In her interview Melissa revealed that she felt her previous novel ‘Mullumbimby’ was too accessible, and in this new novel she wanted her characters to be perhaps a little less likeable, a little more desperate. They are certainly dealing with desperate situations. For her protagonist, the only way up in life is to fight his way through – literally.
Recorded at Byron Writers Festival 2018
Naturally the first thing I asked Ali Alizadeh was what he felt he had to add to the enormous canon of books, films and plays, that have been written about this real but almost semi mythical historical woman. He believes he really has a special mission to write about her last days in a way no-one else has done before . His extensive research and obvious empathy for his subject has produced a new insight into the last days of this tragic figure.
Recorded at Byron writers Festival 2018
Lian Tanner reads with such gusto you know how much she loves writing these books for younger readers. There still some school holidays left so maybe this one will keep them amused for a few days! A young readers Fantasy novel of some ordinary and unlikely heroes.
Recorded at the Byron Writers Festival 2018
Have you ever thought about who gets the real dirty work in our messy society?
I’m talking about cleaning up after suicides who have lain unmourned or missed for weeks, or hoarders who can’t control their desire to keep their whole live’s possessions. The industrial accidents, the crime scenes- there are some places you just don’t want to go but specially trained cleaners are often the second on the scene after other services and authorities and they have to have the knowledge ( and the stomach) to get places habitable or safe again.
Sarah Krasnostein followed one such person for several years and what she learned is detailed in this fascinating book. As you can imagine, the person who does this job has to have a well developed philosophy to cope with what they witness and have to deal with.
Rubber gloves essential!
Author Sarah Krasnostein
Recorded at the Byron writers Festival 2018
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True life thriller of the story of the Sea Shepherd ship the ‘Bob Barker’, braving arctic seas, storms and the longest sea chase ever in their pursuit of pirate vessels poaching the Patagonian Toothfish.
Kjetil and Eskil took leave from their job as Norwegian journalists and pursued the true owners of the pirate ship through multiple countries of registration and name changes by sifting through thousands of online records and logs while the crew and captain Peter Hammarstedt of the Bob Barker played a waiting game that had a most unexpected ending. Amazing achievement and a great read.
Authors Kjetil Saeter (L) and Eskil Engdal
Recorded at the Byron Writers Festival 2018
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Hyeonseo Lee escaped from North Korea into China when she was just 17- except she didn’t realise she couldn’t go back and that it would be years before she saw her family again. Her story is a roller coaster of joys and terror and is a testament to her immense survival skills. She preferred not to read for Narratives as she feared her English reading skills would let her down, so instead she relates the importance of her opening chapter to illustrate to western ears just what living in the regime meant on a daily basis. Her memoir is a real life thriller.
Author Hyeonseo Lee
Recorded at the Byron writers Festival 2018
Author Sulari Gentill
This week I am thrilled to post Sulari Gentill with her beautifully written crime novel ‘ Crossing the Lines’. The Ned Kelly Awards are Australia’s top awards for Crime Fiction and are held during the Melbourne Writers festival week.
Here is Sulari reading from her book ‘Crossing the Lines’ followed by a short interview which was recorded at this years Bellingen Writers Festival.
Recorded at the Bellingen Writers festival 2018
If they make a movie on investigative journalist Carey Gillam’s life they had better get someone like Chloe Sevigny to play her! Blonde and glamorous and fiercely driven by what she perceives as injustice and corruption on the part of a global corporation – she is the hope of thousands of people who are suffering from the effects of what they were told was a ‘relatively harmless” weedkiller- commercially known as Roundup. Banned in many European countries, America and Australia have yet to catch up -maybe after reading Carey’s thoroughly researched book they will come to the same judgement as Europe. Three days after this interview and read , Monsanto was ordered to pay $239 million in damages to one of it’s victims. There may be many more cases .
Author Carey Gillam
Recorded at the Byron writers Festival 2018
Ellen Broad thinks deeply about Artificial Intelligence and the sorts of issues that usually only earn a few paragraphs in the daily media when moral panic sets in about the rate of change that technology is wreaking on our futures. This is an in depth examination on all levels that helps us to understand the problems experienced by those at the cutting edge of new technology, the legislators grappling to understand complex issues, and our own emotional reaction to the idea of machines to take over so many tasks of our daily lives from medical to recreational.
Author Ellen Broad
Recorded at the Byron writers Festival 2018
Ben Hobson still finds the success of his first novel a ‘bit surreal’. By day an English teacher on Bribie Island, he is challenged by the idea of how to get young boys interested in reading. He may just have solved the problem with this deep and sensitive book about a young boy’s path to manhood.
Recorded on Arts Canvass Bay FM 99.9 2018
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