The Wheeler Centre: Recent Episodes
The Wheeler Centre
Subscribe to the Wheeler Centre's podcast to hear full recordings of our talks, featuring the best in books, writing and ideas from Melbourne, Australia.
Hear from acclaimed author and broadcaster Stan Grant in this special edition of The Fifth Estate as he reflects on the fragility of words and why contemplation and philosophy matter in an era of increasing division, with host Sally Warhaft.
Originally presented on Tuesday 16 July 2026 by The Wheeler Centre in partnership with RMIT University.
Drawing wisdom from an array of thinkers and artists, including Plato, Simone Weil, Cormac McCarthy, Thomas Aquinas and even Radiohead, Stan Grant’s expansive and philosophical new book When Words Fail Us invites readers to reconsider the meaning and necessity of silence in an age of noise, speed and relentless distraction.
Written after stepping away from public life, the book explores how words can fail to meet the moment in the context of Australia’s history, identity and political division. Grant offers a rare insight into how the power of listening can lead to connection, compassion and love.
Featured music is 'Different Days' by Chill Cole.
The official bookseller was Hill of Content.
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Ed Coper explains how angertainment has co-opted our social media feeds and taken over our lives, in conversation with Sushi Das.
Originally presented on Wednesday 24 June 2026 by The Wheeler Centre and supported by RMIT University.
Social media is no longer a platform for connection – it’s a gladiatorial arena powered by an addictive mix of anger and entertainment. As a result, we’re being driven apart: our politics more extreme and empathy on the decline, while those who know how to game the outrage economy for clicks only become more powerful and influential.
In this illuminating in-conversation, pioneer communications expert and the strategist behind GetUp! – Australia's first major online political movement – Ed Coper sits down to unmask the architects of this new power. From manosphere gurus and tech oligarchs to political demagogues and corporate giants, he reveals how social media has evolved into an outrage machine that feeds on scandals, spectacle, extremism and notoriety to bait us into constant engagement.
Featured music is 'Different Days' by Chill Cole.
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Celebrated writer and thinker Amitav Ghosh explores rebirth, regeneration and the cycles of life with host Dr Sreedhevi Iyer.
Originally presented on Wednesday 27 May by The Wheeler Centre in partnership with RMIT University.
Amitav Ghosh is one of India’s most celebrated writers. With a career effortlessly spanning fiction, non-fiction and reportage, his work is characterised by big picture thinking with an unwavering drive to bring the climate crisis into stark focus.
These qualities are on display in his captivating new novel, Ghost-Eye, a story that begins in mid-century Calcutta, with a child who claims to remember a past life and leaps to contemporary Brooklyn, where a middle-aged antiquarian is drawn into investigating a family mystery. As the two seemingly unrelated stories converge, Ghosh crafts a narrative that offers a powerful meditation on fate, meaning and the awakening of wonder.
Ghosh sits down with Sreedhevi Iyer to discuss his latest novel, what it means to write about the climate breakdown and his remarkable career to date.
Featured music is 'No One There' by Ava Low.
The official bookseller was Readings.
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Hear from Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales as he discusses the importance of trust in our online and offline communities and how Wikipedia evolved into one of the internet’s most reputable sources of information. With host Sally Warhaft.
Originally presented on Wednesday 20 May 2026 by The Wheeler Centre in partnership with RMIT University.
When Jimmy Wales founded Wikipedia more than two decades ago, he changed the landscape of knowledge forever – although at the time, almost no one realised it. Today, Wikipedia draws 11 billion monthly views in the English language alone.
In the current ‘post-truth’ era, the internet is a sea of disinformation, the rise of AI threatens to erode hard-won knowledge and facts are increasingly malleable. In his new book, The Seven Rules of Trust, Wales shows us that it's more important than ever to return to the problem at the heart of it all: that without trust, we have no knowledge. And without knowledge, we can't fight back.
In this fascinating edition of The Fifth Estate, Wales sits down with host Sally Warhaft to discuss the importance of trust in our online and offline communities, how Wikipedia evolved into one of the internet’s most reputable sources of information and shares his optimistic take on the future.
The official bookseller was Hill of Content.
Featured music is 'Different Days' by Chill Cole.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
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Beloved humourist Kathy Lette joins host Elizabeth McCarthy to discuss her big-hearted, cheeky and deeply relatable novel, The Sisterhood Rules.
Originally presented on Wednesday 25th March 2026 by The Wheeler Centre.
Full of laugh-out-loud humour and flashes of devastating pathos, Kathy Lette’s The Sisterhood Rules is a romp through secrets, scandal and the unbreakable – if occasionally exasperated – bonds of sisterhood. Twin sisters Isabel and Verity have always been inseparable – until Verity has an affair with Izzy's husband, leaving them hopelessly estranged. But when their mother goes missing, Verity and Izzy are forced to reunite to find her. From there, the problems only get bigger: their mother has a new younger lover and where there's a will … he'd clearly like to be in it. Can the sisters stop their mother from making a truly terrible mistake? And, while they’re at it, can they salvage their own relationship from the rubble?
The official bookseller was Hill of Content Bookshop.
Featured music is 'Lucy's Trail (Don't Give Up)' by Sarah, the Illstrumentalist.
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Acclaimed British journalist Emily Maitlis reflects on a remarkable career at the forefront of global news, sharing insights and behind-the-scenes stories from some of the world’s most explosive headlines. With host Sally Warhaft.
Originally presented on Thursday 5 March 2026 by The Wheeler Centre.
Over a decades-long career, Maitlis has covered everything from the Paris terror attacks and the Grenfell fires to Brexit, interviewing everyone from prime ministers and presidents to Nobel laureates and Hollywood stars.
She is perhaps best known for her 2019 interview with Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor – then Prince Andrew, Duke of York – regarding his association with Jeffrey Epstein. The four-hour conversation was widely credited with prompting Mountbatten-Windsor to relinquish his honorary military titles, royal patronages and ultimately resign from public duties.
Maitlis recounts the world-changing events she has witnessed, as well as the bust-ups, blow-ups, scoops, walk-outs and unexpected triumphs that come with making – and breaking – the news.
The official bookseller was Readings.
Featured music is 'Living in a Fantasy' by Pulsed.
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Join national treasure Shaun Micallef as he takes the stage to delve into this bitingly funny Victorian Gothic tale for the modern age. With Jacinta Parsons.
Originally presented on Tuesday 31 March 2026 by The Wheeler Centre in partnership with Melbourne International Comedy Festival.
Move over, Dracula, and take a number, Nosferatu: there’s a new vampire in town, and after several thousand years he’s realised that the trouble with immortality is that eventually … it sucks.
To soothe his sickened soul, the Comte De’Ath embarks on a grand holiday. From psychoanalysis in Vienna to blood transfusions in London, the Comte learns that a change of scenery can do wonders for the eternally living. Along the way, he meets the Queen, helps win the Second Matabele War, nudges Henry Ford towards the American Dream and even manages to fall in love. But with his own funeral scheduled at Carfax Abbey, the real question looms: can he become mortal again in time to attend it?
The official bookseller was the Sun Bookshop.
Featured music is ‘Traveling again’ by Sarah, the Illstrumentalist.
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A host of Melbourne International Comedy Festival comics gather to explore how comedy survives, thrives and occasionally lands a punch on authoritarianism.
The powerful often say they have a sense of humour. This turns out to be true – provided the joke is about someone else.
From public denunciations to legal action and intimidation, comedians across the world are increasingly required to work within narrowing spaces, where the right punchline at the expense of the wrong politician carries the risk of personal and professional consequences. When laughter is policed this closely, what does it reveal about the strength – and fragility – of power?
Join host Tom Ballard alongside leading comic voices Bahaa Dabbagh, Leon Filewood and Sam Jay for a timely conversation on the role and power of comedy in an age of rising authoritarianism.
This event was recorded on Saturday 28 March 2026 at The Wheeler Centre.
It was presented in partnership with Melbourne International Comedy Festival
Featured music is ‘Golden Hour’ by Sarah, the Illstrumentalist.
Content warning: This episode contains strong course language.
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Literary icon Nell Zink joins host Jaclyn Crupi to discuss her seventh much acclaimed novel, Sister Europe.
In this dazzling satire of modern life, an eclectic cast of characters gathers at a tedious literary award ceremony in Berlin. Over the course of the evening, their assumptions, foibles and irrepressible humanity are slowly brought to light.
A Guggenheim Fellowship recipient and the celebrated author of Avalon, Doxology and Nicotine, among others, Nell Zink is widely hailed as a singular voice in literary fiction. In a Melbourne first, she takes the stage at The Wheeler Centre to discuss her sharp and tightly wrought new novel, Sister Europe, and its animating themes: loneliness and the possibility of transcending it, the tension between old and new worldviews and the challenge of defining one’s identity in an increasingly complex world.
This event was recorded on Tuesday 3rd March 2026 at The Wheeler Centre.
The official bookseller was Hill of Content Bookshop.
Featured music is Lucy’s Trail (Don’t Give Up) by Sarah, the Illstrumentalist.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
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Longlisted for the 2025 Women’s Prize for Fiction, Laila Lalami’s The Dream Hotel is a chilling dissection of surveillance culture, technological overreach and the quiet, everyday ways people become complicit in their own monitoring.
Set in a near-future America shaped by predictive surveillance, Lalami tells the story of a woman swept into a surreal dystopia where dreams are weaponised by the state. Accused of a crime she hasn’t committed – yet – and detained indefinitely in a retention centre in the Californian desert, she must navigate a world in which corporations trade in the contents of our subconscious and algorithms claim the authority to determine guilt, innocence and destiny.
Lalami joins host Sonia Nair to explore the seductive pull of technology, the commodification of the private self and the unnervingly plausible future where a single line of code could seal a person’s fate.
This event was recorded on Wednesday March 4th 2026 at The Wheeler Centre.
The official bookseller was The Chestnut Tree Bookshop.
Featured music is ‘Different Days’ by Chill Cole.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
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At 13, Kate Reid already knew exactly where she was headed: a career in Formula 1 and a life lived at full throttle. But after earning a degree in aerospace engineering and taking up a coveted position at one of the top F1 teams in the UK, she discovered that the reality didn’t match what she’d dreamed. So, she made a swerve no one expected: to forge a career in pastry.
With her Melbourne-born bakery Lune Croissanterie now famous worldwide, Reid sits down to reflect on her unique path, from initially pursuing aerospace engineering at RMIT University, to following her lifelong passion for F1 racing, to finding fame as the mastermind behind ‘the best croissant in the world’ (The New York Times).
Join Reid as she discusses perfection, obsession and making her own kind of success story, with host Alice Zaslavsky.
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Hear Omar El Akkad discuss his searing work, 'One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This' with host Tasneem Chopra.
Sparked by his viral tweet during the bombardment of Gaza – viewed over 10 million times – Omar El Akkad’s 'One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This' lays bare the fractures he has seen in the West’s empty promises of freedom and justice.
In this timely session, the Egyptian-Canadian novelist and journalist reflects on how events like the Black Lives Matter protests, the escalating climate crisis and the violence in the Middle East have reshaped his understanding of migration, power and inequality and forced him to confront what it means to live in a West that has betrayed its fundamental values.
Praised by Richard Flanagan as ‘a howl from the heart of our age’, El Akkad’s book explores exactly how the West has failed and offers hope for a way forward.
Originally presented on Wednesday 22 October 2025 by The Wheeler Centre.
The official bookseller was Amplify Bookstore.
Featured music is 'City Phases' by John Abbot.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
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Hear from Atlantic culture critic and Pulitzer Prize-nominated writer Sophie Gilbert as she discusses her new book 'Girl on Girl' with host Kate Jinx. They dive into the pop cultural forces of the late 1990s and Y2K era that shaped and warped women's relationships with themselves and other women.
Casting her eye across pop culture of the past 30 years, she tackles everything from Madonna, the Spice Girls and the Kardashians, to MySpace, the #GirlBoss movement and The Simple Life. In this new book, Gilbert reveals the cultural forces that shaped a generation and laid the groundwork for the misogyny of today.
In this conversation, Gilbert discusses how millennial pop culture twisted feminism into objectification, the insidious power of media narratives and the pervasive influence of porn, and her own experience of growing up during these defining decades.
Originally recorded on Tuesday 21 October 2025 at The Wheeler Centre.
The official bookseller was The Sun Bookshop.
Featured music is 'No One There' by Ava Low.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
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After arriving in Australia as a refugee, Jelena Dokic shot to fame when she made the semi-finals of Wimbledon at just 17 years of age. But off the court, there were even greater challenges: from her struggles with mental health to surviving the abuse of her tennis coach father.
In this special live recording of Australian Story, Dokic opens up to Leigh Sales about the details of her extraordinary life, from escaping war-torn Yugoslavia to becoming a Grand Slam finalist. She reflects on her past, from overcoming child abuse and domestic violence and explores the impact it had on her mental health. Despite the obstacles she faced, Jelena found a way to not only survive, but thrive – transforming her pain into power and purpose. She discovered her voice, built a successful career after tennis and ultimately found happiness.
Hear Dokic speak with grace and honesty about her hard-won wisdom and the strength it takes to rise above hardship.
This event recorded on Thursday 18 September 2025 at The Edge, Federation Square. It was presented in partnership with the ABC.
The official bookseller was Readings.
Featured music is 'Different Days' by Chill Cole.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
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An exclusive Wheeler Centre live-recorded podcast featuring best-selling American author Eric Puchner, as he lifts the curtain on his latest novel 'Dream State', in conversation with host Ronnie Scott.
Selected by Oprah for her book club in 2025 and an instant New York Times bestseller, 'Dream State' tells the story of Charlie, a gifted anaesthesiologist; his best friend Garrett, a brooding, introverted nerd; and medical school drop-out Cece, whose engagement to Charlie seems certain – until she meets Garrett.
A love triangle plays out across generations in this panoramic and deeply human tale of family, loss and the fragile dreams that shape our lives.
Hear from Puchner as he discusses this work of exceptional literary depth in this exclusive podcast recording.
This podcast was originally recorded on Monday 6 October 2025 by The Wheeler Centre.
Featured music is ‘Diffuser’ by Shiruky.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
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Get your fix of honest and original media analysis from two insiders who’ve broken plenty of news and been broken by it, too.
In this special live recording of We Used to be Journos, hosts Antoinette Lattouf and Jan Fran sit down to reveal the way the media works, from questionable editorial decisions that shape the weekly news to the stories that masquerade as unbiased reporting. They unpack some recent headlines and reveal how the media sausage gets made – so you know what you’re being fed.
In this fearless assessment of the Australian media landscape they have a low tolerance for spin and absolutely no time for BS. You’ll never look at the news in the same way again.
Originally presented on Saturday 20 September 2025 by The Wheeler Centre, in partnership with Ette Media.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
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In the age of algorithms, music is under constant pressure to respond to mood, brand and data.
Hear from music journalist and cultural critic Liz Pelly with host Lauren Taylor in this sharp and insightful exploration into how streaming platforms have transformed our relationship with music. Pelly unpacks the shift from art to algorithm-driven content, where music is reduced to a commodified experience and listeners to mere data points.
Drawing from years of investigative reporting culminating in her bold exposé 'Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the Costs of the Perfect Playlist', Pelly uncovers how the economics of streaming are reshaping the music industry and what this seismic change means for artists, listeners and cultural production at large.
The conversation explores ways to reclaim that human connection in music and fight for a more meaningful future in the age of corporate playlists and mood marketing.
This event was recorded on Thursday 28 August 2025 at The Wheeler Centre. It was presented in partnership with Now or Never.
The official bookseller was The Paperback Bookshop.
Featured music is 'Traveling Again' by Sarah, the Illstrumentalist.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
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Beloved author David Nicholls takes to the stage with host Beverley Wang, to discuss his latest novel 'You Are Here'.
This talk was originally presented on Tuesday 20 May 2025 by The Wheeler Centre.
In 'You Are Here', David Nicholls weaves the stories of these two seemingly disconnected characters, bringing them together in a powerful, emotionally rich narrative brimming with his trademark blend of warmth, wit and insight into the human condition.
Hear from one of today’s most cherished writers as he shares the inspiration behind his latest literary triumph and discusses the universal themes that will make it a story for our times.
The official bookseller was the Sun Bookshop.
Featured music is ‘Traveling Again’ by Sarah, the Illstrumentalist.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
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National treasure Noni Hazlehurst details her life on stage and screen and takes us behind-the-scenes of a brilliant career.
Noni Hazlehurst’s versatility as a performer knows no bounds. A household name and a beloved actor, she's graced Australian screens and theatre stages for over forty years. From Playschool and Better Homes and Gardens, to Monkey Grip and her acclaimed theatrical career – Hazlehurst has earned her place as an Australian icon.
At this Melbourne-exclusive event, Hazlehurst joins host Elizabeth McCarthy to discuss her long-awaited memoir, Dropping the Mask, which celebrates a life and career that are both ordinary and extraordinary – and all class.
This event was recorded on Thursday 10 October 2024 at The Capitol as part of The Wheeler Centre’s Spring Fling series.
It was presented in partnership with RMIT Culture. The official bookseller was Readings.
Featured music is ‘Different Days’ by Chill Cole.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
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Critics Eda Gunaydin, Michael Sun and Cher Tan examine the present state and potential futures of literary criticism.
Literary criticism seems to be in an endless state of decline. In so-called Australia, a particular flavour of cultural cringe is yoked to cultural hegemony: a critic might find themselves locked within the ivory tower, or self-censoring for fear of offence, or deliberately pursuing contrarianism for clicks. How, then, do critics move beyond this deadlock? Who decides what is 'good' criticism? What, exactly, is the function of criticism at the present time? This panel discussion sees three critics examine the possibilities of literary criticism, as well as the roles and responsibilities of the critic. Together they pick apart these issues and attempt to propose a future for reviews that takes into account not only writers and editors, but readers and culture as a whole.
This conversation was recorded on 3 August 2024 as part of the inaugural Liminal Festival, presented in partnership with The Wheeler Centre. Bringing together some of the continent’s most talented writers, the Liminal Festival contemplates the language of our shared histories and future.
The Liminal Festival was supported by the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria. The official bookseller was Amplify Bookstore.
Featured music is ‘Diffuser’ by Shiruky.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
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Content warning: This recording includes occasional course language.
Evelyn Araluen, Hasib Hourani and Mykaela Saunders discuss the careful craft of shaping a language unsettled.
Trace the contours of language, seek out its limits and push. Histories are cut up, struck through, misplaced, misremembered. Join Evelyn Araluen, Hasib Hourani and Mykaela Saunders as they discuss the careful craft of ripping the empire’s language to shreds. In their work, these brilliant writers shift form in myriad ways; they render nonlinear temporalities and introduce new vocabularies; they wield opacities and yet share the dearest of intimacies. Thinking through poetry and prose, language and craft, these three writers share the shape of a language unsettled.
This conversation was recorded on 3 August 2024 as part of the inaugural Liminal Festival, presented in partnership with The Wheeler Centre. Bringing together some of the continent’s most talented writers, the Liminal Festival contemplates the language of our shared histories and future.
The Liminal Festival was supported by the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria. The official bookseller was Amplify Bookstore.
Featured music is ‘A Seat at the Table’ by Auxjack.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
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What is the future of the great Australian novel? Novelists Jessica Au, Brian Castro and André Dao contemplate the novel, the nation and its literature with Lynda Ng.
Marking 30 years since Brian Castro considered the ‘new novel’, three of Australia’s most talented contemporary novelists discuss the future of the form. Is there such a thing as a ‘Great Australian Novel’, or have twentieth-century paradigms expired? What, exactly, does greatness have to do with fiction? How does the novel relate to the nation? Dr Lynda Ng, lecturer in Australian Literature at the University of Melbourne, is joined by Jessica Au, Brian Castro and André Dao as they consider the novel, the nation, and the boundaries that shape them.
This conversation was recorded on 3 August 2024 as part of the inaugural Liminal Festival, presented in partnership with The Wheeler Centre. Bringing together some of the continent’s most talented writers, the Liminal Festival contemplates the language of our shared histories and future.
The Liminal Festival was supported by the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria. The official bookseller was Amplify Bookstore.
Featured music is ‘Kick Back’ by james.lfo.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
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International bestselling author Rebecca F. Kuang discusses her groundbreaking novel Yellowface and the future of storytelling at this exclusive Melbourne event.
