents the second issue of its critically acclaimed literary journal Sweatshop Women, Australia’s first anthology of short stories, essays and poems produced entirely by women of colour. Celebrate with readings from some of Australia’s most exciting Indigenous and culturally diverse writers. Introduced by anthology editor and Sweatshop general manager Winnie Dunn, celebrate its release with readings from Phoebe Grainer, Sara Saleh, Sydnye Allen, Janette Chen and Maryam Azam. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the past decade of climate and energy warfare in Australian federal politics, Malcolm Turnbull – the nation’s 29th prime minister – is the only leader to have lost his job over the issue twice. In his new memoir, A Bigger Picture, Turnbull reflects upon the state of political reform and delivers his own, candid account of his time in politics and the action-packed career in law, media and business that preceded it. Malcolm Turnbull speaks with Annabel Crabb. This podcast is a recording of our live-streamed event. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Join Annabel Crabb and Sydney Writers' Festival Artistic Director Michaela McGuire for a special unveiling of the 2020 Festival program. Like "unwrapping the greatest Christmas present ever", Michaela unravels this year's uncannily prescient theme, introduces the Festival's guest curators and the acclaimed writers in the Opening Address, and discusses some of the events she's most excited about. Prepare to have a reading list a mile long after listening.  Please note: The 2020 Sydney Writers' Festival has been cancelled since publishing this podcast. View the full statement at swf.org.au. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bestselling author Yanis Varoufakis (And the Weak Suffer What They Must?, Talking to My Daughter) and rock-star economist shares his forward-thinking views on the challenges facing European democracy and the universal truths they tell about the state of global politics in conversation with George Megalogenis. After entering politics during the Greek financial crisis in 2015, Yanis quickly became one of the most relevant and radical political figures of our times. The former Greek finance minister and self-described ‘libertarian Marxist’ is globally recognised for his progressive politics and divisive opinions on democracy, liberty and capitalism – and his excoriating attacks on the international economic establishment. In 2016, Yanis took on the growing far-right movement in Europe by co-founding the Democracy in Europe Movement 2025 (DiEM25). The pan-European cross-border group offers “European solutions to European problems” from debt to poverty, and tackles toxic nationalism and xenophobia. The group was elected into Greek parliament in July 2019. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In an age when you can be sacked for an inflammatory Twitter post, people are asked to sign ‘morality clauses’, and media ownership remains in the hands of a select few, it seems that the powerful are increasingly able to redraw the boundaries of free speech. Guardian Australia columnist and Trigger Warnings author Jeff Sparrow argues that in an economy in which our labour is the prime commodity, employers and the powers that be are more able than ever to monitor individual expression, making free speech a crucial industrial issue. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Little Girl on the Ice Floe author Adélaïde Bon explores a topic that has long fascinated her: the history of witches. Beginning with the witch-hunts of the Renaissance, she considers how depictions of witches have evolved, examining nasty archetypes portrayed by writers like Roald Dahl, and their counterparts as imagined by the likes of Babette Cole. Adélaïde explains how witches have empowered her, and how writing itself is like brewing potions with words. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the co-founder of Lonely Planet, Tony Wheeler has inspired generations of intrepid travellers to explore the four corners of the planet. But in an age where travel is more accessible than ever, what does it really mean to have been ‘everywhere’? Join Tony as he reflects on the most accomplished adventurers he knows, the unticked destinations on his wish list, and the challenges and rewards of visiting some of the world’s more remote and difficult destinations. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From the Oscars and the Grammys to international book awards, the decisions – and ethics – behind accolades are a constant topic of debate. As Executive Director of the organisation behind America’s prestigious National Book Awards, Lisa Lucas has thought about these issues more than most. Join her for a compelling talk on the challenges of measuring success, committing to real cultural change when it comes to diversity and inclusion, and the relationship between literary excellence and literary popularity. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Acclaimed No Country Woman author Zoya Patel takes a dive into the enduring cultural phenomenon of the ‘token ethnic friend’. She examines how the entertainment industry continues to pay lip-service to diversity, looking through the lens of characters of colour including Lane Kim from Gilmore Girls and Dionne from Clueless. She also looks at how, when the tables are flipped in movies like Bend it Like Beckham, a white cast member can be afforded more screen time and agency. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of America’s newest literary stars, Bryan Washington (Lot) looks to Haruki Murakami and other modern storytellers to explore how surreal elements enrich the narratives of everyday life and magnify its strangeness. He connects Murakami’s structurally loose novels (Kafka on the Shore) and those where he keeps a steady hand (Norwegian Wood) with contemporary stories on page and screen. He particularly focuses on those stories with minority protagonists – including Atlanta and Coco – where fantastical elements add feeling and weight. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kerry O’Brien, A Memoir is an honest and intimate account of the upheavals and personalities who made history during Kerry’s five-decade journalistic career. It includes memorable encounters with everyone from Thatcher to Obama, reflections on the 13 prime ministers he has seen come and go, and insights into the powerful people he called to account without fear or favour. In conversation with ABC Radio’s Philip Clark, Kerry discusses the greatest joys and toughest moments of his career, and appraises the state of play in Canberra today. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In an age of untruth, facts have become more valuable than ever before. But what kind of work goes into making sure facts are right, who do reporters, writers and editors turn to, and how do they verify the reliability of sources? Furthermore, where should the line be drawn between fact and fable when history is fictionalised on page and screen? Journalist Kate Wild gets to the heart of matters with RMIT ABC Fact Check Director Russell Skelton, bestselling historian Antony Beevor and writer and filmmaker Anna Broinowski. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While most think of Australia as a successful democracy underpinned by liberal values, it’s increasingly clear that we may not be immune from the global rise of xenophobic and nativist forces. Some are concerned that populism is pulling the Liberal Party and sections of our media to the right and will have implications for years to come. Associate Professor David Blaazer speaks with The Rise of the Right author and one-time Liberal Party adviser Greg Barns, writer for the ABC and Guardian Australia Jennine Khalik, former Greens senator Scott Ludlam and political writer George Megalogenis about the issue. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Literary star Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah and acclaimed author of The Flamethrowers Rachel Kushner didn’t shy away from taking on big issues – inequality, racism and a faulty justice system – in their fearless bestselling books: Friday Black and The Mars Room. They speak with the National Book Foundation’s Lisa Lucas to discuss the influence and scope of storytelling and how fiction can be used to connect readers to real-world issues. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.