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Sydney Writers" Festival

Sydney Writers" Festival

Australia"s largest celebration of literature, stories and ideas. Bringing together the world"s best authors, leading public intellectuals, scientists, journalists and more. Subscribe to our channel for new releases.

society & culture books

All Episodes

56:30

Bringing the Past to Life

Sydney Writers" Festival ·

2023/11/16

In skilled hands, historical fiction brings the past to life in surprising ways. It also helps us make sense of our present, and even offers foreknowledge of the future. Hear from some of the country’s finest writers of historical novels – Geraldine Brooks (Horse), Pip Williams (The Bookbinder of Jericho) and emerging talent Sally Colin-James (One Illumined Thread) – as they discuss the past as prologue and how they convincingly intertwine fact and fiction in their work. Hosted by ABC RN’s The

en-AU

51:55

Markus Zusak: Bringing The Messenger to the Screen

Sydney Writers" Festival ·

2023/11/14

Before Markus Zusak became an international bestseller with The Book Thief, he wrote and published the award-winning novel The Messenger. The story of a Sydney taxi driver’s extraordinary adventures, it has now been brought to television by the ABC. In this conversation about the joys and challenges of taking a beloved work of fiction to the screen, Markus is joined by award-winning executive producer and writer Sarah Lambert (Lambs of God, The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart). Film and TV critic Wenlei

en-AU

71:52

Gabrielle Zevin: Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow

Sydney Writers" Festival ·

2023/11/10

A dazzling love letter to gaming and friendship, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by American novelist Gabrielle Zevin has become a word-of-mouth bestseller across the globe. It follows two university friends who become creative partners in a brilliantly imagined world of video game design, where success brings fame, joy and tragedy. Gabrielle chats with Melanie Kembrey about her lifelong love of gaming, what her novel reveals about the importance of play and the many ways we forge human

en-AU

60:37

Climate Hope

Sydney Writers" Festival ·

2023/11/07

Weary of nonstop climate doom? Listen to a trio of environmental experts examine promising developments, signs of hope and viable solutions for a greener, more sustainable future. Climate scientist Joëlle Gergis (Humanity’s Moment: A Climate Scientist’s Case for Hope), inventor and scientist Saul Griffith (The Big Switch), and environmental advocate Claire O’Rourke (Together We Can: Everyday Australian’s doing amazing things to give our planet a future) offer an empowering vision for stemming the

en-AU

56:16

Richard Fidler: The Book of Roads & Kingdoms

Sydney Writers" Festival ·

2023/11/02

Much-loved Conversations host and bestselling author Richard Fidler delves into The Book of Roads & Kingdoms, an account of medieval wanderers who travelled to the edges of the known world during Islam’s fabled Golden Age. He joins Nicole Abadee to discuss the work hailed by The Sydney Morning Herald as “a bewitching tale consisting of stories within stories that radically tilts the Western reader’s perspective, revealing a world when all roads led to Baghdad”. This episode was recorded live at

en-AU

52:35

Alexis Wright: Praiseworthy

Sydney Writers" Festival ·

2023/10/31

Hear from Miles Franklin Award–winning Carpentaria novelist and Waanyi nation woman Alexis Wright as she talks about her latest novel, Praiseworthy. Set in a small Australian town beset by a haze cloud that heralds both an ecological catastrophe and a gathering of ancestors, the story is rendered with the richness of language and scale of imagery for which Alexis is renowned. Alexis speaks with Ivor Indyk about a timely fable for the end of days. Alexis Wright appears thanks to the support of Sam

en-AU

57:49

Trent Dalton: Lola in the Mirror

Sydney Writers" Festival ·

2023/10/26

[Content warning: Domestic violence] Award-winning and bestselling author Trent Dalton has captured readers with books like Boy Swallows Universe, All Our Shimmering Skies and Love Stories. He has made us laugh, and made us cry, but above all, he has drawn us in to his unique world of storytelling. His new novel, Lola in the Mirror, is a darkly funny and beautiful story of life, death and a country neck-deep in a housing crisis. Trent talks about his work's progression from page to stage and screen

en-AU

59:11

Life in the Landscape

Sydney Writers" Festival ·

2023/10/24

Hear from acclaimed storytellers Robbie Arnott, Fiona McFarlane and James McKenzie Watson about their beautiful novels, which chart very different lives set against unmistakably Australian backdrops. Robbie’s Limberlost tells the story of a man’s journey through life, while evoking Tasmania’s diverse natural habitat. Fiona’s The Sun Walks Down unfurls the narrative of a missing child in 1883 South Australia, depicting the distinct landscape and unsettling history of the Flinders Ranges. James

en-AU

58:27

Wisdom of the Ages

Sydney Writers" Festival ·

2023/10/17

[Content warning: discussions of mental health and suicide] How can we apply the wisdom of the ages to modern living? This is the question at the heart of books by Worimi storyteller Paul Callaghan and journalist and author Brigid Delaney. Paul’s The Dreaming Path: Indigenous Thinking to Change Your Life reveals the power of Indigenous spirituality as a deep source of contentment and wellbeing, while Brigid’s Reasons Not to Worry examines how ancient Stoic principles can help us regain a sense of

en-AU

59:57

Sophie Cunningham and Gail Jones

Sydney Writers" Festival ·

2023/10/13

The latest novels of celebrated writers Sophie Cunningham and Gail Jones explore the lives of extraordinary artistic figures at turning points in history. Sophie’s This Devastating Fever interweaves the lives of Leonard and Virginia Woolf and the Bloomsbury Set with modern-day climate change disasters. Gail’s acclaimed Salonika Burning imagines how the stories of famous figures who served in the first world war, including author Miles Franklin and painters Grace Pailthorpe and Stanley Spencer, may