Investigating diversity, racism and cultural appropriation with the thrilling pace of a Twitter meltdown, Rebecca F. Kuang’s 2023 novel Yellowface captivated readers across literary and BookTok communities alike. In her only Melbourne event, Kuang discusses her successful career, plagiarism, privilege, and the state of the publishing industry with host Beverley Wang.
A New York Times and Sunday Times bestselling author, Kuang’s previous works include the Poppy War trilogy and the dark academia novel Babel: An Arcane History, both of which garnered rave reviews. Yellowface is her fifth novel.
Hear from a literary trailblazer about why she won’t write in the same genre twice and the overdue conversations she’s ignited in the publishing world.
This event was recorded on 12 March 2024 at Melbourne City Conference Centre.
The official bookseller was Amplify Bookstore.
Featured music is ‘frosty’ by dozeoff.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
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A runaway favourite of book clubs the world over, Bonnie Garmus’s debut novel Lessons in Chemistry transports readers to early 1960s California. Elizabeth Zott – single mother and brilliant chemist – unexpectedly finds herself hosting a television cooking show, and changes hearts and minds in the process. Inspired by Garmus’s mother’s generation of overlooked and under-acknowledged women, Lessons in Chemistry examines the gender pay gap, misogyny in the workplace and women’s rights.
At her only Melbourne event on her first Australian tour, Garmus sits down with host Astrid Edwards to discuss her breakthrough novel. Together, they explore her funny and feisty heroine, the surprising fan phenomenon of Six-Thirty the dog, and how the novel’s historical setting sheds light on the truths of today.
This event was presented in partnership with RMIT Culture.
It was recorded on May 21st 2024 at Melbourne Town Hall.
The official bookseller was Readings.
Featured music is ‘Traveling Again’ by Sarah the Illstrumentalist.
Disclaimer: If you're listening on Apple Podcasts, the transcript was automatically generated by Apple's AI and is not affiliated with The Wheeler Centre. AI transcripts may contain errors.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
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On the 5 November this year, the American people will go to the polls to make a choice, the impact of which will be felt around the globe.
Will Republican nominee and now convicted criminal, former President Donald Trump, topple Democratic Presidential nominee Kamala Harris?? How did America reach this point, and how will either candidate’s victory impact Australia’s relationship with the US and the global political landscape?
Don Watson, celebrated Australian writer and former political advisor to Paul Keating, unpacks these questions and more at a special Fifth Estate event with host Sally Warhaft, live at The Wheeler Centre.
This event was recoded on Thursday 5 September 2024 at The Wheeler Centre.
Don Watson's Quarterly Essay is available from The Paperback Bookshop here.
Featured music is 'Different Days' by Chill Cole.
The Wheeler Centre acknowledges the Wurundjeri Woi-Wurrung people of the Kulin Nation as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which the Centre stands. We acknowledge and pay our respects to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and their Elders past and present, as the custodians of the world's oldest continuous living culture.
Disclaimer: If you're listening on Apple Podcasts, the transcript was automatically generated by Apple's AI and is not affiliated with The Wheeler Centre. AI transcripts may contain errors.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Award-winning journalist Heather Ewart hits the Back Roads to Kyneton to journey through her great Australian road trips.
Over a career spanning four decades, Heather Ewart has been senior political reporter and a foreign correspondent posted to London, Washington and Brussels. Raised on a farm in country Victoria, her adventures have come full circle to see her hosting ABC TV’s popular program Back Roads. In Ewart’s new book, Back Roads: The Great Aussie Road Trip, the much-loved journalist shares hot tips from her travels around Australia. From ideas on where to go and when to go, what to pack and what to see – she covers it all.
Ewart joined Barrie Cassidy at Kyneton Town Hall to discuss the joyous moments of her road trips and share practical tips for discovering lesser-known parts of this beautiful country.
The event was presented in partnership with Macedon Ranges Shire Council.
It was recorded on Monday 26th August 2024 at Kyneton Town Hall.
The official bookseller was Aesop’s Attic.
Featured music is ‘I See You Out There’ by Tellsonic.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
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Our annual panel of pop culture experts Brodie Lancaster, Alison Willmore, Hannah Diviney and Jared Richards gather for a dissection of the zeitgeist.
Baby Reindeer, The Bear and hot rodent men: lt has been a ferocious (and sometimes feral) year for pop culture, and it seems that we’re not slowing down any time soon.
On the occasion of the 2024 Melbourne International Film Festival, host Brodie Lancaster is joined by Vulture and New York magazine film critic Alison Willmore, disability advocate and star of the new Australian film Audrey Hannah Diviney, and ABC Entertainment Reporter Jared Richards to discuss the most influential and popular film, TV, podcasts and books of the past 12 months. Expect hot takes served with a dash of frenzy and a healthy dose of reality-check.
The event was presented in partnership with The Wheeler Centre and Melbourne International Film Festival as part of MIFF Talks, a program presented by the University of Melbourne.
It was recorded on Saturday 17th August at The Wheeler Centre.
Featured music is 'The Golden Hour' by Sarah, the Illstrumentalist.
The Wheeler Centre acknowledges the Wurundjeri Woi-Wurrung people of the Kulin Nation as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which the Centre stands. We acknowledge and pay our respects to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and their Elders past and present, as the custodians of the world's oldest continuous living culture.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
As part of The Wheeler Centre's 2024 Spring Fling program and in partnership with Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, listen to an exclusive podcast interview with celebrated writer Olivia Laing, interviewed by Sophie Cunningham.
Olivia discusses her new book, The Garden Against Time: In Search of a Common Paradise, which moves between real and imagined gardens, exploring how new modes of living can and have been attempted amidst the flower beds. The result is a beautiful and exacting account of the abundant pleasures and possibilities of gardens: not as a place to hide from the world but as a site of encounter and discovery, bee-loud and pollen-laden.
Listen as you take a walk through the Royal Botanic Gardens, and experience first-hand the joy of wandering in nature.
Presented in partnership with Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria.
This conversation was recorded on Monday 22 July 2024 at The Wheeler Centre.
Featured music is 'Spacemoons' by Justnormal.
Disclaimer: If you're listening on Apple Podcasts, the transcript was automatically generated by Apple's AI and is not affiliated with The Wheeler Centre. AI transcripts may contain errors.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
From ‘manfluencer’ culture and the rising popularity of Andrew Tate, to lists ranking teenage girls on their appearance, there’s an urgent need to address the widespread sexism and misogyny in our schools and wider society. Left unchecked, these harmful attitudes and behaviours will see rates of male violence against women continue to rise.
In this panel discussion, three experts consider where these attitudes begin, and the importance of positive male role modelling in addressing them. The problem is evident – now it’s time to identify the steps that will lead to systemic, meaningful change.
Join award-winning journalist and consent educator Jane Gilmore, activist and co-founder of Not One More Niki, Tarang Chawla, and founder of The Equality Institute Emma Fulu, for a hopeful and practical conversation about how we can all take action to create positive generational change for young men.
This episode is for parents, carers, educators and anyone interested in discussions about healthy modelling of masculinity for the current and future generations of boys and young men.
Content Note: This conversation includes discussion of pornography, violence and abuse.
This event was recorded on Thursday 25 July 2024 at The Wheeler Centre.
Featured music is 'Different Days' by Chill Cole.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander writers have been sharing stories on this continent for millennia. From best-selling and award-winning poetry, memoir and fiction to powerful works that defy categorisation, Blak writing depicts, challenges and honours culture, community and Country. Much-loved books by First Nations writers stand strong on shelves in homes, libraries, bookshops and classrooms – but there are always more books and writers to be discovered and rediscovered.
In 2023, University of Queensland Press (UQP) introduced its First Nations Classics series to amplify Blak voices in the literary canon. This NAIDOC Week, we celebrated the second instalment of First Nations Classics with some of the remarkable authors and contributors involved in the series.
Hear a special performance by proud Bundjalung and Lama Lama artist Tamala Shelton honouring the 2024 NAIDOC Week theme, ‘Keep the Fire Burning! Blak, Loud and Proud’ and the enduring strength and vitality of First Nations cultures.
The event was recorded on Thursday 11 July 2024.
It was presented in partnership with Blak & Bright. The official bookseller was Amplify Bookstore.
Featured music is DRMNGNOW ‘Get Back To The Land’ edit (recorded live at The Wheeler Centre)
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
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The Olympic Games have always been a site of soft diplomacy for participating nations. This has never been truer than in 2024, as athletes and countries prepare to compete from 26 July to 11 August at the Paris Olympic Games.
Olympic champions Patrick Johnson and Kieren Perkins join award-winning sports reporter Tracey Holmes to discuss the future of the games and examine how Olympic competition is shaped by the tensions of geopolitical affairs.
Together, they deep-dive into Australian representation at the Games and discuss international divisions and points of connection. They also look ahead to a major event in Australia’s calendar: the 2032 Brisbane Olympics.
This event was recorded on Tuesday 9 July 2024 at The Wheeler Centre.
Featured music is ‘Traveling Again’ by Sarah the Illstrumentalist.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Meredith Whittaker is not afraid to take on tech giants. In 2018, she led the famous mass staff walkout at Google over the company’s laissez faire attitude towards sexual harassment allegations and the moral and ethical implications of its business practices.
Now, as President of Signal, the not-for-profit encrypted and secure messaging app, Whittaker is one of the world’s most respected experts on data surveillance and the future of big tech. She has advised the White House, the US Federal Trade Commission and many government and civil organisations on privacy, internet security and policy.
At this special Melbourne-exclusive event, Whittaker is joined by host Vanessa Toholka as they discuss data privacy, artificial intelligence, and technology’s impact on democracy in this contentious and pivotal US election year. Hear from a leading global expert on a subject that has far-reaching implications for all of our futures.
This event was presented in partnership with Igniting Change.
It was recorded on Wednesday 26 June 2024 at The Wheeler Centre.
Featured music is ‘No One There’ by Ava Low.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In 1993, Ma Thida was sentenced to 20 years in prison for her support of Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy and for ‘endangering public peace, having contact with illegal organisations, and distributing unlawful literature’.
Released from prison in 1999, Thida’s advocacy for freedom of expression continues unabated as Chair of PEN International’s Writers in Prison Committee and as a current fellow in the Writers-in-Exile Programme of PEN Germany.
Earlier this month, Ma Thida appeared at The Wheeler Centre in conversation with writer, essayist and academic Michelle Aung Thin. Together, they discussed the current political situation in Myanmar, Thida’s activism and survival of the harsh conditions of Insein Prison, and her ongoing dedication to freedom of expression.
The event was recorded on Thursday 6 June 2024 at The Wheeler Centre.
It was presented in partnership with PEN Melbourne and supported by RMIT Culture.
Featured music is 'No One There' by Ava Low.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S Shakthidharan’s debut play Counting and Cracking began with a shoebox of his great-grandfather’s letters. Working with his family and the wider Sri Lankan diaspora, he excavated his family’s history, weaving threads of culture and connection into a multi-award-winning theatrical epic following four generations over five decade.
To celebrate the Melbourne debut of this global hit, Shakthidharan is joined in conversation by Masterchef sensation Minoli De Silva, who infuses her culinary artistry with Sri Lankan flavours at Darwin’s Ella restaurant, and actor and comedian Suren Jayemanne, whose stand-up work draws on his experiences as an Australian with Sri Lankan heritage.
Hosted by journalist Bhakthi Puvanenthiran, these acclaimed Sri Lankan creatives came together for an insightful and celebratory exploration of how personal narratives and cultural influences shape their craft, from family kitchens to international stages.
This event was recorded on Sunday 2 June 2024 on the set of Counting and Cracking at the Union Theatre as part of RISING.
It was presented in partnership with RISING and University of Melbourne Arts and Culture.
The official bookseller was Readings.
Featured music is 'Different Days' by Chill Cole.
Counting and Cracking is now playing at the Union Theatre until 23 June 2024 as part of RISING. Tickets can be purchased via rising.melbourne
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Sam Elkin’s Detachable Penis: A Queer Legal Saga, recounts his bumpy journey from lesbian to transgender lawyer in the aftermath of the 2017 marriage equality postal survey. Set against the backdrop of a growing moral panic about the ‘trans agenda’, Elkin’s debut book is part-love letter and part-cautionary tale. Honest and unflinching, it’s sure to spark many prickly and productive conversations.
Join Elkin as he launches Detachable Penis with host Yves Rees at an intimate and relaxed evening at The Wheeler Centre.
This event was recorded on Monday 6 May 2024 at The Wheeler Centre.
The official bookseller was Hares and Hyenas.
Featured music is 'No One There' by Ava Low.
Please note this episode contains coarse language.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Bestselling author Dervla McTiernan discusses her suspenseful new novel about two families at war with host J.P. Pomare at Geelong Library.
Nina and Simon are the perfect couple. Young, fun and deeply in love. Until they leave for a weekend at his family’s cabin in Vermont, and only Simon comes home.
Dervla McTiernan is the critically acclaimed author of five novels, including The Murder Rule, which was a New York Times thriller of the year. Dervla has won multiple prizes, including a Ned Kelly Award, Davitt Awards, a Barry Award, and an International Thriller Writers Award. She is also the author of four novellas, and her audio novella, The Sisters, was a four-week number one bestseller in the United States.
This event was presented in partnership with Geelong Regional Libraries. It was supported by Sorrento Writers Festival. The official bookseller was Torquay Books.
It was recorded on Wednesday 24 April 2024 at Geelong Library and Heritage Centre.
Featured music is ‘Different Days’ by Chill Cole.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Steve Albini was a legendary audio engineer and musician. The frontman of Big Black and Shellac, Albini saw the machinations of the industry up close and from multiple vantage points, working with huge international acts including PJ Harvey, Nirvana and Pixies. Despite recording with some of the biggest names in the business Albini continued, throughout his career, to collaborate with countless experimental bands. He passed away last week, aged 61.
On the eve of Meredith Music Festival in December 2015 – where he played with his band, Shellac – Albini joined host Woody McDonald at The Wheeler Centre to reflect on his storied career, his thoughts on the current state of music and predictions for the future.
This event was recorded on Thursday 15 December 2015 at The Wheeler Centre.
Featured music is 'Riding Bikes' by Shellac.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Paul Auster was a true giant of American literature. Acclaimed for his best-selling works of fiction, nonfiction and poetry, including The New York Trilogy, Invisible, and The Brooklyn Follies, Auster wrote complex and daring tales of humans experiencing, anticipating or searching for something lost, something they are struggling to comprehend.
In his 2021 book, Burning Boy, he turned his eye to the 19th-century bad boy of American literature, Stephen Crane. Crane is known for popularising American naturalism, a literary movement that has influenced generations of writers (including Auster himself). But he was as daring off the page as he was on it.
Throughout his short life, Crane cavorted from one high-stakes situation to the next: from engaging in political journalism that disrupted the course of the 1892 presidential campaign, to entering a common-law marriage with the proprietress of Jacksonville’s most elegant bawdyhouse, to surviving a shipwreck that nearly drowned him, and eventually relocating to England, where Joseph Conrad became his closest friend and Henry James wept over his tragic, early death.
In November 2021, Auster joined host Corrie Perkin for a conversation about Burning Boy and the nature of creative legacy. What are the questions one master chooses to ask of another? And what is there to learn from a life lived so bright it burned?
*This conversation was originally released as a digital event as part of The Wheeler Centre’s 'Postcard’s From Abroad' series on Wednesday 3 November 2021.
The official bookseller was Hill of Content bookshop.*
Featured music is 'Traveling again' by Sarah the illstrumentalist.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Fern Brady, one of the UK’s most exciting stand-ups, visited The Wheeler Centre to discuss her bestselling book Strong Female Character as part of the 2024 Melbourne International Comedy Festival.
Hosted by Australian stand-up comedian and writer Laura Davis, Brady discussed her writing process, Catholic upbringing and late diagnosis of autism.
This event was recorded on Wednesday 3 April 2024 at The Wheeler Centre.
It was presented in partnership with the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.
The official bookseller was Mary Martin Bookshop.
Featured music is ‘Lucy’s Trail’ by Sarah the illstumentalist.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Chanel Contos has led a powerful movement to include consent education in the national curriculum, and was recently appointed by Julia Gillard to chair the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership’s Youth Advisory Committee.
Her debut book, Consent Laid Bare: Sex, Entitlement & the Distortion of Desire, is a battle cry from a generation no longer prepared to stay silent. In it, Contos explores the political, legislative and cultural changes required to combat Australia’s culture of misogyny and normalisation of sexual violence, and outlines steps to achieve true gender equality. Consent Laid Bare advocates for intimacy, consent and enjoyment to be centred in all sexual relationships.
At this exclusive Melbourne event hosted by Madison Griffiths, Contos discussed the vital role of consent amidst a culture influenced by porn, the patriarchy and male entitlement.
The event recorded on Tuesday 5th March 2024 at The Wheeler Centre. It was presented in partnership with the Victorian Women's Trust. The official bookseller was Readings.
Featured music is 'Different Days' by Chill Cole.
Content note:This event includes references to sexual abuse and assault. If you need support relating to these topics, you can learn more and seek advice via the below resources.
Lifeline: 13 11 14
Kids Helpline: 1800 551 800
Suicide Call Back Service: 1300 659 467
Beyond Blue: 1300 22 46 36
Headspace: 1800 650 890
Sexual Assault Crisis Line: 1800 806 292
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Origin of You by Mindy Meng Wang 王萌 and Sui Zhen is a highly personal musical exploration of lived experiences of migration, motherhood, grief and reconnecting with identity.
The album uses three central motifs: 空 (Kōng), or Emptiness; 疼 (Téng), or Pain; 气 (Chi), sometimes known as ‘Energy’ to explore these stories.
Live at The Wheeler Centre, Wang and Zhen came together with host Eugenia Lim to talk about their craft, the origins of their collaboration and the importance of storytelling.
This event was recorded on Tuesday 26 March 2024 at The Wheeler Centre.
Origin of You is out now via Music in Exile: https://musicinexile.bandcamp.com/
Featured music is ‘Watch My Mum Dance’ by Mindy Meng Wang 王萌 and Sui Zhen (Recorded live at The Wheeler Centre)
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Richard Flanagan’s masterful new novel Question 7 is his most personal book yet: a tribute to his parents and to his island home of Tasmania, and a hypnotic melding of dream, history, place and memory.
Beginning with Flanagan’s father’s imprisonment near Hiroshima when the atom bomb was dropped, Question 7 traces a chain reaction of events, from the turbulent romance between literary giants H.G. Wells and Rebecca West, to the intricate world of 1930s and 40s nuclear physics, to a young Flanagan trapped on a perilous Tasmanian river rapid.
One of Australia’s most revered novelists, Flanagan was awarded the Man Booker Prize for The Narrow Road to the Deep North and the Commonwealth Prize for Gould’s Book of Fish.
He joins host Astrid Edwards to discuss Question 7’s unique blend of history, fiction and autofiction, and its examination of the stories we construct about ourselves and others.
This event was presented in partnership with RMIT Culture.
It was recorded on Thursday 9 November 2023 at The Capitol. The official bookseller was Readings.
Featured music is ‘Different Days’ by Chill Cole.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Join co-hosts and co-creators Maria Birch-Morunga and Kate Robinson for a special live recording of their hit podcast Being Biracial, coinciding with International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
Along with special guests, comedian Aurelia St Clair and AFLW champion Darcy Vescio, they discuss navigating the world as a mixed-race person and the dualities of living across multiple cultures. St Clair also shares a very special stand-up set.
The event was presented in partnership with The Wheeler Centre, The Round and Being Biracial.
It was recorded on Thursday 21 March 2024 at The Round.
Featured music is ‘Take It Slow’ by Green Twins.
Listen to more episodes of Being Biracial here: https://beingbiracialpodcast.com/listen-now
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Known for literary masterpieces like The Sisters Brothers and French Exit, Canadian writer Patrick deWitt has been delighting readers for more than a decade.
In his latest work, The Librarianist, deWitt’s distinctive verve and humour come to the fore. His exploration of the life of retired Oregon-based librarian Bob Comet masterfully blends melancholy and comedy.
With host Marieke Hardy, deWitt delves into his expansive career and the compassion for the outcast that animates his latest novel, celebrating the extraordinary in so-called ordinary life.
This event was recorded on Thursday 29 February 2024 at The Wheeler Centre.
The official bookseller was Hill of Content Bookshop.
Featured music is ‘No One There’ by Ava Low.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jane Harrison’s work has captivated audiences globally, earning her international acclaim for plays including Stolen and Rainbow’s End. With an impressive body of work and a deep commitment to promoting and developing First Nations perspectives – including as the Director of the Blak & Bright First Nations Literary Festival – Harrison has established herself as an essential voice in the Australian cultural landscape.
In this episode, Harrison discusses the work of reimagining the past in her first novel for adult readers, The Visitors – a radical retelling of the events of 26 January 1788 from a First Nations perspective. Based on her play of the same name, which first wowed audiences at Sydney Festival in 2020, The Visitors is now a multi-artform phenomenon, appearing as a novel, a production and an opera.
In this wide-ranging and frank conversation with host Tony Birch for Melbourne City Reads, Harrison discusses the story’s journey across artforms and shed new light on this critical moment from Australia’s past.
This event was part of the Melbourne City Reads series.
It was recorded on Monday 9 October 2023 at The Wheeler Centre as part of the Spring Fling series.
Featured music is ‘Traveling Again’ by Sarah, the Illstrumentalist.
Spring Fling was proudly supported by the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria and the Melbourne City Revitalisation Fund. Special thanks to official bookseller Readings and accommodation partner The Sofitel.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Richard Ford is a true literary luminary. The author of eight novels and four short story collections, Ford’s illustrious career spans nearly five decades and numerous accolades, including the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for Independence Day.
At this special Melbourne event hosted by journalist Jonathan Green, Ford discusses his exceptional career and examines his most famous protagonist: the enigmatic Frank Bascombe, who has been hailed as one of the most unforgettable characters in American literature.
This event was recorded on Tuesday 27 February 2024 at The Wheeler Centre.
The official bookseller was Mary Martin Bookshop.
Featured music is 'Different Days' by Chill Cole.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Author Jane Smiley has been hailed as one of the Great American Novelists of the 20th century. Her remarkable career spans more than 30 books, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece A Thousand Acres and The Last Hundred Years trilogy.
At this exclusive in-conversation event with host David Francis, Smiley looks back on her incredible life and career and gives audience members an exciting preview of her upcoming novel, Lucky: a novel about music, womanhood and finding yourself.
This event was recorded on Wednesday 28 February 2024 at The Wheeler Centre.
The offical bookseller was The Paperback Bookshop.
Featured music is 'Traveling Again' by Sarah, the Illstrumentalist.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Taylor Swift’s concerts have shifted the economic climate of entire cities; she has prompted US Senate hearings about major ticketing reforms and industry-defining conversations about copyright and ownership; and her public and private life have driven tabloid fodder for decades (Kimye drama, anyone?). The pop icon’s genre-bending career and reputation have made waves across the globe, and her cultural influence will be felt for generations.
Earlier this week at The Wheeler Centre, Rolling Stone journalist Brittany Spanos and host Brodie Lancaster delved into the mythology and influence of Taylor Swift. At this exclusive Melbourne event, Spanos analysed Swift’s meteoric ascent to become one of the most celebrated and prolific musical artists of all time, and her ongoing impact on fandom, popular culture and the music industry.
Brittany Spanos’s visit to Melbourne was part of the University of Melbourne’s Swiftposium conference. This was her only public event.
This event was recorded on Tuesday 13 February 2024 at The Wheeler Centre.
Featured music is ‘Love Story’ by Taylor Swift.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Kurdish-Iranian journalist Behrouz Boochani was imprisoned on Manus Island for over six years, and during that time he became acutely aware that oppression takes root when people look away. He was determined to use his sharpest weapon – his words – to survive, and to expose Australia’s inhumane treatment of asylum seekers.
Now, in 2023, not only is Boochani free, he’s also a multi-award-winning author, documentary maker, humanitarian and scholar. His words, and those of other writers and activists, have changed lives, his own included. And they’ve helped keep us accountable.
A scholar of Middle Eastern and Islamic studies, Kylie Moore-Gilbert also spent years unjustly imprisoned in unimaginable conditions. Invited on a study tour of Iran in 2018, Moore-Gilbert was falsely accused of espionage and imprisoned for more than 800 days, including seven months in solitary confinement – before her ultimate release through an Australian-brokered prisoner exchange.
Boochani and Moore-Gilbert come together for this special event, presented by PEN Melbourne and the Wheeler Centre to mark the Day of the Imprisoned Writer. With host Karen Percy, these remarkable survivors share their powerful stories, and reflect on the role of writing to shine a light in the darkest places.
This event was presented in partnership with PEN Melbourne.
It was recorded on Tuesday 14 November 2023 at The Wheeler Centre.
The official bookseller was the Sun Bookshop.
Featured music is ‘Living in a Fantasy’ by Pulsed.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Before he found runaway success with his debut novel, Boy Swallows Universe, and follow-up All Our Shimmering Skies, Trent Dalton spent decades as a journalist investigating the real-life social inequities that underpin his third novel, Lola in the Mirror: poverty, violence, homelessness – and the power of hope.
The result is a moving, darkly funny story about life and death that is by turns heart-breaking and eye-opening. In conversation with musician and writer Clare Bowditch at Melbourne Town Hall, Dalton discusses Lola in the Mirror and the passion for social justice that inspired him to write it.
This event was recorded on Thursday 12 October 2023 at Melbourne Town Hall as part of the Wheeler Centre’s Spring Fling series.
Spring Fling was proudly supported by the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria and the Melbourne City Revitalisation Fund.
Special thanks to event partner and official bookseller Readings and accommodation partner The Sofitel.
Featured music is ‘I See You Out There’ by Tellsonic.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
For the Wheeler Centre’s 2023 end-of-year showcase, a host of the brightest names in Australian stand-up comedy – including Janty Blair, Scout Boxall, Nat Harris, Zoë Coombs Marr, Vidya Rajan, Dane Simpson and Alex Ward – came together to gaze into the Wheeler Centre’s crystal ball and answer some burning questions about what lies ahead.
What will 2024 bring for pop culture, fashion and politics? Our stellar line-up of comics shared playful, insightful and at times deranged predictions.
Forget the ambiguous notifications from Co-Star – the comedy crystal ball will tell you everything you need to know about 2024 (no guarantees).
The following recording is an excerpt from the event featuring our fabulous host for the evening, Karen From Finance and comedian and 3RRR Breakfaster, Nat Harris.
It was recorded on Tuesday 5 December 2023 at The Wheeler Centre.
Featured music is ‘Br1ghter’ (Instrumental Version) by Tape Machines.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
When acclaimed songwriter and performer Jen Cloher (Ngāti Kahu, Ngāpuhi) started to learn about their Māori heritage their whole outlook on life changed. In the new podcast series, Everybody’s Trying To Find Their Way Home, Cloher speaks with icons like Dr. Lou Bennett about Sovereign Language Rematriation and Emma Donovan about the lasting legacy of Aunty Ruby Hunter.
At the heart of the podcast is a gentle provocation to us all. What does it feel like when we make the journey towards our own ancestral languages and traditions? How does that journey help to make our occupation on these lands more conscious and embodied? What joy can be found in knowing the stories of strength that come through our own bloodlines?
For Spring Fling, Cloher took to the stage with a panel of Māori and First Nations songwriters including Uncle Kutcha Edwards, Allara and Breanne Peters. Together they recorded a special live episode of Everybody’s Trying To Find Their Way Home, complete with an array of joyful musical performances.
This event was presented in partnership with RMIT Culture.
It was recorded on Saturday 14 October 2023 at The Capitol.
Featured music: ‘Mother Tongue’ performed by Kutcha Edwards, Allara, Jen Cloher and Breanne Peters and ‘He Toka-Tū-Moana ’ performed by Jen Cloher and Breanne Peters.
Podcast Producer: Simon Winkler. Sound Recordist: Simon Maisch. Sound Post-Production: Simon Cotter. Production Assistant: Joshua Suhaven.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Acclaimed actor, activist and 2023 Sydney Peace Prize-winner Nazanin Boniadi shares her dream of a 'a free, prosperous and secular democratic Iran'.
Iranian-born actress Nazanin Boniadi has had an impressive onscreen career, including leading roles in the Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power and Homeland.
But it’s her major role as a human rights advocate that has led to her most recent recognition. Over more than two decades, Boniadi has worked tirelessly to elevate the voices and struggles of Iranian citizens and activists, fighting for the country’s democracy and freedom – particularly for women and children. She has advocated at the highest levels, including at the UN Security Council, the US Senate Human Rights Caucus, and in the British Parliament.
Boniadi was selected as the recipient of the 2023 Sydney Peace Prize for ‘lending a powerful voice to support Iranian women and girls and their #WomanLifeFreedom movement, and for using a high-profile platform to promote freedom and justice in Iran’.
At an unmissable event at The Capitol in Melbourne, Boniadi delivered a stirring keynote lecture on democracy and women’s rights, followed by a Q&A hosted by Mahsa Hajjari.
This event was recorded on Tuesday 31 October 2023.
It was presented by the Sydney Peace Foundation and RMIT Culture. Supported by the Wheeler Centre, Amnesty International, Future Women and the Victorian Women’s Trust.
Featured music is ‘Fuzzy Feeling’ by Timothy Infinite.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Leigh Sales is one of Australia’s most beloved journalists. A veteran anchor of the ABC’s flagship current affairs program 7.30, the new presenter of Australian Story, co-host of hugely popular podcast Chat 10 Looks 3 with Annabel Crabb, and a bestselling author, Sales has been recognised with three Walkley Awards over the course of a career that has seen her interview countless political leaders, innovators and artists.
In her new book, Storytellers: Questions, Answers and the Craft of Journalism, Sales turns her talents on her remarkable peers – including Waleed Aly, Richard Fidler, Niki Savva and Stan Grant – revealing candid insights into the craft of journalism and the power of storytelling.
Over an intimate dinner at award-winning winery Montalto, Sales was joined by her close friend Lisa Millar, co-host of ABC News Breakfast, as they shared insights from their careers in the media and offer a peek behind the curtain of this vital but often misunderstood profession.
This event was recorded on Friday 6 October 2023 AT Montalto as part of Spring Fling.
Presented in partnership with Montalto.
The bookseller for this event was Antipodes Bookshop and Gallery.
Featured music is ‘Mirror’ by Simon Winkler.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The author of The Great Believers and a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, Rebecca Makkai is back with an explosive new work. Described by the New York Times as ‘spellbinding’,I Have Some Questions for You is part campus novel, part true-crime podcast investigation, all told through the lens of the #MeToo era.
Join Makkai and host Rachael Brown as they reckon with the past and interrogate just how deep our obsession with true crime runs.
This event was presented in partnership with RMIT Culture.
It was recorded on Saturday 14 October 2023 at The Capitol as part of Spring Fling.
Spring Fling was proudly supported by the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria and the Melbourne City Revitalisation Fund. Special thanks to official bookseller Readings and accommodation partner The Sofitel.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In this episode, acclaimed science journalist Ed Yong takes us beyond the limits of human perception to uncover the world through the eyes of animals.
An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us explores the boundless sensory environments animals occupy, offering a reminder of the intricacies of nature and how little we truly know about the planet we inhabit. In this remarkable book, Yong brings to bear the same clear-eyed insight that earned him a Pulitzer Prize for his COVID-19 coverage for The Atlantic.
As part of Spring Fling, Yong joined Guardian Australia nature columnist Helen Sullivan live at The Capitol for a revelatory conversation.
This event was presented in partnership with RMIT Culture.
It was recorded on Saturday 14 October 2023 at The Capitol as part of Spring Fling.
Spring Fling was proudly supported by the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria and the Melbourne City Revitalisation Fund. Special thanks to official bookseller Readings and accommodation partner The Sofitel.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In this episode, Caroline O’Donoghue, bestselling author and host of the award-winning podcast Sentimental Garbage discusses her new novel The Rachel Incident.
Set in Ireland against the backdrop of the post-economic crash of 2009, The Rachel Incident delves into the realm of youthful yearnings, early adulthood, and the bittersweet transition from carefree student to responsible professional.
O’Donoghue joined Abigail Ulman live at the Wheeler Centre for Spring Fling to discuss the danger and delight of youthful dalliances, and the great love story of enduring friendship.
This event was recorded on Thursday 12 October 2023 at the Wheeler Centre as part of Spring Fling.
Featured music ‘Golden Hour’ by Sarah the Illstrumentalist.
Spring Fling was proudly supported by the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria and the Melbourne City Revitalisation Fund. Special thanks to official bookseller Readings and accommodation partner The Sofitel.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Pop culture aficionados Kate Jinx and Brodie Lancaster join us for a special live recording of their hit podcast See Also.
Each week on their pod, Brodie and Kate skip across the pop culture spectrum and dissect the TV shows, films and books everyone is talking about, forgotten cult classics they’ve been revisiting, and everything in between. Bookending each episode with recommendations for restaurants, gigs, skincare, fashion and even life admin, they share everything you need to know to plug in to the zeitgeist.
Since its launch in 2022, See Also has amassed a loyal following of listeners – and for Spring Fling, Kate and Brodie recorded the podcast’s first ever live episode!
Joining them on stage at the Wheeler Centre were special guests, actor and writer María Angelico and live music from Harvey Sutherland.
This event was recorded on Tuesday 10 October 2023 at the Wheeler Centre as part of Spring Fling.
Featured music is 'Let's go find the SUN' by Sarah the Illstrumentalist.
See Also theme music performed by Harvey Sutherland and Meg Christensen (live at the Wheeler Centre)
More from See Also
Spring Fling was proudly supported by the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria and the Melbourne City Revitalisation Fund. Special thanks to official bookseller Readings and accommodation partner The Sofitel.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In her most ambitious work to date, acclaimed Goorie author and Miles Franklin Literary Award winner Melissa Lucashenko turns her hand to historical fiction. Edenglassie is a blazing epic set in colonial Queensland, spanning five generations to tell a story of legacy, love and resistance.
At this exclusive Spring Fling event, Lucashenko discusses the hidden histories that shaped her extraordinary new work, which takes a torch to colonial myths and grapples with the ongoing realities of resistance.
Lucashenko and host Evelyn Araluen consider how confronting the ugly truths of the past offers us a way to reimagine the future.
This event was recorded on Friday 6th of October 2023 at the Wheeler Centre as part of Spring Fling.
Featured music is ‘Different Days’ by Chill Cole.
Spring Fling was proudly supported by the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria and the Melbourne City Revitalisation Fund.
Special thanks to official bookseller Readings and accommodation partner The Sofitel.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
To celebrate the Wheeler Centre’s Spring Fling, we asked six beloved Victorian writers to reflect on the theme Above and Beyond: considering what it means to look further, delve deeper, and ask big questions of ourselves and the world around us.
The following is an audio recording from award winning writer, speaker and appearance activist, Carly Findlay, reading her original essay for the project.
This work was commissioned by the Metro Tunnel Creative Program in partnership with the Wheeler Centre as part of Spring Fling, presented at venues across Melbourne from 2 to 14 October 2023.
Visual artist ENOKi has created a series of vibrant, visually arresting illustrations in response to the written pieces. This collaborative project is available to view in person at City Square on Swanston from the end of September 2023.
Read the essays in full and discover more audio recordings from the project at wheeler centre.com
Featured music is ‘And Lucy Dreams’ by Lotus.
This work was delivered in partnership with the Metro Tunnel Creative Program.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
To celebrate the Wheeler Centre’s Spring Fling, we asked six beloved Victorian writers to reflect on the theme Above and Beyond: considering what it means to look further, delve deeper, and ask big questions of ourselves and the world around us.
The following is an audio recording from award winning writer Alice Pung, reading her original essay for the project.
This work was commissioned by the Metro Tunnel Creative Program in partnership with the Wheeler Centre as part of Spring Fling, presented at venues across Melbourne from 2 to 14 October 2023.
Visual artist ENOKi has created a series of vibrant, visually arresting illustrations in response to the written pieces. This collaborative project is available to view in person at City Square on Swanston from the end of September 2023.
Read the essays in full and discover more audio recordings from the project at wheeler centre.com
Featured music is ‘Handwriting’ by Frank Jonsson.
This work was delivered in partnership with the Metro Tunnel Creative Program.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
To open the Wheeler Centre’s 2023 Spring Fling series, six Australian cultural icons took to the stage at Melbourne Town Hall for an intimate evening of storytelling, reflecting on the moments that shaped them and called upon them to–go above and beyond in their careers, personal lives and creative endeavours.
Hosted by Patricia Karvelas, the line-up of special guests included writer and disability activist Hannah Diviney, tennis champion Jelena Dokic, award-winning author Melissa Lucashenko, prominent campaigner for the Voice to Parliament Thomas Mayo, and Zimbabwean-Australian singer, actor and writer Rufaro Zimbudzi, followed by a very special musical performance by celebrated singer-songwriter Emma Donovan.
The following reflection on the theme Above and Beyond was shared on Opening Night by proud Kaurareg Aboriginal and Kalkalgal, Erubamle Torres Strait Islander man, Thomas Mayo. Thomas is the National Indigenous Officer of the MUA. He is a signatory of the Uluru Statement from the Heart and has been a leading advocate since its inception in May 2017. He is the Chairperson of the Northern Territory Indigenous Labor Network, advises the Diversity Council of Australia and the From the Heart campaign, and is an executive member of the Northern Territory Trades and Labour Council. Thomas has previously written five books published by Hardie Grant, and has articles and essays published in The Guardian, Griffith Review and Sydney Morning Herald.
This event was recorded on Wednesday 4 October 2023 at Melbourne Town Hall.
Featured music is Different Days by Chill Cole.
Spring Fling is proudly supported by the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria, and is supported through the Melbourne City Revitalisation Fund.
Special thanks to official bookseller Readings and accommodation partner The Sofitel.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
To celebrate the Wheeler Centre’s Spring Fling, we asked six beloved Victorian writers to reflect on the theme Above and Beyond: considering what it means to look further, delve deeper, and ask big questions of ourselves and the world around us.
The following is an audio recording from proud Noongar woman and award-winning author Claire G. Coleman, reading her original essay for the project.
This work was commissioned by the Metro Tunnel Creative Program in partnership with the Wheeler Centre as part of Spring Fling, presented at venues across Melbourne from 2 to 14 October 2023.
Visual artist ENOKi has created a series of vibrant, visually arresting illustrations in response to the written pieces. This collaborative project is available to view in person at City Square on Swanston from the end of September 2023.
Read the essays in full and discover more audio recordings from the project at wheeler centre.com
Featured music is ‘Watching Galaxies from Afar’ by Ave Air.
This work was delivered in partnership with the Metro Tunnel Creative Program.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
To celebrate the Wheeler Centre’s Spring Fling, we asked six beloved Victorian writers to reflect on the theme Above and Beyond: considering what it means to look further, delve deeper, and ask big questions of ourselves and the world around us.
The following is an audio recording from Miles Franklin Literary Award winning novelist, Jennifer Down, reading her original essay for the project.
This work was commissioned by the Metro Tunnel Creative Program in partnership with the Wheeler Centre as part of Spring Fling, presented at venues across Melbourne from 2 to 14 October 2023.
Visual artist ENOKi has created a series of vibrant, visually arresting illustrations in response to the written pieces. This collaborative project is available to view in person at City Square on Swanston from the end of September 2023.
Read the essays in full and discover more audio recordings from the project at wheeler centre.com
Featured music is ‘Now We Gather’ by Joseph Beg.
This work was delivered in partnership with the Metro Tunnel Creative Program.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
To celebrate the Wheeler Centre’s Spring Fling, we asked six beloved Victorian writers to reflect on the theme Above and Beyond: considering what it means to look further, delve deeper, and ask big questions of ourselves and the world around us.
The following is an audio recording from storyteller and educator on transgender liberation, Nevo Zisin, reading their original essay for the project.
This work was commissioned by the Metro Tunnel Creative Program in partnership with the Wheeler Centre as part of Spring Fling, presented at venues across Melbourne from 2 to 14 October 2023.
Visual artist ENOKi has created a series of vibrant, visually arresting illustrations in response to the written pieces. This collaborative project is available to view in person at City Square on Swanston from the end of September 2023.