en-AU

54:17

Performing Lives

Sydney Writers" Festival ·

2023/10/10

A panel of fascinating figures discuss their new memoirs and what it means to live a creative life – on stage, on screen, or in journalism. Mawunyo Gbogbo’s Hip Hop & Hymns recounts growing up African Australian and forging a media career via New York. Shane Jenek’s Caught in the Act charts his hard-won journey to fame as drag artist Courtney Act. Heather Mitchell’s Everything and Nothing depicts the light and shade that co-exist in love, family and the arts. They talk with host Maeve

en-AU

58:34

Don Watson: The Passion of Private White

Sydney Writers" Festival ·

2023/10/06

One of the great Australian writers, Don Watson has done much to hold a mirror up to the nation. His latest title, The Passion of Private White, tells the true story of an anthropologist and Vietnam veteran, Neville White who has devoted fifty years to the Yolngu clans of the Donydji homeland in north-east Arnhem Land; at once mapping and recording their culture, law, lands and languages and helping them build a successful community – one precariously poised between their traditions and European

en-AU

55:43

Home Comforts

Sydney Writers" Festival ·

2023/10/03

Home cooking is at the heart of our food cultures and brings a comfort that can satisfy our physical and emotional needs. Join a panel of celebrated chefs and writers as they discuss their own home cooking, compare comfort dishes and consider the rich conversation between time-honoured ways of preparing meals and the sometimes-showy food culture of today. Featuring restaurateur Durkhanai Ayubi (Parwana: Recipes and Stories from an Afghan Kitchen), prize-winning chef Rosheen Kaul (Chinese-ish), cook

en-AU

56:16

In Praise of Difficult Women

Sydney Writers" Festival ·

2023/09/28

Admonished or admired for their moxie, ‘difficult women’ make themselves heard, challenge the status quo and shun gendered notions of niceness. In this panel event, two authors reflect on the difficult women who grace the pages of their books, sometimes with no grace at all. What makes these characters so striking? And why do we need them in the world? Anne Casey-Hardy (Cautionary Tales for Excitable Girls) and Fiona Kelly McGregor (Iris) share the stage with interviewer Sophie Cunningham. This

en-AU

59:22

André Dao & Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai

Sydney Writers" Festival ·

2023/09/26

Bestselling author Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai and debut Australian author André Dao come together to discuss their new books in which the tumult of Vietnamese history converges with the present day. The follow-up to The Mountains Sing, Quế Mai’s Dust Child is a suspenseful saga of family secrets, hidden trauma and the overriding power of forgiveness. André’s Anam moves through a series of displacements from Hanoi to Paris and Melbourne to explore themes of memory, colonialism, inheritance and belonging

en-AU

56:51

In Conversation: Anthony Joseph

Sydney Writers" Festival ·

2023/09/21

Trinidadian-British poet, novelist and musician Anthony Joseph was awarded the prestigious T.S. Eliot Prize in 2022 for Sonnets for Albert. A series of elegies to his mostly absent father, it explores the wider edges of Caribbean masculinity, loss and longing, drawing praise from the judges as “a luminous collection which celebrates humanity in all its contradictions and breathes new life into this enduring form.” Hear from Anthony as he discusses his craft and career, spanning five poetry

en-AU

50:26

Kate Legge: Infidelity and Other Affairs

Sydney Writers" Festival ·

2023/09/19

Award-winning journalist Kate Legge discusses her search for answers after she learned of her husband’s affair, as chronicled in her memoir, Infidelity and Other Affairs. She reflects on a journey that led to the discovery of a fault line of betrayal spanning generations, and the ensuing path to healing. Kate is in conversation with Ailsa Piper. This episode was recorded live at the 2023 Sydney Writers’ Festival. If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and follow our channel. Sydney Writers’

en-AU

55:25

In Love With Romance

Sydney Writers" Festival ·

2023/09/14

Can’t get enough romance literature in your life? Join bestselling historical fantasy romance author Freya Marske (A Restless Truth), acclaimed debut novelist Saman Shad (The Matchmaker) and Wiradjuri councillor turned fiction-writer Yvonne Weldon (Sixty-Seven Days) for a panel event that reveals the thrills, spills and secrets of penning page-turning love stories that bring fresh life to the genre while making our hearts beat a little faster. They chat with ABC radio host and self-professed romance

en-AU

54:30

Doing Nothing and Saving Time

Sydney Writers" Festival ·

2023/09/12

In the inspiring field guide to dropping out of the attention economy, How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy, artist and The New York Times–bestselling author Jenny Odell extolled the value of rest as resistance in a culture that always expects us to be productive. In conversation with Jess Scully she takes the discussion further and introduces her new book Saving Time: Discovering a Life Beyond the Clock which makes a radical argument about our concept of time and offers a hopeful

en-AU

58:54

Colson Whitehead: Harlem Shuffle

Sydney Writers" Festival ·

2023/09/07

After penning the Pulitzer Prize–winning novels The Underground Railroad and The Nickel Boys, American author Colson Whitehead set out to write a trilogy of stories centred on a furniture salesman-turned-crook named Ray Carney. The first in the series, Harlem Shuffle, is a hugely entertaining tale of race, power and the history of New York in the guise of a page-turning heist novel. Join Colson in conversation with Michael Williams about the book and its forthcoming follow up, Crook Manifesto, which

en-AU

190 results

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