Read the essays in full and discover more audio recordings from the project at wheeler centre.com
Featured music is 'Heart Beam' by ELFL.
This work was delivered in partnership with the Metro Tunnel Creative Program.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
To celebrate the Wheeler Centre’s Spring Fling, we asked six beloved Victorian writers to reflect on the theme Above and Beyond: considering what it means to look further, delve deeper, and ask big questions of ourselves and the world around us.
The following is an audio recording from Yuin, Bunurong and Tasmanian man and best-selling author, Bruce Pascoe, reading his original essay for the project.
This work was commissioned by the Metro Tunnel Creative Program in partnership with the Wheeler Centre as part of Spring Fling, presented at venues across Melbourne from 2 to 14 October 2023.
Visual artist ENOKi has created a series of vibrant, visually arresting illustrations in response to the written pieces. This collaborative project is available to view in person at City Square on Swanston from the end of September 2023.
Read the essays in full and discover more audio recordings from the project at wheeler centre.com
Featured music is 'Arriving' by Hanna Lindgren.
This work was delivered in partnership with the Metro Tunnel Creative Program.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Kevin Jared Hosein is fast becoming known as one of global literature’s most exciting new talents. His new novel, Hungry Ghosts, explores violence, religion, family and class against the backdrop of 1940s colonial central Trinidad. This extraordinary work has received praise from literary icons such as Bernardine Evaristo and the late, great Hilary Mantel, who called the work ‘deeply impressive’.
Recorded exclusively for the Wheeler Centre podcast, hear from Hosein on his highly anticipated debut tour of Australia. Kevin appears in conversation with screenwriter and author Cath Moore, discussing his latest work of fiction, exploring Trinidad’s colonial past, and promoting an appreciation of Caribbean literature to a global audience.
The event was recorded on Wednesday 16 August 2023 at the Wheeler Centre.
Featured music is Ultra Chill by IMPRISMED.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The Wheeler Centre’s Spring Fling returns for 2023 and this year we’re going Above and Beyond. From October 2 to 14 we’re celebrating the big ideas and the small moments that make us human, and the creative thinking that drives us to be better versions of ourselves.
Across 24 captivating events we’re looking further, delving deeper, and asking bigger questions with outstanding thinkers who are reshaping our world and envisioning extraordinary futures.
To celebrate the return of Spring Fling, in this episode we revisit 2022's inaugural Opening Night gala event at Melbourne Town Hall, where a star-studded lineup of writers shared a personal ‘lightbulb moment’, reflecting on a defining shift that changed their mind, sparked a big idea or helped them blossom.
Enjoy this highlight from disability advocate and Heartbreak High star Chloe Hayden.
Tickets to Spring Fling 2023 are on sale now. Explore the full program at wheelercentre.com including details of this year’s Opening Night: Above and Beyond at Melbourne Town Hall on Wednesday 4th of October featuring Jelena Dokic, Thomas Mayo, Melissa Lucashenko, Hannah Diviney, Rufaro Zimbudzi, musical guest Emma Donovan. Hosted by Patricia Karvelas.
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This event was recorded at Melbourne Town Hall on Wednesday 2 November 2022 as part of the Wheeler Centre’s Spring Fling Opening Night: Lightbulb Moments.
Featured music is Kwick Baby by Youth Community.
Spring Fling is proudly supported by the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria and is supported through the Melbourne City Revitalisation Fund – a $200 million partnership of the Victorian Government and the City of Melbourne.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In her latest book The Patriarchs: How Men Came to Rule, award-winning science journalist Angela Saini explores the science and history of male dominance, arguing that patriarchy is neither natural nor inevitable, but rather a fragile system that is constantly remade and reasserted.
Saini joined Karen Pickering for a bold conversation interrogating why, how and where patriarchy manifests and persists. She discussed the ways patriarchies are established and evolve over time, explored matrilineal systems that have been subverted by colonialism, and looked beyond old narratives to understand why the patriarchy persists today.
This event was presented in partnership with the Victorian Women’s Trust.
It was recorded on Tuesday 15 August 2023 at the Wheeler Centre.
The bookseller for this event was Readings.
Featured music was Different Days by Chill Cole.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The Wheeler Centre’s Spring Fling returns for 2023 and this year we’re going Above and Beyond. From October 2 to 14 we’re celebrating the big ideas and the small moments that make us human, and the creative thinking that drives us to be better versions of ourselves.
Across 24 captivating events we’re looking further, delving deeper, and asking bigger questions with outstanding thinkers who are reshaping our world and envisioning extraordinary futures.
To celebrate the return of Spring Fling, in this episode we revisit 2022's inaugural Opening Night gala event at Melbourne Town Hall, where a star-studded lineup of writers shared a personal ‘lightbulb moment’, reflecting on a defining shift that changed their mind, sparked a big idea or helped them blossom.
Enjoy this highlight from multi-award winning writer Maxine Beneba Clarke.
Tickets to Spring Fling 2023 are on sale now. Explore the full program at wheelercentre.com including details of this year’s Opening Night: Above and Beyond at Melbourne Town Hall on Wednesday 4th of October featuring Jelena Dokic, Thomas Mayo, Melissa Lucashenko, Hannah Diviney, Rufaro Zimbudzi, musical guest Emma Donovan. Hosted by Patricia Karvelas.
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This event was recorded at Melbourne Town Hall on Wednesday 2 November 2022 as part of the Wheeler Centre’s Spring Fling Opening Night: Lightbulb Moments.
Featured music is Kwick Baby by Youth Community.
Spring Fling is proudly supported by the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria and is supported through the Melbourne City Revitalisation Fund – a $200 million partnership of the Victorian Government and the City of Melbourne.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Hear from our Head of Programming, Veronica Sullivan, as she reflects on last year’s successful Spring Fling, and shares what’s in store for audiences this year.
In 2023 the Wheeler Centre’s Spring Fling is going Above and Beyond: looking further, delving deeper, and asking bigger questions with outstanding thinkers who are reshaping our world and envisioning extraordinary futures.
Across 24 captivating events from 2 to 14 October, hear from international guests Hernan Diaz (Trust), musician and artist Lonnie Holley, Rebecca Makkai (I Have Some Questions for You), Caroline O’Donoghue (The Rachel Project and host of the hit podcast Sentimental Garbage) and Ed Yong (An Immense World), alongside local luminaries including Leigh Sales, Trent Dalton, Melissa Lucashenko, Thomas Mayo, Pia Miranda and Andrew Quilty.
Tickets to Spring Fling are on sale now at wheelercentre.com.
Buy three or more eligible Spring Fling events and get 15% off your purchase.
The Wheeler Centre is incredibly thankful for the generous support of its patrons Maureen Wheeler AO and Tony Wheeler AO; series partners The Moat and Readings; and event partners the E.W. Cole Foundation, Montalto, Museums Victoria and RMIT Culture. Special thanks to accommodation partner The Sofitel.
Featured music is Kwick Baby by Young Community.
Spring Fling is proudly supported by the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria and is supported through the Melbourne City Revitalisation Fund – a $200 million partnership of the Victorian Government and the City of Melbourne.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
One of only four writers to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction twice, Colson Whitehead is the multi-award-winning and bestselling author of works including The Nickel Boys and The Underground Railroad, which was also adapted for the small screen, produced and directed by Academy Award-winning director Barry Jenkins.
Whitehead begun his new Harlem Trilogy with Harlem Shuffle, a genre-hopping family saga that acts as a crime novel, a morality play, a social novel about race and power, and a love letter to Harlem. Its sequel, Crook Manifesto, was published in July 2023.
For the Wheeler Centre’s World of Words, hear from Whitehead live in conversation with journalist and filmmaker Santilla Chingaipe as he shares his creative process bringing bygone eras to life for the modern reader, discusses the challenges and rewards of writing a sequel for the first time, and immerses Melbourne audiences in the world of Harlem Shuffle.
Presented in partnership with RMIT Culture.
This event was supported by the Melbourne City Revitalisation Fund, a Victorian Government and City of Melbourne partnership.
It was recorded on Wednesday 24 May 2023 at The Capitol as part of the Wheeler Centre’s World of Words series.
Featured music is ‘Natural Habitat’ by Ealot.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The 2023 Women’s World Cup is being held Australia, and with more than two billion viewers expected to tune into this year’s tournament, it’s a landmark moment in Australian sporting history.
To celebrate, the Wheeler Centre invited players, media and passionate fans to come together for a special event exploring the significance of the Women’s World Cup in Australian sporting history and in the landscape of women’s sport.
Activist and CBC Sports journalist Shireen Ahmed, Football Australia Legacy ‘23 Ambassador Azmeena Hussain, current National League player Emma Checker and inaugural Matildas captain Julie Dolan AM joined host Fiona Crawford to discuss personal and collective triumphs of women’s soccer, explore equality in all facets of the game, and reflect on this historic moment for Australia and for women in sport.
This event was recorded on Saturday 29 July 2023 at the Wheeler Centre.
Featured music is 'Traveling Again' by Sarah the Illstrumentalist.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
As the owner of Darjeeling Express, British restaurateur Asma Khan astounds diners with sumptuous Indian cuisine and inspires as an advocate for social change. The Darjeeling Express kitchen is proudly run by an all-women team, and has been recognised as one of London’s best restaurants by the Evening Standard. Khan herself has starred in Netflix’s award-winning series Chef’s Table and is the UN World Food Programme’s Chef Advocate for the United Kingdom.
Visiting Victoria for the Wheeler Centre’s international writers series, World of Words, Khan sat down for a long lunch at award-winning winery and restaurant Montalto. With writer and editor Bhakthi Puvanenthiran, she recounts the twists and turns of her culinary career, discusses her new cookbook Ammu, and shares her philosophy of food as a conversation about our universal similarities, connecting and uniting us across the globe.
Presented in partnership with Montalto.
The bookseller for this event was Antipodes Bookshop and Gallery.
The event was recorded on Thursday 25 May 2023 at Montalto.
Featured music is ‘They Dream By Day’ by Krotos.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In her latest work of non-fiction, renowned journalist and author Kate Legge turns her attention to the oft-taboo topic of infidelity. Drawing from her own experiences, Legge’s Infidelity and Other Affairs critically examines the concept of lifelong monogamy and explores whether the urge to be unfaithful can be considered a hereditary trait.
In June, Legge joined radio producer and presenter Elizabeth McCarthy for an intimate lunch and thought-provoking conversation at Red Hill’s acclaimed winery Montalto. Together they unpacked Legge’s latest work, reflecting on the process of bringing personal experiences to the page, and the complexities of modern relationships and inherited histories.
Presented in partnership with Montalto.
The event was recorded on Friday 16 June 2023 at Montalto.
Featured music is Violet Sky (Instrumental Version) by PHELLO.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dame Graça Machel is one of the world’s leading humanitarians and political activists. She was the first Education Minister of Mozambique, the co-founder and deputy Chair of The Elders, and has spent decades fighting for the rights of marginalised communities, earning international recognition and accolades.
In 2010 she established the Graça Machel Trust as a Pan-African advocacy organisation focused on child health and nutrition, education, women’s economic and financial empowerment, leadership and good governance. She is also the only woman in modern history to have served as the First Lady of two countries, alongside Samora Machel and Nelson Mandela.
At this exclusive World of Words event, Machel was in conversation with Dr Kudzai Kanhutu. Together they reflect on Machel’s remarkable life and work, and her lifelong devotion to advocating for women’s and children’s rights.
Donations to Dame Graça Machel’s work Empowering and Educating African Women can be made via Rotary Australia here.
This event was presented in partnership with Igniting Change and supported by the Melbourne City Revitalisation Fund, a Victorian Government and City of Melbourne partnership.
It was recorded on Tuesday 6 June 2023 at the Wheeler Centre as part of World of Words.
Featured music is Living in a Fantasy by Pulsed.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
“Where are the people who are the other in this room? Because actually they have the skills, the capacity, the resilience, the understanding, and also they know where your blind spots are in terms of the way our social structures are set. We need them. They’re actually our experts” - Manisha Amin
As part of Melbourne Design Week 2023,a panel of design experts examine the crucial role of design in breaking down barriers to social inclusion.
Hear from Dr Manisha Amin, CEO of the Centre for Inclusive Design, which advocates for audiences that are often overlooked in the design process; and Simona Castricum, a multi-disciplinary creative and academic whose work explores queer and trans intersections in architecture, music, the public realm and civic life.
And, joining halfway through the conversation, Honeycomb Access and Design architect Jenna Cohen shares her knowledge on designing accessible spaces and providing accessibility guidance to the building sector.
Together with host Jess Lilley, Triple R broadcaster and co-founder of ethical advertising agency The Open Arms, they discuss the principles of inclusive design and why it is essential to an equitable society, looking beyond the practical and into the broader cultural and socio-political implications of design in our public spaces.
This event was part of Melbourne Design Week 2023, an initiative of the Victorian Government in collaboration with the NGV.
It was recorded on Wednesday 24 May 2023 at the Wheeler Centre.
Featured music is Traveling Again by Sarah, the Illstrumentalist.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
“Coal, oil and gas shouldn’t be vilified. They’ve brought us the civilisation we have – but with side effects. The big one is carbon dioxide leading to global warming, and we have to do something about it” – Alan Finkel.
The clean energy transition is one of the world’s largest economic and environmental challenges, with the potential to usher in a new age of electricity and transform the planet.
In a recent edition of the Fifth Estate, host Sally Warhaft met with Alan Finkel, author and former Australian chief scientist, to discuss the science and politics behind clean energy.
In his new book, Powering Up: Unleashing the Clean Energy Supply Chain, Alan Finkel outlines his ideas for transforming our energy landscape, which have drawn both praise and criticism around the world.
Warhaft sat down with Finkel to learn about the possibilities and challenges of a clean energy future, explore how Australia could lead the way in the global transition, and provide guidance on the road ahead for Australian industries and consumers.
This event was recorded on Tuesday 30 May 2023 at the Wheeler Centre.
The bookseller was The Paperback Bookshop.
Featured music is Different Days by Chill Cole.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
“Real people are weirder than characters in any story” - Bora Chung.
With its unique blend of horror, speculative fiction and folklore, Bora Chung’s Cursed Bunny explores the cruelties and violence of patriarchy and capitalism in modern society. The chilling short story collection garnered international acclaim, was shortlisted for the 2022 International Booker Prize and won the PEN/HEIM Translation Grant, marking Chung as a global star of contemporary South Korean literature.
Appearing in Melbourne for the first time, Chung joined Paige Clark in conversation to share the process of creating Cursed Bunny, the intricacies of translation, and the use of horror and speculative fiction to expose the weirdness of societal forces and the power they exert.
This event was supported by the Melbourne City Revitalisation Fund, a Victorian Government and City of Melbourne partnership.
It was recorded on Wednesday 17 May 2023 at the Wheeler Centre as part of World of Words.
The bookseller was Amplify Bookstore.
Featured music is No One There by Ava Low.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
“Being able to pay a certain type of attention requires time, and it’s obviously helped by having more control over your time or how time feels, but then at the same time, paying a certain type of attention makes time feel different” – Jenny Odell.
In this episode, Jenny Odell, the author of How to Do Nothing, explores the cultural forces that shape our understanding of time, challenges the notion that ‘time is money’, and offers new possibilities for experiencing time beyond the world of work and profit.
Shaking up the conversation about time in her latest book Saving Time, Odell deep dives into the intricate connection between time and power, revealing how a clock designed for profit is linked to ongoing social inequalities, the climate crisis and our growing sense of existential dread.
In conversation with host Fiona Wright, one of the most exciting voices in contemporary culture shares her subversive and inspiring vision for how we can save time – and how time might save us.
This event was supported by the Melbourne City Revitalisation Fund, a Victorian Government and City of Melbourne partnership.
The event was recorded on Monday 22 May 2023 at the Wheeler Centre as part of World of Words.
Featured music is Living in a Fantasy by Pulsed.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Content warning: The Wheeler Centre wishes to advise this recording includes occasional coarse language.
“I want to be responsible towards the person asking the question to the best of my ability, but the good news is I have no real power over them. And so, when we separate, I don’t feel like oh man, I might have just ruined someone’s life or decided whether or not they’re going to have a child. Ultimately the decision is very much theirs” – Daniel M Lavery.
Every week, millions of people visit Slate to read ‘Dear Prudence,’ an advice column offering indispensable life lessons with equal doses of humour and practicality. For five years, American writer Daniel M Lavery provided guidance as the titular Prudence, helping thousands of readers navigate tricky social situations and modern etiquette dilemmas.
After developing a loyal readership with his books Texts From Jane Eyre, The Merry Spinster and Something That May Shock and Discredit You, Lavery’s latest work recounts his time at ‘Dear Prudence’, collecting some of the most illuminating and provocative questions and their answers during his tenure.
In this episode recorded as part of the Wheeler Centre’s World of Words, Lavery brings his much-loved, and often much-needed, advice down under for a conversation with writer and broadcaster Jess McGuire. He speaks about his era as ‘Prudie’, revisiting and revising guidance over time, and some of the life lessons he has learnt in the process. He also doles out advice to members of the audience who were given the chance to ask about their own sticky questions.
This event was supported by the Melbourne City Revitalisation Fund, a Victorian Government and City of Melbourne partnership.
The event was recorded on Tuesday 23 May at the Wheeler Centre as part of World of Words.
Featured music is Golden Hour by Sarah, the Illstrumentalist.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In a special collaboration with Melbourne International Comedy Festival, exciting contemporary comedians Alexandra Hudson, Oliver Hunter and Lara Ricote (Mexico) joined host Adam Hills for an insightful panel exploring the realities of working in comedy as people with disability.
Together they share their personal and professional experiences, delve into the barriers that exist in the comedy industry, and discuss how laughter can be used as a tool for empowerment and education.
Presented in partnership with Melbourne International Comedy Festival.
This event was recorded on Wednesday 5 April 2023 at the Wheeler Centre.
Featured music is El Patrón by Don Bacilón.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
“And he says, yes, the real Uluru Statement. So he pulls it out of this giant cylinder and lays it on my loungeroom floor. And everyone stands up and the most extraordinary thing happened. We felt it’s heart beating. And understood intuitively as Aboriginal people as we looked at that document that our ancestors were in the room with us while we looked at that” - Catherine Liddle.
Australia is set to vote on a referendum to enshrine a First Nations voice in the constitution by mid-2024, a commitment made by the Albanese government during the 2022 federal election campaign
The Voice to Parliament is seen by many as Australia’s opportunity to right longstanding wrongs, give First Nations people a seat at the table and recognise that we are a nation with more than 60,000 years of continuous culture.
As a key campaigner for the Uluru Statement from the Heart, Thomas Mayo has been at the forefront of the movement towards constitutional recognition. In 2017 he travelled around Australia with the Uluru Statement, speaking to many different people and communities and ultimately writing a book, Finding The Heart of The Nation, about his journey.
This episode features highlights of Thomas Mayo in-conversation with Catherine Liddle, CEO of SNAICC, the national non-governmental peak body for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. Together, they discuss Australia’s journey towards constitutional recognition for First Nations people in this special event recorded as part of the 2023 Castlemaine State Festival.
Presented in partnership with Castlemaine State Festival.
This event was recorded at Castlemaine Goods Shed on Saturday April 1st 2023.
Featured music is Taargus by Jobii.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
“And what we’re really talking about is vesting the sovereignty of Australia in the people. But actually, the most extraordinary and beautiful thing is we are going to vest in 65,230 years of history. That’s an amazing step to take and again, I think it’s only going to change us in positive ways” – Craig Foster.
With the coronation of King Charles III in 2023, Australia’s relationship with the Crown will be a defining topic in the year.
To kick off the Fifth Estate for 2023, Sally Warhaft sat down with Craig Foster, who has had a respected career as a Socceroos player and coach, sports broadcaster, and human rights activist, and was recently appointed as the new chair of the Australian Republic Movement. Together, they discuss the future of the Australian Republic Movement and Australia’s place in the Commonwealth.
This event was recorded at the Wheeler Centre on Tuesday 28 March 2023.
Featured music is Living in a Fantasy by Pulsed.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
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“I feel like the trick to writing about yourself is to not write about yourself. You are the sort of prism, or you know, the observational tank through which something is passing” – Sloane Crosley.
From her much-loved essay collections, I Was Told There Would Be Cake, How Did You Get This Number and Look Alive Out There, to her bestselling novel, The Clasp, Sloane Crosley’s acerbic humour and observational wit has garnered her critical and popular acclaim.
Now, in her second novel Cult Classic, Crosley takes readers on a surreal journey through New York City as a woman runs into a former boyfriend, then another ex, and then another … until it seems all of Manhattan is filled with the ghosts of romance past.
In this episode, Sloane Crosley joins host Jaclyn Crupi to discuss Cult Classic, modern romance, and whether happy endings are possible in an age when the past is ever at your fingertips.
Sloane Crosley appeared in partnership with Adelaide Writers’ Week and Sydney Opera House’s All About Women festival.
The event was supported by the Melbourne City Revitalisation Fund, a Victorian Government and City of Melbourne partnership.
This event was recorded on Thursday 9 March 2023 at the Wheeler Centre.
The bookseller for this event was Hill of Content Bookshop.
Featured music is Diffuser by Shiruky.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
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“What I discovered eventually was to use all your resources to get as much support as you can, it makes a huge difference to everybody. And give up on asking people for help that don’t want to help you” - Esther Freud.
Motherhood is an intense period of introspection and change. For some, these may be ideal conditions for creative inspiration to strike, but it comes with immense demands on time, money and energy. For the Wheeler Centre’s M/OTHER series, writer and musician Edwina Preston, British novelist Esther Freud and musician and mother Thndo explored the ideas and complications behind balancing art-making and motherhood.
Together with host, Radio National presenter Hilary Harper, they delved into pertinent and honest questions about the roles of mother and artist, the barriers to creativity placed upon them by caregiving, and what structures can be put in place to better support mothers pursuing creative careers.
This event was recorded on Saturday 4 March 2023 at the Wheeler Centre as part of M/OTHER: a weekend of fearless conversation about the ways ‘motherhood’ is experienced, portrayed and labelled by those who mother, have been mothered, wish they were mothers, do not identify as mothers, cannot or do not want to mother, and by society at-large.
The official bookseller for M/OTHER was Neighbourhood Books.
Featured music is ‘Travelling Again’ – Sarah the Illstrumentalist
Conversations from M/OTHER may include references to topics such as mental health, reproductive rights, and childbirth. If you need assistance with any of these issues, you can learn more and seek advice via the Centre of Perinatal Excellence (COPE), Perintal Anxiety & Depression Australia (PANDA) and Beyond Blue.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
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“It felt like energy, like the words, the story, it just felt like something that had to come out of my body. And if I wasn’t going to write it, I was going to scream it or I was gonna dig it, or something. I mean seriously, that’s where I was when I was writing this” - Rachel Yoder.
An ode to the all-consuming and sometimes feral experience of motherhood, Rachel Yoder’s debut novel Nightbitch tells the story of a new mother who begins turning into a dog at night.
Chronicling the joy, mundanity and instability of modern motherhood, Nightbitch drew international acclaim, cementing Yoder as one of America’s most exciting contemporary novelists and luring the attention of Hollywood, with a film adaption starring Amy Adams currently in production.
For her first ever conversation event in Australia, Yoder joined Australian author Kate Mildenhall (The Mother Fault) to discuss the strangeness of motherhood, the challenges new parents often confront to retain a sense of self, and the many complexities involved in depicting the fullness of the mothering experience in fiction.
This event was recorded on Friday, 3 March 2023 at the Wheeler Centre as part of M/OTHER: a weekend of fearless conversation about the ways ‘motherhood’ is experienced, portrayed and labelled by those who mother, have been mothered, wish they were mothers, do not identify as mothers, cannot or do not want to mother, and by society at-large.
The official bookseller for M/OTHER was Neighbourhood Books.
Featured music is ‘Different Days’ by Chill Cole.
Conversations from M/OTHER may include references to topics such as mental health, reproductive rights, and childbirth. If you need assistance with any of these issues, you can learn more and seek advice via the Centre of Perinatal Excellence (COPE), Perintal Anxiety & Depression Australia (PANDA) and Beyond Blue.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
"Women who often have the least amount of resources, that have the least safety net, that have the least visibility, that have the least voices or representation in parliament - are usually the ones who launch the fiercest protests. The most dangerous protests." - Fatima Bhutto.
On International Women’s Day 2023, three powerhouse women came together for a galvanising conversation exploring politics and power through a global feminist lens.
Bestselling Pakistani author Fatima Bhutto has spoken around the world about women in leadership, the role of violence in politics and the challenges of democracy, sharing her personal experiences growing up in a political family shadowed by violence. Author, journalist and artist Shokoofeh Azar sought political asylum in Australia after being jailed three times in Iran while covering stories about Iranian social and human rights issues. Her novel The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree was shortlisted for the Stella Prize and the International Booker Prize.
With journalist and filmmaker Santilla Chingaipe, they shared their personal and professional experiences as creative women in public life. Together, they interrogated the importance of freedom of speech and agency for women around the world, reflecting on the most pressing global issues affecting women and how feminist innovation can create a better, equal future.
Presented in partnership with RMIT Culture.
This event was supported by the Melbourne City Revitalisation Fund, a Victorian Government and City of Melbourne partnership.
This event was recorded on Wednesday 8 March 2023 at The Capitol.
The official bookseller for this event was Amplify Bookstore.
Featured music is AVA LOW - No One There.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
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In 2022, Jonathan Van Ness – Emmy nominated television personality, comedian, best-selling author, podcaster and hairstylist – joined Australian writer and transgender rights activist Nevo Zisin for a digital conversation about JVN's essay collection Love That Story, the contemporary queer experience, and the importance of sharing and celebrating everything that makes our stories unique.
This digital event was recorded and released in May 2022 as part of the Wheeler Centre's Postcards From Abroad series.
The online bookseller for this event was Hill of Content Bookshop.
Featured music is City Phases by John Abbott.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
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"It was important to me to try and use the book to explore this shift and this gap between what I see in the media, what I see in fiction and on television and what I'd observed in life." - Natasha Brown
Bold and provocative, Natasha Brown’s debut novel Assembly cuts to the heart of race relations in modern Britain.
A clear-eyed and harrowing exposé of privilege, ambition and the legacies of colonisation, Assembly was shortlisted for the Folio Prize, the Goldsmiths Prize, the Orwell Prize and the Women’s Prize for Fiction.
Brown joined host Jamila Rizvi for the Wheeler Centre’s Spring Fling series for a wide-ranging discussion about race, class and identity.
Presented in partnership with RMIT Culture and supported by Future Women.
With thanks to UNSW Centre for Ideas.
This event was recorded on Thursday 10 November 2022 at The Capitol
Featured music is Diffuser by Shiruky
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
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"Exercise is like a vacuum cleaner for aging tissue and renews your tissue. You can look at the biopsy of muscle and your muscle is frail and old. After you've done weight training, your muscle is indistinguishable from a young person's." Norman Swan
With a career spanning over thirty years as a radio and television presenter, health journalist Norman Swan is a stalwart of the Australian media landscape.
Over lunch at Montalto Winery, Swan discussed his career as a medical professional in the public eye and his latest book So You Want To Live Younger Longer? Combining wellbeing and health tips with scientific insights, the book provides a practical and factual perspective, sans sensationalism, about how to live a healthy and positive life – at any age.
Join one of Australia’s most trusted medical voices for a conversation about lifelong health and communicating in a crisis. Hosted by Sally Warhaft.
Presented in partnership with Montalto.
This event was recorded on Thursday 29 September 2022 at Montalto.
Featured music is Flyin - New Location
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
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"Mark Twain said, fiction must be plausible, truth needn't be, or words to that effect. And truth is, it's so much more unlikely. And so everything in this book that seems unlikely, those are the true things." – Geraldine Brooks.
Geraldine Brooks is the Pulitzer Prize-winning author and journalist behind works such as March, Year of Wonders and Foreign Correspondence. Her latest release, Horse, is a sweeping narrative that weaves together three encounters with Lexington, the greatest racehorse in US history, to explore the legacy of racism and slavery in America.
Over a warming wintry lunch at Montalto, with produce straight from the kitchen garden, Brooks joined Santilla Chingaipe for a discussion about Horse, what drew her to the story of Lexington, as well as her own illustrious career.
Presented in partnership with Montalto.
This event was recorded on Friday 22 July 2022 at Montalto
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
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"We do, we sing gospel, we sing country, we sing rock, reggae, we sing ballads. If we could, we'd do opera. You know, we just like all sorts of music. Our sound has been our harmony. That's our thing. You know, we just enjoy harmonising together." - Vika Bull
Whether at church in suburban Melbourne; with The Black Sorrows; alongside artists including Paul Kelly, Kasey Chambers and John Farnham; or on one of their seven studio albums, singer-songwriters Vika & Linda have been performing together since childhood.
Their new collaborative memoir No Bull sees the sisters recount the highs and lows of their three-decade long career with honesty and humour.
As part of the Wheeler Centre’s Spring Fling: A Short Series of Big Ideas, Vika & Linda joined us for an afternoon of music and conversation. The duo spoke with journalist and broadcaster Namila Benson about their lifelong connection to music, their experience of releasing three albums in the last three years, and the significance of their Tongan heritage within their creative practice.
This event was recorded at The Capitol as part of the Wheeler Centre’s Spring Fling in September 2022.
Featured music is Tellsonic - I See You Out There
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
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'I don't start a novel thinking I have things to show you or tell you. I always start a novel because there are things I want to discover." - Kamila Shamsie.
The author of seven novels, Kamila Shamsie has built an acclaimed career crafting explorations of the personal impacts of political, cultural and historical shadows. Now, the multi-award-winning writer turns her attention to the everchanging nature of female friendship, and the forces that bring people together, or tear them apart.
Following the story of two best friends from Karachi to London, Best of Friends is Shamsie’s first novel since Home Fire, for which she won the Women’s Prize for Fiction, was shortlisted for the Costa Best Novel Award and longlisted for the Booker Prize.
In this episode, Kamila Shamsie speaks with Love and Virtue author Diana Reid about her latest work and explores our shifting perspectives on friendships, from fickle flings to the fiercely faithful.
With thanks to UNSW Centre for Ideas
Presented in partnership with RMIT Culture
This event was recorded on Wednesday 9 November 2022 at The Capitol as part of the Wheeler Centre’s Spring Fling program.
Featured music is Johannes Bornlöf - Friend of Mine.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
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Content warning: The Wheeler Centre wishes to advise this recording includes discussion about human bodies in collections, which were taken from their cultural places against the wishes of First Nations communities.
Repatriation is an issue at the heart of many cultural institutions, as museums and galleries reckon with the violent colonial histories that underpin significant portions of their collections. Once sought and traded as aesthetic trophies and scientific evidence, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander objects and ancestral remains, housed and hidden in institutions across the world are thought to number in the many thousands.
Malthouse Theatre’s production of The Return which premiered as part of RISING in 2022, engaged with the importance of returning these items and remains back to Country. This epic theatre experience spanned 250 years and explored the untold perspectives of these macabre true histories and the false justifications behind them.
In this episode, hear from The Return’s writer John Harvey and co-director Jason Tamiru, along with senior curator Kimberley Moulton. With host Daniel James, the panel consider the play’s themes, alongside Moulton’s insights into alternative models of collection and display that prioritise community access and situate these cultural belongings within a continuous flow of history. At the intersection of creative exploration and institutional knowledge, they discuss how the repatriation of Ancestors can bring us closer to truth-telling and First Peoples agency in museums.
Presented in partnership with RISING and Malthouse Theatre.
This event was recorded on Tuesday 31 May 2022 at the Wheeler Centre.
Featured music is DEX 1200 - The Chakra Movement
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
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Sophie Cunningham is one of Australian literature’s most influential figures. She is the author of seven books, a former editor of Meanjin, co-founder of the Stella Prize, and is currently an adjunct professor at RMIT University’s non/fiction Lab.
Her novel This Devastating Fever, her first work of fiction in fourteen years, was the Melbourne City Reads pick for September 2022. Weaving together the life of Leonard Woolf, the turn of the millennium and environmental collapse, Cunningham examines questions about colonial history, the return of fascism, living through disaster and what it means to cultivate a full, loving and creative life.
Join Cunningham and host Emily Bitto for an intimate conversation as they discuss this exhilarating new novel.
This event was recorded on Tuesday 22 September 2022 at the Wheeler Centre.
The Melbourne City Reads series is generously supported by George and Rosa Morstyn.
The bookseller for this event was The Paperback Bookshop.
Featured music is Golden Hour by Sarah, the Illstrumentalist.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
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For American novelist Andrew Sean Greer, the search for joy is a continued source of creative inspiration – as evidenced in his international bestselling and Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Less, and now again in its humorously honest new sequel, Less is Lost.
Warm, witty and profound, Less is Lost sees the lovable Arthur Less return for an unforgettable road trip across America as he confronts his personal demons and attempts to decipher the riddle of love.
As part of the Wheeler Centre’s 2022 Spring Fling program, Andrew Sean Greer made his own journey to Australia to join writer and broadcaster Benjamin Law in-conversation. Together they waded through ageing, grief and unavoidable change to find creativity, friendship and love.
This event was recorded on Wednesday 9 November 2022 at The Capitol as part of the Wheeler Centre’s Spring Fling: A Short Series of Big Ideas program.
Presented in partnership with RMIT Culture.
Andrew Sean Greer’s appearance was made possible with the generous support of Hachette Australia.
Featured music is Tape Machines, Le June, Nbhd Nick - Br1ghter (Instrumental Version)
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
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What better way to celebrate Stephanie Alexander’s latest cookbook, Home, than with an intimate conversation at award-winning restaurant and winery Montalto.
Hear Alexander reflect on her unparalleled five-decade career as a cook, writer and restaurateur, and the legacy she has built for generations of professionals and amateurs in kitchens around the country.
This event was recorded on Thursday 21 April 2022.
Presented in partnership with Montalto.
The bookseller for this event was Antipodes Bookshop and Gallery
Featured music is Living in a Fantasy by Pulsed.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
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If we are what we eat, then who are we in the twenty-first century?
Whether in our home kitchens, at the hottest new restaurant, in a bestselling cookbook, or on a fast-paced reality TV show, the ways we consume food and the narratives surrounding cuisine are inextricably linked to our cultural histories and personal identities.
Over a seasonal shared lunch prepared with Indigenous Australian ingredients, a panel of culinary superstars met at Big Esso to discuss their approaches to cooking and sharing food, and the intersections and impact of multiculturalism, immigration and First Nations cuisine on Australian food culture.
Inspired by Griffith Review 78: A Matter of Taste, the event featured Mabu Mabu owner and head chef Nornie Bero and award-winning author and broadcaster Alice Zaslavsky with host Jaclyn Crupi.
This event was recorded on Friday 4 Nov 2022 as part of the Wheeler Centre’s Spring Fling: A Short Series of Big Ideas program.
Presented in partnership with Griffith Review and Blak & Bright.
Featured music is In a Little While by Lofive.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
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Shaun Micallef has been a near constant in Australian comedy and television for almost three decades.
His new memoir Tripping Over Myself: A Memoir of a Life in Comedy charts his journey from suburban Adelaide to national TV stardom, offering insight into a career of curiosity, reinvention and humour.
As part of the Wheeler Centre’s Spring Fling program, Micallef joined presenter and RocKwiz host Julia Zemiro at The Capitol for a funny and fascinating conversation about life, satire, politics and television, from Full Frontal to Mad As Hell – and beyond.
This conversation was recorded on Saturday 5 November 2022 as part of the Wheeler Centre'sSpring Fling: A Short Series of Big Ideas.
Featured music is Midnight Set by Dusty Decks.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
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In this panel event, voices from different generations and First Nations backgrounds came together to explore First Nations community and family networks, and how they relate to conceptions of motherhood, parenting and the transmission of First Nations knowledge systems.
Ali Cobby Eckermann is the Windham Campbell Prize-winning author of memoir, poetry and verse novels, including Inside My Mother, and a survivor of the Stolen Generations. Dr Jackie Huggins’ decades of work as an author, historian and academic have focused on First Nations identity, activism and the question of feminism’s relevance for Indigenous women. An education academic and frequent media commentator, Dr Amy Thunig’s forthcoming memoir Tell Me Again explores the shaping of identity amidst intergenerational trauma and poverty – and deep familial love.
For this wide-ranging conversation in partnership with Blak and Bright, they joined host Bridget Caldwell-Bright for an insightful conversation about the women they have known, loved and learned from, and the women they are. The event opened with a Yarn Bomb from emerging Kamilaroi artist Emily Wells.
Presented in partnership with Blak and Bright.
Featured music is City Phases by John Abbot.
This event was recorded on Monday 7 November 2022 as part of the Wheeler Centre's Spring Fling: A Short Series of Big Ideas program. Spring Fling was supported by the Melbourne City Revitalisation Fund, a Victorian Government and City of Melbourne partnership.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
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From the lead singer of Midnight Oil, one of Australia’s most successful and politically engaged bands, to the Minister for the Environment, Heritage & the Arts in the Rudd/Gillard Labor governments, Peter Garrett has been a long-time campaigner on a range of local and global issues.
Through all his work, Garrett has exemplified the power of arts and activism in fighting for positive environmental change; whether performing in protest and benefit shows globally or steering the Australian Conservation Foundation as its youngest ever president.
During Spring Fling, the Wheeler Centre went to Macedon for a thought-provoking conversation between Garrett and award-winning author and journalist Anna Krien presented in partnership with the inaugural Mountain Writers Festival. Together they reflect on Garrett’s incredible life of environmental activism, and the role art, politics and campaigning can play in creating positive, lasting change.
Presented in partnership with Mountain Writers Festival.
This audio recording of this event was produced by motion media students from Alice Miller School in Macedon.
Featured music is Golden Hour bySarah, The Illstrumentalist
This event was part of the Wheeler Centre's Spring Fling: A Short Series of Big Ideas program – supported by the Melbourne City Revitalisation Fund, a Victorian Government and City of Melbourne partnership.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
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With a CV including Spicks and Specks, the Eurovision Song Contest, Triple J, ABC Radio, Playschool and the animated global hit Bluey, Myf Warhurst has been a staple of Australian radio and TV for over twenty years.
For the Wheeler Centre’s Spring Fling series, Warhurst took to the stage with her Bang On co-host Zan Rowe for a captivating conversation about music, memory and her new memoir, Time of My Life.
Join Myf Warhurst as she shares funny, fabulous and sometimes fraught tales of her journey from a music lover growing up in regional Victoria, to a much-loved presence on airwaves across the country.
This Melbourne City Reads event was generously supported by George and Rosa Morstyn.
This event was part of the Wheeler Centre's Spring Fling: A Short Series of Big Ideas program – supported by the Melbourne City Revitalisation Fund, a Victorian Government and City of Melbourne partnership.
Featured music is Electric Eyes by Sarah, The Illstrumentalist.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
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'I remember the first emails that I would send I was really caught up in, oh gosh, this is Trigger Warning for everything, and that's important. But by the end of the collaborations I felt like I could write whatever I wanted and I wouldn't shock or completely gross out the other person. It was all going to be okay, like, things could get weird and that's fine. And they did get weird.' – Sarah Stivens
Curated by award-winning poet Andy Jackson, this showcase event features an assembly of writers with disability sharing their visions for what the future of health can and should be, through performance, poetry, essay and memoir.
Featuring writers including Alex Creece, Gemma Mahadeo, Anna Jacobson, Beau Windon and Sarah Stivens, immerse yourself in creative explorations of ableism, love, shame, solidarity, ingenuity and more, while imagining a better and more inclusive future of health.
This conversation was recorded on Monday 3 October 2022 and presented in partnership with RMIT Culture and UNSW as part of The Big Anxiety festival, the largest mental health and arts festival in the world.
Featured music is ‘Different Days’ by Chill Cole.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
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An inability to focus can feel like a personal failing – a flaw in each one of us. In his acclaimed latest book, Stolen Focus: Why You Can’t Pay Attention and How to Think Deeply Again, award-winning writer and journalist Johann Hari posits that our failure to focus is not personal, but a social phenomenon caused by powerful external forces. Our focus has been stolen.
In this special digital lecture recorded at the Wheeler Centre for the Big Anxiety Festival, Hari shares his discoveries following a three-year journey interviewing leading experts on attention and uncovering the reasons behind our shortening attention spans.
Don’t miss this podcast about how – as individuals, and as a society – we can get our focus back, if we are determined to fight for it.
Presented in partnership withRMIT CultureandUNSWas part ofThe Big Anxiety
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
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‘Remember what Bertrand Russell said, most people would rather die than think, and most people do. And that's the world's tragedy. So to get people to think is the very, very first step in motivating the people of the planet to rise up and do something about the difficulties that we face, because there is no alternative.’
Is global agreement on global challenges possible? World-renowned philosopher A.C. Grayling believes an answer to this question is urgently needed.
In his latest book, For the Good of the World, Grayling proposes that the three biggest challenges facing the world today are climate change, the rapid development of high-impact technology and a global deficit in social and economic justice.
At this special keynote lecture, Technology, Climate, Justice and Rights: Can We Get the Whole World to Agree on Any of Them?, Grayling expands his thinking on these ideas, before answering burning questions from the audience. Can we agree on a set of values that will allow us to confront the threats facing our planet? Or will these issues progress at a rate that continues to outstrip our ability to deal with them?
Don't miss this thought-provoking address recorded on Thursday 15 September 2022 and hosted by Bhakthi Puvanenthiran. This conversation was presented with support from Dumbo Feather.
Featured music is Formations by Van Sandano.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
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‘But, you know, the thing about putting together a diary is, that when you read through the old books, you can see these points where you're about to walk off a cliff. And you see yourself walk off a cliff like one hundred times and you think, wake up, but it's too late because you're already off the cliff.’
Helen Garner is one of Australia’s most respected writers. Her novels, short stories, essays, journalism, and more recently her diaries – including her latest instalment, How to End a Story: Diaries: 1995–1998 – have influenced generations of Australian writers and are a fixture of Melbourne’s collective consciousness.
Over a long lunch at Montalto, she joined Sean O’Beirne, author of the recent monograph On Helen Garner, to discuss her immense contribution to Australian literature, and the unmistakable currents of candor and independence that have run through her writing life.
This event was recorded on Friday 20 May 2022.
Presented in partnership with Montalto
Featured music is Traveling Again by Sarah, the Illstrumentalist.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
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‘7 ½ felt a little bit like being a young writer again. Physically I can't call myself that (laughs), but in writing 7 ½ I felt that. Like, let's just go by instinct, in a way...
7 ½ was a way of me trying to think of what it was about being a writer that I enjoyed, what was it that I wanted to do.’
The acclaimed author of novels such as The Slap, Damascus and Barracuda, Christos Tsiolkas is known as one of Australia’s most beloved – and provocative – writers. In his latest novel, 7½, a novelist arrives in a secluded coastal town to escape the self-congratulatory moralism of the modern world and immerse himself in the beauty of nature. Here, he begins to write a book about an ageing ex-pornstar offered one last impossible-to-refuse job, and so begins a meditation on the choice between beauty and righteousness.
In this event at Montalto, Tsiolkas joined Angela Savage for a conversation about the power and transformative mysteries of art, creativity and transgression, as well as the moral crises affecting contemporary fiction. Enjoy a delicious lunch and thought-provoking conversation with a writer whose warmth and insight flows through even his most challenging work.
This event was recorded on 31 March 2022.
Presented in partnership with Montalto
Featured music is ‘Greasy’ by Timothy Infinite
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
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‘Who are you feeding? Who is your audience? Is it the one percent of the one percent and that is what’s so beautiful and amazing and artistic or do you want to feed a community?’
Jess Ho is one of the most influential voices in Australia’s bar and restaurant scene, well known for their searingly honest opinions on the hospitality industry.
Growing up confronting racism in the outer suburbs of Melbourne, Ho’s family’s traditional Cantonese cooking was both a comfort and a source of shame. As the Australian restaurant scene boomed, they embarked on a career in food writing at a time when the once ‘embarrassing’ foods of immigrant childhoods were quickly becoming commodified trends.
In their new memoir, Raised by Wolves, Ho weaves a coming-of-age story into an exploration of the industry they love, revealing the truths – both ugly and inspiring – behind Australia’s fine-dining obsession.
For this episode, Jess Ho spoke with host Clem Bastow about the role of food in their upbringing and offer a peek behind the kitchen door with their fierce, funny and razor-sharp lens.
This podcast was recorded on Thursday 28 July 2022 as part of Melbourne City Reads, a series generously supported by George and Rosa Morstyn.
Featured music is ‘Believe Me When I Say It’ by Matt Large.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
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“You know, for me, I loved reading, but I didn’t exist on those pages and when a child of any age doesn’t exist in our mainstream, in our books, in our stories, they start believing they’re not important.”
– Melina Marchetta
Looking for Alibrandi broke new ground with its honest and empowered portrait of an Italian-Australian teen coming of age in 1990s inner Sydney, speaking authentically about systemic racism in Australia from a migrant perspective.
For generations of teens, the beloved novel (and later cult movie) is a foundational story. Its exploration of family, womanhood, first love, identity and othering still resonates with readers today, 30 years after its release.
Now, Melina Marchetta’s novel has been adapted for the stage. In this special collaboration between the Wheeler Centre and Malthouse Theatre, Marchetta joined playwright Vidya Rajan, director Stephen Nicolazzo, and the film’s star Pia Miranda to discuss Looking for Alibrandi’s journey from page to screen to stage, the art of adaptation, and the enduring impact of this Australian classic.
This conversation was hosted by Brodie Lancaster and recorded at the Malthouse Theatre on 18 July 2022.
The bookseller was Hill of Content Bookshop.
Music: Pastel Colours by Sarah, The Illstrumentalist
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
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Adolescence is all about transformation, risk, passion – but what happens when young people are pushed to their limits?
Author Holden Sheppard has been widely acclaimed for his YA novels, which explore these limits with nuance and compassion.
In his new book, The Brink, a group of schoolies confront a life-changing tragedy on a trip they’ll never forget. In Sheppard’s award-winning debut novel (and its forthcoming television adaptation) Invisible Boys, three teenage boys come to terms with their homosexuality in a town where queerness is invisible.
On this episode, hear Sheppard discuss the jagged edges of adolescence in conversation with C.S. Pacat.
The bookseller for this event was Readings.
This podcast was recorded on 4 August 2022 at the Wheeler Centre.
The Wheeler Centre’s programming for young audiences is generously supported by The Hon. Justice Michelle Gordon AC and The Hon. Kenneth Hayne AC QC.
Music: Pastel Colours by Sarah, the Illstrumentalist
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
'It’s ok to be uncomfortable, and it’s a sign of strength if you’re feeling really weird about it - cause that’s a normal, human, good thing.'
At this special salon event held in partnership with State Library Victoria, we took a leaf out of Otis Redding’s book and tried a little tenderness.
Sarah Krasnostein’s March Quarterly Essay, Not Waving, Drowning: Mental Illness and Vulnerability in Australia examines a society that often punishes vulnerability, but that does have the resources to mend this broken system. Rick Morton’s memoir My Year of Living Vulnerably charts his journey towards embracing the healing and transformative power of love.
Together, these remarkable writers discussed the push and pull that take place across the broad spectrum of social policy, care and human vulnerability, with host Mahmood Fazal.
This podcast was recorded at State Library Victoria on 27 May 2022.
The bookseller for this event was Readings.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
'Mob are doing the work... and theorising race on the run because of the urgency in this place when it comes to racial violence.'
All over Australia, First Nations people are advocating for change in their fields, whether that be journalism and media, culture and the arts, health and legal services, or family members working to end deaths in custody.
At this event recorded live on Wurundjeri Country at the Wheeler Centre for NAIDOC Week 2022, we heard about the power and impact of First Nations campaigning, advocacy and protest.
Host and Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service CEO Nerita Waight was joined by academic and author of Another Day in the Colony Chelsea Watego; hip hop musician and youth mentor Johnathan Binge aka Caution; and Apryl Day, daughter of Aunty Tanya Day and founder of the Dhadjowa Foundation, to share and discuss their experiences of creating change through advocacy and protest.
The bookseller for this event was Readings.
Presented in partnership with the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service.
Featured music is ‘Living In A Fantasy’ by Purple Rhombus
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
“Hope is not a solution. Never confuse faith with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts. Failure isn’t fatal, failing to change is.”
Satyajit Das is a globally respected former banker and consultant with over forty years’ experience in financial markets and the international bestselling author of Traders, Guns & Money: Knowns and Unknowns in the Dazzling World of Derivatives, Extreme Money: The Masters of the Universe and the Cult of Risk, and A Banquet of Consequences.
Join Das as he delivers the inaugural E. W. Cole Lecture at the Wheeler Centre, offering a memorable and surprisingly playful examination of the greatest crises facing our world today, as well as unconventional ideas for how we might go about solving them.
Following his 40-minute lecture, Das is joined by Sally Warhaft to further analyse and interrogate his ideas.
This podcast was recorded on Thursday 31 March 2022 and presented in partnership with the E.W. Cole Foundation.
Featured music is ‘Living In A Fantasy’ by Pulsed.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
"There are people that care about books, and if you’re someone who can write them, you’re doing your community a favour. It’s not service in the sense that I’m feeding the homeless or coming up with a solution to climate change, but it nonetheless feels purposeful."
The author of six acclaimed novels including The Corrections, Freedom and Purity, Jonathan Franzen’s latest release Crossroads proves him, once again, to be a master of the modern family saga.
Selected as the Guardian UK Best Fiction Book of 2021 and an Independent Book of the Year, Crossroads navigates the political, intellectual, and social crosscurrents of the past 50 years through the lens of a dysfunctional American family.
Franzen joined Astrid Edwards, host of The Garret: Writers on Writing podcast, for a conversation about Crossroads, his writing life and the state of the modern novel.
The bookseller for this event was Hill of Content Bookshop.
This podcast was recorded at The Capitol, Melbourne on 14 June 2022 and presented in partnership with RMIT Culture.
Featured music is ‘Traveling Again' by Sarah, the Illstrumentalist
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
“I love it once a story takes hold of me. That’s what I’m always looking for. That pleasure of losing your sense of self.”
Liane Moriarty is the author of nine internationally bestselling novels include Truly Madly Guilty, Big Little Lies and Nine Perfect Strangers – the latter two of which have produced critically celebrated television adaptations starring Nicole Kidman, Meryl Streep and Reese Witherspoon.
In this illuminating conversation with host Sarah L’Estrange recorded at the Castlemaine Town Hall, Liane discusses her latest work Apples Never Fall and its themes of unfulfilled promise and delves into her ongoing global success.
The bookseller for this event was Northern Books.
This podcast was recorded on 4 May 2022 and presented in partnership with Castlemaine State Festival – A Dialogues Special Event.
Featured music is ‘Traveling Again' by Sarah, the Illstrumentalist
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
“At the very least I wanted to make people focus on an actual more honest rendering of these canonical texts of Australian literature ... We were not visible in these stories because we were not meant to exist in these narratives.”
On Thursday 12 May, Evelyn Araluen joined host Jeanine Leane live on stage at the Wheeler Centre to discuss her debut poetry collection Dropbear and its landmark win.
For 10 years, the Stella Prize has celebrated books by Australian women and non-binary writers. The annual $50,000 prize is awarded to the work of fiction, non-fiction, YA, graphic novel or (eligible for the first time in 2022) poetry deemed most original, excellent and engaging. This year, Stella has awarded a further $10,000 to Araluen – bringing the total prize money for the winner of the 2022 Stella Prize to $60,000.
The Stella judges said ‘Dropbear is a breathtaking collection of poetry and short prose which arrests key icons of mainstream Australian culture and turns them inside out, with malice aforethought. Araluen’s brilliance sizzles when she goes on the attack against the kitsch and the cuddly: against Australia’s fantasy of its own racial and environmental innocence.’
This event was presented in partnership with Stella.
The bookseller for this event was Hill of Content.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
“I want us to really love our country and not see it as the problem. Stop talking about sharks and spiders and snakes. Start talking about the beauty of a grassland.”
Bruce Pascoe and Bill Gammage need no introduction. Both have authored books that changed the conversation about pre-settlement history in Australia and speak to the importance of listening to First Nations wisdom: Bruce with his groundbreaking Dark Emu, which argued that Indigenous people did not follow a hunter-gatherer lifestyle at the time of colonisation, and Bill with his 2011 book The Biggest Estate on Earth: How Aborigines Made Australia, which explored how Aboriginal people have managed the land to their advantage for millennia.
Now, Bruce and Bill join forces to continue the conversation in Country: Future Fire, Future Farming, delving into the remarkable agricultural and land care practises of First Nations people. Country examines how, through complex seasonal burning programs, Aboriginal people managed the land to avoid the late season destructive bushfires we fear today.
Together they join writer Sophie Cunningham to discuss how employing Indigenous land management practises is critical to creating a more sustainable future for people and country.
The bookseller for this event was The Paperback Bookshop.
Featured music is ‘Red Orchard’ by Justnormal, frumhere. Courtesy of Epidemic Sound.
This podcast was recorded on 20 April 2022.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
“I think a lot of the choice around having children or not is completely illusory. I don’t think we have as many choices as we think.”
The way we live is ever-changing, but societal expectations about women’s relationships to motherhood have remained stiflingly rigid. Too often, popular narratives around motherhood disregard the varied and often challenging experiences that inform a person’s decision and opportunity to parent (or not). In this podcast episode, Gina Rushton, Sian Prior, and Natalie Kon-yu, three remarkable writers and thinkers from different backgrounds, consider the complexities of contemporary motherhood. They draw on their respective recent books, which each explore the political and personal implications of the journey towards, around or away from motherhood. Hosted by Eleanor Jackson.
Content note: this episode includes discussion of topics that some listeners may find difficult or sensitive, such as fertility and medical procedures.
Featured music is ‘In A Little While’ by Lofive, courtesy of Epidemic Sound.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
“There really isn’t a line where one project ends and the next begins. It’s always many things happening at once.”
The First Time is the podcast brainchild of writers Katherine Collette and Kate Mildenhall. Like getting warm and reassuring advice from two friends, The First Time is all about what happens the first time you publish a book, offering a behind the scenes look at all the thoughts and feelings writers experience when their book enters the world.
In this special live podcast recorded at the Wheeler Centre in April 2022, they turn their attention to the often challenging experience of how to follow up a brilliant first book.
Having just released second novels themselves, Collette and Mildenhall were joined by second-time authors Yumna Kassab (Australiana) and Robert Lukins (Loveland) for a candid and generous discussion of all the joys and anxieties inherent in the writing and publishing process.
This event was presented as part of Mic Drops, a Wheeler Centre original series celebrating all things audible that brings together podcasting’s best and brightest to share their thoughts and insights on the art (and business) of listening.
The official bookseller for this event was Hill of Content Bookshop.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
'I disagree with Einstein that the definition of insanity is doing things over and over again and expecting different results; to me that’s the definition of hope.’
On Thursday 17 March, designer, author and host of the award-winning podcast Design Matters Debbie Millman joined host Michaela Webb live on stage at the Wheeler Centre.
Design Matters is one of the world’s first breakthrough podcasts, and the first dedicated to design and the artistic mind. For fifteen years, Millman has interviewed the world’s most innovative creative thinkers. In her forthcoming book Why Design Matters, Millman collects 80 of her best interviews and pairs them with photographic portraits of the subjects – including Brené Brown, Malcolm Gladwell and Aminatou Sow. These intimate conversations with legends, truth tellers, trendsetters and visionaries offer insights into the craft of creativity, and what it can teach us about living well and loving openly.
Discussing Why Design Matters with Webb at this lunchtime event, Millman shared the lessons she’s learned from over 15 years interviewing the sharpest artistic minds in the world.
Debbie Millman: By Design was part of Melbourne Design Week 2022, an initiative of the Victorian Government in collaboration with the National Gallery of Victoria. This conversation is supported by the Australian Graphic Design Association and the Design Institute of Australia.**
Featured music is ‘red orchard’ by JUSTNORMAL and FRUMHERE, courtesy of Epidemic Sound.
Photo by Tobias Titz. Photography courtesy of the NGV as part of Melbourne Design Week 2022.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
‘Push back when people try to deny you. When people say you shouldn’t be taken seriously. Because what they’re really saying is that they don’t have the ability to recognise true, interesting perspectives.’
Part of the exciting return of international artists to live events with the Wheeler Centre, in March 2022, writer and cultural icon Roxane Gay returned to Australia for an insightful and audacious conversation with commentator and gender equality advocate Jamila Rizvi.
Following critical acclaim for her bestselling works, including Bad Feminist, Difficult Women and Hunger, Gay is now turning the spotlight on powerful emerging literary talent through her newsletter, The Audacity and the accompanying Audacious Book Club. Her work in promoting new talent doesn’t stop there – last year she launched her own publishing imprint, Roxane Gay Books, which seeks to publish and support works of fiction, nonfiction and poetry from underrepresented perspectives.
In this conversation, Gay discusses her unapologetic and audacious approach to writing and culture and her commitment to opening doors for others along the way.
This event was supported by Future Women
The official bookseller for this event was Brunswick Bound
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
‘We don't know what another person is experiencing ... but I think we can have some certainty that it's very different to our own experience and that's something we should probably start acknowledging more when we're thinking about consciousness.’
What exactly do we mean when we refer to human consciousness? For a long time, many scientists steered clear of the study of consciousness, deeming it subjective and impossible to observe. But thanks to innovative interdisciplinary research and advances in neuroimaging tools, scientists have a greater ability than ever to monitor neural activity connected to changing states of consciousness.
In this panel discussion hosted by Hilary Harper live at the Wheeler Centre, leaders in neuroscience Professors Jakob Hohwy and Olivia Carter discussed the current state of neuroscientific understandings of consciousness. They identified the major gaps in our knowledge, the latest medical, psychological and philosophical developments, and the limitations of scientific methods and language in this field.
This event was part of Present Sense, a Wheeler Centre original series inviting experts at the forefront of interdisciplinary research into human consciousness to discuss their work and its implications for Artificial Intelligence, mental health, aged care and philosophy. The next event in this series, Consciousness Unconstrained, will be hosted live at the Wheeler Centre on 22 March.
Presented in partnership with Melbourne-Monash Consciousness Research.
Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Wild Abandon, the second novel from Melbourne writer Emily Bitto (The Strays), follows its protagonist Will, heartbroken at the end of his first serious relationship, as he flees Australia for New York City and then into the American heartland on an odyssey that seems fated to have a dark conclusion.
This breathtaking new novel was chosen as the October book in the 2021 Melbourne City Reads initiative, supported by inner-city bookshops. In this special podcast conversation, Bitto is joined by Jason Steger, books editor of The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald, to discuss the novel and its haunting, headlong tumble through the hyperreal world of end-days capitalism.
The online bookseller for this event is the Paperback Bookshop
Melbourne City Reads is supported by the City of Melbourne, Victorian Government and ABC Radio Melbourne
This conversation was originally scheduled to take place on Tuesday 26 October 2021 but was cancelled in response to Victorian Government COVID-19 health advice. We are now presenting this discussion exclusively as a podcast.
In Our Nature
As lockdowns force many of us indoors, our relationship with the natural world is more important than ever. We’ve all experienced the benefits nature can bring to our mental health and well-being. In this special podcast conversation as part of Victoria Nature Festival, a panel of passionate nature-lovers explores the many different ways we can reconnect with nature and advocate for its care.
Hear from Gardening Australia host Costa Georgiadis, Darug researcher and archaeologist Maddison Miller and VicHealth CEO and public health advocate Dr Sandro Demaio, who along with host and author of Fathoms: The World in the Whale Rebecca Giggs, discuss their personal experiences of connecting with nature and the focus they place on action for the climate and environment in their lives and work.
The online bookseller for this podcast is Readings
Presented in partnership with the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning and the Victoria Nature Festival project partners
This conversation was originally scheduled to take place on Tuesday 14 September 2021 but was cancelled in response to Victorian Government COVID-19 health advice. We are now presenting this discussion exclusively as a podcast.
‘The first person you encounter as a human being is generally your mother. That’s the first source of knowing that you have. How valuable is that? And how painful is it to lose that in circumstances outside of your control?’
In this Broadly Speaking podcast, Amani Haydar, Alice Pung and host Susan Carland discuss the extraordinary resilience mothers and children demonstrate in the face of trauma.
In her memoir The Mother Wound, artist, lawyer and advocate Amani Haydar tells the heartbreaking story of her mother’s death through a brutal act of violence perpetrated by her father. Award-winning writer Alice Pung’s latest novel, One Hundred Days, examines the faultlines of love and control in a complex mother-daughter relationship.
Both women are mothers themselves and write with nuance and compassion about the intersections and complexities of culture, class and family.
What happens when trauma intersects with motherhood – and how do mothers and children find the strength to endure, survive and thrive?
Content warning: This podcast includes discussion of family violence and other topics listeners may find confronting.
The Broadly Speaking series bookseller is Neighbourhood Books
The Broadly Speaking series is proudly supported by Krystyna Campbell-Pretty AM and family and the Copyright Agency Cultural Fund
This conversation was originally scheduled to take place live on Monday 2 August 2021 and was cancelled in response to Victorian Government COVID-19 health advice. We are now presenting this discussion exclusively in podcast form.
Evie Wyld. Photo: Urszula Soltys.
'In the year that we've just had, where women's work is so marginalised, with housework and child care and everything, this felt like an incredible year to win... This has been the win of my career so far.'
In this episode of the Wheeler Centre podcast, listen to an in-depth conversation between 2021 Stella Prize winner Evie Wyld and 2021 Stella Prize judge Elizabeth McCarthy. Following the Prize announcement in April, Wyld joined us from her home in the UK to discuss The Bass Rock’s gothic tale of toxic masculinity, and the impact the Stella Prize continues to have on the Australian literary landscape.
Established in 2012 to combat widespread gender bias in Australian literature, the Stella Prize elevates the writing of Australian women and non-binary writers with an annual $50,000 literary prize, and offers a dynamic snapshot of the richness and diversity Australian literature has to offer.
Content warning: This conversation includes discussion of abuse, sexual assault and self-harm.
Presented in partnership with The Stella Prize
The bookseller for this event was Neighbourhood Books
Ross Garnaut
'It's not enough to go back to what we had before the pandemic recession. We've got to do better.'
Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, the global economy has changed drastically. As we adjust to a new normal, is it possible to recover the economy we once had? Or should we rebuild it from the ground up?
In this special podcast episode, economist Ross Garnaut discusses his roadmap for progress, policy, and diplomacy with host Prue Bentley.
In his latest book Reset: Restoring Australia after the Pandemic Recession, Garnaut makes the case for a radical overhaul of the Australian economy and argues that returning to our previous conception of ‘normal’ would be a missed opportunity.
This podcast episode is presented in partnership with Ballaarat Mechanics’ Institute
This conversation was originally scheduled to take place live on Wednesday 11 August 2021 and was cancelled in response to Victorian Government health advice. We are now presenting this discussion exclusively in podcast form.
Art: Kate Banazi
Across three episodes, we’re bringing you a special audio edition of Notes, the Wheeler Centre’s digital publishing series. For this edition, participants in our 2020 podcast development programme, Signal Boost have created audio stories around the theme 'Order'.
It’s a word that brings to mind structure, organisation, command or subjugation. Think: the natural order, alphabetical order, out of order. It’s a title, descriptor, an alternative. A holy order, a tall order, or law and order? It can be a direction, or a request. Get your house in order. Take your marching orders.
In this episode, Karishma Luthria reflects on home, self-identity and nights that have you tossing and turning.
Art: Kate Banazi
Across three episodes, we’re bringing you a special audio edition of Notes, the Wheeler Centre’s digital publishing series. For this edition, participants in our 2020 podcast development programme, Signal Boost have created audio stories around the theme 'Order'.
It’s a word that brings to mind structure, organisation, command or subjugation. Think: the natural order, alphabetical order, out of order. It’s a title, descriptor, an alternative. A holy order, a tall order, or law and order? It can be a direction, or a request. Get your house in order. Take your marching orders.
In this episode, Nicole Pingon dives into her sonic memory and imagination.
Art: Kate Banazi
Across three episodes, we’re bringing you a special audio edition of Notes, the Wheeler Centre’s digital publishing series. For this edition, participants in our 2020 podcast development programme, Signal Boost have created audio stories around the theme 'Order'.
It’s a word that brings to mind structure, organisation, command or subjugation. Think: the natural order, alphabetical order, out of order. It’s a title, descriptor, an alternative. A holy order, a tall order, or law and order? It can be a direction, or a request. Get your house in order. Take your marching orders.
In this episode, Maddi Miller delves into the hidden stratigraphy of Melbourne.
Robin Wall Kimmerer and Tara June Winch
‘When a language dies, so much more than words are lost,’ the botanist and writer Robin Wall Kimmerer has said. ‘Language is the dwelling place of ideas that do not exist anywhere else.’
In our Broadly Speaking talk on translation and language, we bring together two First Nations writers whose work reflects on Indigenous languages and the languages of the natural world.
Kimmerer is a professor of environmental biology at the State University of New York and an enrolled member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. She’s also the author of the remarkable bestselling essay collection, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants.
In this podcast, she speaks with acclaimed Wiradjuri writer Tara June Winch, whose Miles Franklin-winning novel, The Yield, is about traditional language and the stories that words contain. Join them as they discuss how living organisms and living languages can connect us to the past and enrich our collective future.
The Broadly Speaking series is proudly supported by Krystyna Campbell-Pretty AM and family.
We had a few technical problems while trying to record this conversation as an event, scheduled for Tuesday 27 October at 6.15pm – so we rescheduled the discussion to take place exclusively in podcast form.
Take Home Reading is a new short-form audio series for readers and writers – shining a spotlight on Australian writers with recently released books. In each instalment, you’ll be introduced to a writer, learn a little about what they’ve been reading lately, and hear a short reading from their latest work.
In this episode we’re talking to Katerina Bryant about her debut memoir Hysteria, a compassionate and insightful account of illness, strength and women’s stories.
‘We’re told that illness has a narrative structure, and that it ends. We're told that illness is a tragedy that is, or should, be overcome. I was trying to fit my own narrative within that structure, and it wasn't fitting. And through the act of writing, I was able to see how much of a trope that was and how, really, the experience of living with chronic mental illness like I do is not the difficult part. The difficult part is finding how to live within a world that doesn't accommodate that, and doesn't believe that it's ongoing.’
Hysteria is out now through NewSouth books.
Take Home Reading is a new short-form audio series for readers and writers – shining a spotlight on Australian writers with recently released books. In each instalment, you’ll be introduced to a writer, learn a little about what they’ve been reading lately, and hear a short reading from their latest work.
In this episode we’re talking to Craig Silvey about his novel Honeybee, a tender coming-of-age story about a transgender teenager called Sam, a chance encounter she has with a man called Vic, and the ways in which both lives are changed by their unlikely friendship.
‘For readers of all levels of sophistication, [dialogue] is the element of a novel that no one passes over. Everybody reads dialogue. It's so revealing of a character and it's the best way for us to understand characters – when they speak purely to us. It's a way to make them feel distinct and unique, and a way to have a text feel dynamic because we're shifting away from that narrative voice and we're introducing different tones and different rhythms. It’s a vital piece of the puzzle… and something I’ve always delighted in’.
Honeybee is out now through Allen & Unwin.
Take Home Reading is a new short-form audio series for readers and writers – shining a spotlight on Australian writers with recently released books. In each instalment, you’ll be introduced to a writer, learn a little about what they’ve been reading lately, and hear a short reading from their latest work.
In this episode we’re talking to Chris Flynn about his novel Mammoth, a playfully original and thought-provoking story about how a fossil collection of prehistoric creatures came to be on sale at a natural history auction in New York in 2007 (narrated by a 13,000-year-old extinct mammoth).
‘I do struggle with books that are deadly serious. And when I realised this book was going to be partially about climate change, and mankind's early influence on the climate at the end of the Ice Age, and how that has affected us ever since, I got a bit worried that it was all going to be very, very preachy … And so I wanted [Mammoth] to be a little bit lighter, a bit more humorous. I think it's a nice way to [engage people with] a serious topic – by making people smile about it.’
Mammoth is out now through UQP.
Take Home Reading is a new short-form audio series for readers and writers – shining a spotlight on Australian writers with recently released books. In each instalment, you’ll be introduced to a writer, learn a little about what they’ve been reading lately, and hear a short reading from their latest work.
In this episode we’re talking to Rawah Arja about her debut young adult novel The F Team, a funny and authentic story about what it means to grow up in Australia today.
‘I always say to the kids that I teach, and the kids that I mentor in schools, I never want to be in a room where everybody looks and sounds like me. I believe growth and learning in life is about mixing with people that are different to you... I think everybody has the right to tell their own story. For a long time in publishing, I got used to being comfortable with the back of the line. And I thought that was where I should be... I should be happy that at least I'm even in the line. And then you grow up and you realise that no, I have every right to be at the front of the line, because my story is just as amazing as everybody else's.’
The F Team is out now through Giramondo.
It's been 20 years since Aileen Moreton-Robinson wrote Talkin’ Up to the White Woman, the seminal work of Australian First Nations scholarship that exposed the blinding whiteness, and the serious limitations, of Australian feminist thought.
In her book, Moreton-Robinson traces and honours the history of Indigenous women’s activism in Australia and lays bare some uncomfortable truths about white women’s complicity in racial oppression. She exposes, too, the prevalence of biased and blinkered thought prevalent within white feminist academia. Talkin’ Up to the White Woman has shaped the thinking of feminist and First Nations scholars across the globe.
Aileen Moreton-Robinson
To launch our Broadly Speaking series, we’re presenting the formidable Moreton-Robinson in conversation with critical race and whiteness scholar Fiona Nicoll. The pair discuss the twentieth anniversary of Talkin’ Up to the White Woman. What questions and experiences informed the writing of the book, and how does it seek to understand power? How did Moreton-Robinson experience colonialism in academia? How do some feminist movements clash with ideas of Indigenous sovereignty – and what are some alternative ways of thinking?
A transcript of this event is available to read here.
Presented in collaboration with State Library of Queensland and RMIT Social and Global Studies Centre.
The Broadly Speaking series is proudly supported by Krystyna Campbell-Pretty AM and family.
TWCBroadlySpeaking
Take Home Reading is a new short-form audio series for readers and writers – shining a spotlight on Australian writers with recently released books. In each instalment, you’ll be introduced to a writer, learn a little about what they’ve been reading lately, and hear a short reading from their latest work.
In this episode we’re talking to Robbie Arnott about his novel The Rain Heron, a lyrical, compelling ecological thriller about our relationship with the natural world. The Rain Heron is equal parts horror and wonder, and utterly gripping.
‘I think all stories are human stories, in a way. I knew [that] I wanted to write a lot about the environment, and I wanted to create these worlds that felt very visceral and tangible while also being quite fantastical… I tried to have all the imaginative elements as things that feel like they fit neatly into these people's lives and into the world they live in. I didn't want to over explain them or make it feel like I was heaping on a bunch of exposition about why there's a bird made out of rain... And I thought, if it's something that characters just accept, then they'll feel more human.’
The Rain Heron is out now through Text Publishing.
Transcript Download a PDF transcript of this episode here.
Photo: Claudia Baxter
Take Home Reading is a new short-form audio series for readers and writers – shining a spotlight on Australian writers with recently released books. In each instalment, you’ll be introduced to a writer, learn a little about what they’ve been reading lately, and hear a short reading from their latest work.
In this episode, Stella Charls speaks with Mirandi Riwoe about her novel, Stone Sky Gold Mountain. It's a heartbreaking and universal story about the exiled and displaced; about those who encounter discrimination, yet yearn for acceptance.
‘I don’t believe in being prescient by giving [characters] thoughts and actions that would have been totally out of place, but I think there is a place for bringing the story … closer to what it actually probably was. […] Fiction is handy; you’re building up empathy for these characters that are representative of actual people, and what they actually did think.’
Stone Sky Gold Mountain is out now through UQP.
Transcript A PDF transcript of this interview will be available soon.
Take Home Reading is a new short-form audio series for readers and writers – shining a spotlight on Australian writers with recently released books. In each instalment, you’ll be introduced to a writer, learn a little about what they’ve been reading lately, and hear a short reading from their latest work.
In this episode we’re talking to Laura Jean McKay about her novel The Animals in That Country, a bold, exhilarating and original novel that asks what would happen, for better or worse, if we finally understood what animals were saying.
‘And of course, the animals don't say the things that humans wish that they were saying. They're not saying "I ruff you!" or anything like that. They're quite brutal, their relationship with humans is really fraught, because that's the way that human relationships are with animals. As they get to know each other they are trying to navigate this new space together.’
The Animals in That Country is out now through Scribe Publications.
Transcript Download a PDF transcript of this episode here.
Take Home Reading is a new short-form audio series for readers and writers – shining a spotlight on Australian writers with recently released books. In each instalment, you’ll be introduced to a writer, learn a little about what they’ve been reading lately, and hear a short reading from their latest work.
In this episode we’re talking to James Bradley about his novel Ghost Species, an exquisitely drawn and deeply affecting exploration of connection and loss in an age of climate catastrophe.
‘It seems to me that the single most defining thing we face as a species is this kind of environmental transformation we're in the middle of, and we just don't talk about it. You know, Amitav Ghosh talks about the great derangement, that kind of complete erasure of this incredibly important thing from our cultural and political lives. And although there is a lot more fiction in this space [recently] ... I find myself wondering: why isn't all fiction about this?’
Ghost Species is out now through Hamish Hamilton.
Take Home Reading is a new short-form audio series for readers and writers – shining a spotlight on Australian writers with recently released books. In each instalment, you’ll be introduced to a writer, learn a little about what they’ve been reading lately, and hear a short reading from their latest work.
In this episode we’re talking to Imbi Neeme about her novel, The Spill, a compassionate portrait of a fractured family piecing together their different recollections of the past.
'No two people ever experience or remember the same thing in the same way, especially when they're sisters. The Spill is about two sisters who we meet in the present day. Their mother has just passed away and they are ostensibly estranged from each other. At the heart of the novel is this accident they were in as young girls, where their mother was driving. No one was particularly hurt in that accident, but the impact of it is felt for decades afterwards. And so we explore more of these sisters' pasts, shared and sometimes quite separate. And over time we come to understand a little more about how they've become who they are.'
The Spill is out now through Penguin Random House.
Transcript Download a PDF transcript of this episode here.
Take Home Reading is a new short-form audio series for readers and writers – shining a spotlight on Australian writers with recently released books. In each instalment, you’ll be introduced to a writer, learn a little about what they’ve been reading lately, and hear a short reading from their latest work.
In this episode we’re talking to Georgina Young about her debut novel, Loner.
Loner is a fresh and honest novel from the winner of the 2019 Text Prize. Smart, funny and deeply compassionate, it is a coming-of-age tale about the paths we take to find out what we want to do with our lives.
Loner is out now through Text Publishing.
Kate Torney, Susan Orlean and Paul Holdengräber at the Athenaeum Theatre
'The boundary between society and the library is porous,' Susan Orlean has written. 'Nothing good is kept out of the library, and nothing bad.'
What do libraries mean to us – as public places and civic institutions? Why do attacks on libraries evoke a special kind of horror? And what do libraries represent in the collective imagination and in literary history?
In partnership with State Library Victoria, we brought together two great American thinkers who have spent years of their lives immersed in the world of libraries. Paul Holdengräber was the former curator of conversations at the New York Public Library, and is the founding executive director of the Onassis Foundation LA, a centre for dialogue in Los Angeles which is an outpost of the Onassis headquarters in Athens. Susan Orlean is a bestselling author and New Yorker staff writer whose latest work, The Library Book, combines memoir with an investigation of the unsolved 1986 Los Angeles Public Library fire.
In an extravagantly nerdy conversation, they discuss the past, present and future of public libraries; why we love them, and why we can’t do without them. Hosted by Kate Torney.
Take Home Reading is a new short-form audio series for readers and writers – shining a spotlight on Australian writers with recently released books. In each instalment, you’ll be introduced to a writer, learn a little about what they’ve been reading lately, and hear a short reading from their latest work.
In this episode we’re talking to Victoria Hannan about her novel, Kokomo.
Kokomo is a stunning debut novel from the winner of the 2019 Victorian Premier's Literary Award for an Unpublished Manuscript. Both tender and fierce, heartbreaking and funny, Kokomo is a story about how secrets and love have the power to bring us together and tear us apart.
‘When I was writing it I had this thought of like, is anyone going to be able to empathise with what it's like to be stuck in your house for a long time? And now, we all know what that feels like, so I feel like Elaine is sort of relatable in some ways because she's inside (that's the mother character, Elaine), but also in other ways she wants to stay inside, whereas we're all just like, "Oh my God, I need to get out of this house". So I think people will empathise with her, but also find her a bit infuriating, maybe.’
Kokomo is out now through Hachette.
Transcript Download a PDF transcript of this episode here.
Marlee Silva, left, and Briggs
Adam Briggs – better known simply as Briggs – is a Yorta Yorta rapper, record label owner, comedy writer and actor. He’s part of the ARIA-winning hip hop duo A.B. Original, and outside of music, he’s appeared regularly in ABC TV shows (Black Comedy, Cleverman, The Weekly with Charlie Pickering). Recently, he’s been a writer for Matt Groening’s animated Netflix series, Disenchantment.
Now, Briggs adds children’s book author to his CV. Adapted from his song, ‘The Children Came Back’ – with illustrators Kate Moon and Rachael Sarra – Our Home, Our Heartbeat is a beautiful picture book that celebrates Indigenous resilience, honours legends past and present, and salutes emerging generations of the oldest continuous culture on earth.
'You weren’t that yesterday; you’re this today. What could you be tomorrow?'
Briggs
In conversation with writer, podcaster and Tiddas 4 Tiddas co-founder Marlee Silva, Briggs talks about the importance of children seeing themselves in picture books – and the rise of books (like Young Dark Emu and Welcome to Country) that distil complex conversations into accessible formats.
It’s an uncertain moment for the arts, for writers and for everybody. If you’re in a position to support our efforts to bring you books, writing and ideas from a safe distance, you can make a contribution here. Thank you for your generosity.
Take Home Reading is a new short-form audio series for readers and writers – shining a spotlight on Australian writers with recently released books. In each instalment, you’ll be introduced to a writer, learn a little about what they’ve been reading lately, and hear a short reading from their latest work.
In this episode we’re talking to Erin Hortle about her novel, The Octopus and I.
The Octopus and I is a stunning debut novel set on the Tasmanian coast that lays bare the wild, beating heart at the intersection of human and animal, love and loss, and fear and hope.
‘The Octopus and I is a novel about a breast cancer survivor called Lucy, who becomes intensely fascinated with some female octopuses that live down at Eaglehawk Neck on the Tasman Peninsula. There's a particular element of them that she's fascinated by, [a] really bizarre localised phenomenon (which isn't necessarily normal octopus behaviour) where these female egg-carrying octopuses try to drag themselves across an isthmus to try to get to the open ocean. [Here] there are sea caves for them to be able to extrude their thousands of eggs, which they then fan water on for up to a couple of weeks until the eggs hatch, and then the female octopus dies.’
The Octopus and I is out now through Allen Unwin.
Transcript Download a PDF transcript of this episode here.
Take Home Reading is a new short-form audio series for readers and writers – shining a spotlight on Australian writers with recently released books. In each instalment, you’ll be introduced to a writer, learn a little about what they’ve been reading lately, and hear a short reading from their latest work.
In this episode we’re talking to Ronnie Scott about his debut novel, The Adversary.
The Adversary follows its protagonist from a long Brunswick winter into the sticky heat of one transformative Melbourne summer.
Ronnie was programmed to appear in our Next Big Thing: Here and Gone Edition, which was unfortunately cancelled as part of our preventative measures to stem the spread of coronavirus COVID-19.
The Adversary is out now through Penguin Random House.
Take Home Reading is a new short-form audio series for readers and writers – shining a spotlight on Australian writers with recently released books. In each instalment, you’ll be introduced to a writer, learn a little about what they’ve been reading lately, and hear a short reading from their latest work.
In this episode we’re talking to Laura McPhee-Browne about her debut novel, Cherry Beach.
A tender coming-of-age novel, Cherry Beach, introduces a pair of childhood best friends who depart suburban Melbourne to live in Toronto.
'Cherry Beach is a book about two young women who are best friends. They were best friends from childhood and they decide to move overseas, to Toronto in Canada for a few years together, and it's kind of about their journey over there, and a bit about their past friendship.'
Laura was programmed to appear in the Next Big Thing: Here and Gone Edition, which was unfortunately cancelled as part of our preventative measures to stem the spread of coronavirus COVID-19.
Cherry Beach is out now through Text Publishing.
Transcript Download a PDF transcript of this episode here.
Take Home Reading is a new short-form audio series for readers and writers – shining a spotlight on Australian writers with recently released books. In each instalment, you’ll be introduced to a writer, learn a little about what they’ve been reading lately, and hear a short reading from their latest work.
In this episode we’re talking to Ellena Savage about her collection, Blueberries.
In Blueberries, Savage wields a stirring blend of journalism, poetry, polemic and memoir in her pursuit of human truths: the meaning of power and desire, the decisions that make a life, and one’s place in the world.
‘Blueberries, the book, charts some of my travels and my attempts to make a life for myself that supports writing. And that's often meant me living outside of Melbourne, which is obviously a very expensive place to live if you're not a professional. So the book itself is about mobility in all its connotations, so kind of global mobility, through travel, migration, colonisation. It's about class mobility, social mobility, and also [the] physical mobility of women.’
Ellena was programmed to appear in our Next Big Thing: Here and Gone Edition event, which was unfortunately cancelled as part of our preventative measures to stem the spread of coronavirus COVID-19.
Blueberries is out now through Text Publishing.
Melbourne-based writer Kate Grenville is a long-time favourite among readers. She’s the author of the international bestseller The Secret River, and other novels including Sarah Thornhill, Lilian’s Story, Dark Places and The Idea of Perfection.
Grenville has spent almost a decade focussed on non-fiction. One Life offered an intimate account of her mother’s life; The Case Against Fragrance investigated the allure, affect and health risks of synthetic scents.
A Room Made of Leaves marks the author’s return to the novel form. It’s a work of historical fiction posing as a memoir written by Elizabeth Macarthur – wife of John Macarthur, the notorious Second Fleet settler and wool baron of early Sydney. Moving between fact and fiction, Grenville uses Macarthur’s story to unravel common notions of women of the past – and to delve into the attraction of false stories.
In conversation with Larissa Behrendt, Grenville talks about the book, her writing and her career.
Presented in partnership with Macedon Ranges Shire Council.
'We always talk about daddy issues for women … I think that mommy issues for women is so much bigger, specifically when it comes to desire.'
Lisa Taddeo
'With the #MeToo movement right now, we are finally saying what we don't want as a gender,' Lisa Taddeo has said. 'But we are still not talking about what we do want.'
Taddeo's bestselling book, Three Women, is all about what women want. It's a work of immersive non-fiction, telling the intimate true stories of three American women, and of how their sexual desires have been shaped, distorted, fulfilled and exploited.
Described on NPR as 'a work of deep observation, long conversations, and a kind of journalistic alchemy', Three Women took Taddeo eight years to write. She travelled across the country to be near her subjects for months at a time, to learn about their lives and their personal histories.
With its focus on power, judgement, shame and infatuation, the book has become an international bestseller, sparking impassioned discussion and debate. How do we surprise and disturb others – and ourselves – with what we want? How are our desires deeply idiosyncratic and how are they universal?
In this podcast-only conversation – originally slated to be held in May, in partnership with Sydney Writers' Festival – Taddeo discusses these ideas and more with Sophie Black.
Host Evelyn Araluen at the Wheeler Centre
First Nations writers are at the forefront of the most exciting writing being produced on this continent today, subverting creative forms and decolonising Australian literature.
In this event, four emerging First Nations writers from The Next Chapter writers’ scheme – Jasmin McGaughey, Racheal Oak Butler, Lorna Munro and Meleika Gesa-Fatafehi – discuss the creative process, writing for Blak and settler readerships, and how they respond to expectations of genre, character and identity, with host Evelyn Araluen.
Presented in partnership with the Emerging Writers’ Festival.
This event was originally scheduled to take place at the 2020 Sydney Writers' Festival.
Take Home Reading is a new short-form audio series for readers and writers – shining a spotlight on Australian writers with recently released books. In each instalment, you’ll be introduced to a writer, learn a little about what they’ve been reading lately, and hear a short reading from their latest work. Find it on the Wheeler Centre podcast.
In this episode we’re talking to Sean O’Beirne about his debut short story collection, A Couple of Things Before the End.
A bitingly satirical collection, A Couple of Things Before the End employs a remarkable range of voices to explore suburban end times.
'What happens if you give a very white, very male, very working class people sort of a whole country… you know, the idea of Australia as the working man’s paradise, or the lucky country, … [what are] the strangenesses and the distortions that can go along with that? … And if you can’t participate... you’ve gotta have a kind of argument to have with the country and what the hell you’re going to be able to do here.'
Sean was programmed to appear in our Next Big Thing: Australiana Edition, which was unfortunately cancelled as part of our preventative measures to stem the spread of coronavirus COVID-19.
A Couple of Things Before the End is out now through Back Inc.
Take Home Reading is a new short-form audio series for readers and writers – shining a spotlight on Australian writers with recently released books. In each instalment, you’ll be introduced to a writer, learn a little about what they’ve been reading lately, and hear a short reading from their latest work. Find it on the Wheeler Centre podcast.
In this episode we’re talking to Kirsten Alexander about her debut novel, Riptides.
Set in Joh Bjelke-Petersen’s Queensland during a time of tremendous social upheaval, Riptides is a gripping family drama about dreams, choices and consequences.
'In some ways I thought it's not a straight line ever from the past to the present… I think our country is still evolving, we're still coming into our own being, and I think we still have a lot to learn about how to treat one another and the space we’re in. But some of the lessons we learnt in the past we just throw away very easily. I'm not sure if other countries do that, but Australia certainly seems to struggle to learn from our past.'
Kirsten was programmed to appear in our Next Big Thing: Australiana Edition, which was unfortunately cancelled as part of our preventative measures to stem the spread of coronavirus COVID-19.
Riptides is out now through Penguin Random House.
Take Home Reading is a new short-form audio series for readers and writers – shining a spotlight on Australian writers with recently released books. In each instalment, you’ll be introduced to a writer, learn a little about what they’ve been reading lately, and hear a short reading from their latest work. Find it on the Wheeler Centre podcast.
In this episode we’re talking to Wayne Marshall about his debut short story collection, Shirl.
A daringly experimental collection, Shirl plays with white Australian masculinity, especially in suburban and rural contexts, in ways that are fantastical, absurd and comic.
'The collection is quite nostalgic, I guess. I started writing it... from a cancer diagnosis. But also, three months before that [happened], I’d become a father for the first time, so I was really looking back at the kind of world that I grew up in. And it was that crazy, strange, over-the-top Australiana. There’s something absurd about it that has always caught my eye.'
Wayne was programmed to appear in our Next Big Thing: Australiana Edition, which was unfortunately cancelled as part of our preventative measures to stem the spread of coronavirus COVID-19.
Shirl is out now through Affirm Press.
With entries now open for the third year of The Next Chapter, the Wheeler Centre’s writers’ scheme, join three recipients and their mentors – Arthur Bolkas and Arnold Zable, Meleika Gesa-Fatafehi and Ellen van Neerven, and Jean Bachoura and Maria Tumarkin – to discuss the varied forms support for emerging writers can take, and the unique qualities of writing mentorships. Hosted by Veronica Sullivan.
Veronica Sullivan, Maria Tumarkin and Jean Bachoura
Presented annually, The Next Chapter gives ten outstanding emerging writers the time and space to write, and a 12-month mentorship with an experienced writer. Through these mentorships, tomorrow’s great voices are steered and supported by today’s literary icons.
Presented in partnership with the Emerging Writers’ Festival.
Take Home Reading is a new short-form audio series for readers and writers – shining a spotlight on Australian writers with recently released books. In each instalment, you’ll be introduced to a writer, learn a little about what they’ve been reading lately, and hear a short reading from their latest work. Find it on the Wheeler Centre podcast.
For the first batch of episodes, we’ve partnered with our friends at the Emerging Writers’ Festival to spotlight four brilliant new voices from around Australia writing across fiction, memoir and poetry.
In this episode we’re talking to Prithvi Varatharajan about his debut collection, Entries. Entries playfully explores form, using a combination of poetry and prose to consider memory and experience.
'The writing … arose from states of joy, anguish, ambivalence and contemplation. The poems come from a period of ten years, while other poetic, essayistic and diaristic pieces were produced with intensity over a shorter duration.'
Entries is out now through Cordite Books.
Take Home Reading is a new short-form audio series for readers and writers – shining a spotlight on Australian writers with recently released books. In each instalment, you’ll be introduced to a writer, learn a little about what they’ve been reading lately, and hear a short reading from their latest work.
For the first batch of episodes, we’ve partnered with our friends at the Emerging Writers’ Festival to spotlight four brilliant new voices from around Australia writing across fiction, memoir and poetry.
In this episode we’re talking to Monica Tan about her memoir, Stranger Country.
'Will I ever really belong to this country? As a Chinese Australian? As a non-Indigenous Australian...? I was 32 years old and barely knew the country of my birth. It was time to change that.'
Stranger Country is a compelling account of Monica's six-month solo trip to some of Australia's most beautiful and remote landscapes. A thoughtful and provocative reflection on cultural and national identity, Stranger Country grapples with what it means to call Australia home as a non-Indigenous person.
Stranger Country is out now through Allen & Unwin.
Take Home Reading is a new short-form audio series for readers and writers – shining a spotlight on Australian writers with recently released books. In each instalment, you’ll be introduced to a writer, learn a little about what they’ve been reading lately, and hear a short reading from their latest work.
For the first batch of episodes, we’ve partnered with our friends at the Emerging Writers’ Festival to spotlight four brilliant new voices from around Australia writing across fiction, memoir and poetry.
In this episode we’re talking to Holden Sheppard about his debut novel, Invisible Boys.
Invisible Boys is an authentic and energetic young adult novel about three teenage boys coming to terms with their homosexuality in a small Western Australian town.
'In this town we have three teenageboys: Zeke, Charlie and Hammer. They’re very different 16-year-old boys: Zeke is a nerd, Charlie’s a punk, Hammer is your classic footy jock and they all seem very different but we discover that all three boys are in the throes of grappling with their sexuality. They’re all gay, and they’re all coming to terms with it in different ways.'
With characters that leap off the page, Invisible Boys offers an unflinching and challenging perspective on Australian teen life that has resonated strongly with teenage and adult readers alike.
Invisible Boys is out now through Fremantle Press.
Take Home Reading is a new short-form audio series for readers and writers – shining a spotlight on Australian writers with recently released books. In each instalment, you’ll be introduced to a writer, learn a little about what they’ve been reading lately, and hear a short reading from their latest work.
For the first batch of episodes, we’ve partnered with our friends at the Emerging Writers’ Festival to spotlight four brilliant new voices from around Australia writing across fiction, memoir and poetry.
In this episode we’re talking to Vivian Pham about her debut novel, The Coconut Children.
The Coconut Children tells the fierce and moving story of Sonny and Vince, both children of refugees living in Cabramatta in 1998.
'They’re both growing up and trying to figure out who they are, but they’re also trying to understand their parents. It's through the stories that their parents tell them that they feel a connection towards their culture and their ancestors... It’s equally about how the stories that are withheld from them shape who they are, and the way they see themselves.'
The Coconut Children is out now through Penguin Random House.
From left to right: Santilla Chingaipe, Jackie Huggins, Yin Paradies and Lee Carnie — Photo: Jon Tjhia
While overt forms of racism in Australian workplaces are outlawed, many people from Indigenous and migrant backgrounds argue that racism is still pervasive – before and after joining a workplace. Last year, a major company’s employment listing overtly preferenced ‘candidates who are Anglo Saxon’. Multiple studies have shown that anglicising names on job applications improves a jobseeker’s prospects, prompting recent government trials of anonymous job applications.
So, how does racism manifest itself in the workplace – overtly, and covertly – and what impact does this have on both employee and employer? What can employers and governments do to address racial and religious discrimination at work? Santilla Chingaipe hosts a discussion of these issues and more, with Yin Paradies, Jackie Huggins and Lee Carnie.
‘Where do you get your ideas?’
It’s a common question, asked of all kinds of writers and storytellers – and of musicians, artists, journalists. Their answers typically involve some combination of curiosity, hard work and practice. Often, a simple prompt or idea becomes the seed of something unexpected and engrossing.
This event marks the opening of applications for Signal Boost – the Wheeler Centre’s new podcast mentorship and development scheme. Applications are open until 17 June 2020. (Update: the application deadline has been extended to 22 June 2020!)
Becky Sui-Zhen, Daniel Browning, Jess O'Callaghan, Helen Zaltzman, Elizabeth Kulas and Ivy Shih
This year, applicants will be asked to share a creative response to a theme – 'public'. To show us how it’s done, we’re inviting a range of accomplished audio makers to share stories, pitches and short audio samples interpreting the theme ‘float’.
Hear from an outstanding group of audio producers: Helen Zaltzman (The Allusionist, Answer Me This, Veronica Mars Investigations; UK), Daniel Browning (Awaye!), Jess O’Callaghan (Audiocraft, The Party Room, Background Briefing, RN Fictions) and Elizabeth Kulas (Planet Money, 7am, Reply All) – plus musician Becky Sui Zhen, and 2019 Signal Boost pilot participant Ivy Shih.
Together, they launch Signal Boost 2020, toast the open-ended power of audio storytelling and celebrate the act of creating great ideas from small beginnings. Hosted by Wheeler Centre audio producer Beth Atkinson-Quinton. #TWCSignalBoost
The 2020 Signal Boost programme is supported by the Ian Potter Foundation and LOM.
A short update about a new opportunity: Signal Boost is an initiative offering tailored mentorship, practical support, and professional development for aspiring Australian podcasters.
This year, five recipients will be paired with an experienced mentor, provided with equipment and access to software to help them realise their audio goals, and have the opportunity to attend a series of intensive workshops led by some of Australia’s leading podcast and radio industry professionals.
The Wheeler Centre will work with each Signal Boost participant to support their creative growth and develop their audio skills, and assist them with building a network of peers, gaining insight into the industry and accessing a range of professional opportunities.
Applications for Signal Boost 2020 have been extended; your final day to apply is now Monday 22 June 2020. Find out more here, apply here, and subscribe for updates.
Related video
Signal Boost 2020 Launch: Float / Radio & podcasts
With Beth Atkinson-Quinton, Helen Zaltzman, Daniel Browning and 4 others
Fire Front is a new anthology of First Nations poetry, edited by Gomeroi poet, essayist and legal academic Alison Whittaker. Featuring both established and emerging poets, it showcases the breadth of First Nations poetic voices, alongside essays from leading Aboriginal writers and thinkers who offer their own reflections on the power of the form.
Charmaine Papertalk Green, in a still image from this event, performing a reading on Country
In this special showcase of Fire Front contributors, hosted by Whittaker, you’ll hear a Welcome to Country from Parbin-Ata Carolyn Briggs, followed by readings from Tony Birch, Charmaine Papertalk Green, Ali Cobby Eckermann, Meleika Gesa-Fatafehi, Jeanine Leane, Natalie Harkin, Lorna Munro, Raelee Lancaster, Luke Patterson and Evelyn Araluen. Then, Araluen will speak with Whittaker about how this landmark collection came together.
Alison Whittaker and Evelyn Araluen in conversation
Ronnie Scott, left, with Max Porter — Photo: Jon Tjhia
Max Porter's first book, Grief Is the Thing with Feathers, was an astonishing work about despair, love, memory ... and Ted Hughes.
A strange and beautiful novel of poetry and prose, it told the story of a widower and his two small boys who are visited in their grief by Crow, a self-described 'sentimental bird', and a trickster presence in the household. It won the 2016 International Dylan Thomas Prize, the 2017 Europese Literatuurprijs and was adapted for the stage in a production starring Cillian Murphy. Critics praised the book for its ambition, sensitivity and originality.
Porter's new book, Lanny follows up in the same experimental vein, again imbuing domestic dramas with magical elements and looming mythical, malevolent figures. It's a novel about childhood and creativity, filled with suspense, dread and hope.
In conversation with Ronnie Scott for our 2019 Mayhem series, Porter discusses fiction, fabulism, literary heroes and literary risks.
not in Aus, mate
bad things don’t happen here
our beaches are open
they are not places where bloodied mattresses burn
Ellen van Neerven writes fiction, poetry, plays and non-fiction. An award-winning Mununjali Yugambeh writer and editor, their highly celebrated books include the experimental fiction collection, Heat and Light, and a book of poems, Comfort Food. This month, they released their second poetry collection, Throat, which explores love, language and land, and interrogates the colonial impulse.
Maxine Beneba Clarke, left, and Ellen van Neerven
Maxine Beneba Clarke is also a critically acclaimed writer and poet, whose work – including her award-winning 2016 poetry collection, Carrying the World – is known for its intensity and inventiveness, and for speaking truth to power.
Both writers bring humour and heart to critical questions of who we are, where we come from and the burden of Australia’s unreconciled history.
Speaking from their respective homes during the COVID-19 restrictions of May 2020, these two poetic powerhouses discuss their shared passion for the form, and consider ways in which poetry can help us process what’s happening in the world today. Introduced with a Welcome to Country from Parbin-Ata Carolyn Briggs.
Presented in partnership with Australian Poetry with the support of the Copyright Agency Cultural Fund.
Clare Wright, left, and Rebecca Traister, at the Athenaeum Theatre in Melbourne — Photo: Emily Harms
‘The stories aren’t simple. They’re nuanced. And it’s our job to insist on that nuance – and not let everything get turned into a t-shirt.’
Rebecca Traister
Rebecca Traister is an American journalist, polemicist and New York Times-bestselling author who writes at the intersection of feminism, politics and culture. Her latest book, Good and Mad: The Revolutionary Power of Women’s Anger, investigates the potential and complexity of women’s anger as a political and social tool – both historically, and in the reinvigorated contemporary women’s movement in the West. How have women’s expressions of emotion been framed to delegitimise or condemn them? How can conflict and tension within and between factions of the women’s movement make the broader collective stronger?
Traister tracks the transformative force of female fury (and its suppression) through abolition, suffrage, temperance; through the labour and civil rights movements, and from now into the future. Are our perspectives on women’s anger changing? How can women use their dissatisfaction to progress their rights?
In April of 2019, Traister joined Clare Wright in conversation at the Athenaeum Theatre.
What, exactly, is an ‘emerging’ writer? At what point do you come out of the chrysalis?
The 2019 Emerging Writers’ Festival launched with a night of readings from Kat Clarke, Vidya Rajan, Sumudu Samarawickrama and Ahmed Yussuf – who each told us about the first time they considered themselves a writer. Hosted by the 2019 artistic director of the Emerging Writers' Festival, Izzy Roberts-Orr and program coordinator Aïsha Trambas.
We're joining forces for the 2020 Emerging Writers' Festival launch – celebrating their all-digital programme – on Tuesday 2 June. Find out more (and sign up for a streaming reminder) here.
Brodie Lancaster, left, and Meg Wolitzer, right
Meg Wolitzer’s latest novel, The Female Persuasion, is about public pedestals and feminist friction.
Wolitzer herself is a feminist powerhouse who wrote her first novel, Sleepwalking, while still at university. A precocious talent, she was mentored by the famous essayist and screenwriter Nora Ephron.
Today, she’s the author of 12 acclaimed novels, including The Interestings and The Uncoupling. Three of her novels have been adapted to screen, most recently The Wife, starring Glenn Close. Always witty and always wise, Wolitzer’s work is preoccupied with the everyday struggles and successes of American women.
Wolitzer's own career trajectory – from young upstart to prominent novelist and teacher – makes her especially well placed to explore the tensions of intergenerational feminism. Her latest novel, The Female Persuasion, examines ideological purity, mentorship and compromise in the contemporary feminist landscape. It’s Wolitzer at her piercing and satirical best.
Recorded last May in Melbourne, she discusses The Female Persuasion and her incredible career to date with host Brodie Lancaster.
Jessica Friedmann, Fiona Wright and our walking, listening audience at A Walk in the Park, 28 October 2017 — Photo: Amita Kirpalani
In the first of our Walk in the Park mini-series, writers and friends Jessica Friedmann and Fiona Wright come together for an intimate, ambling conversation about bodies, expectations and the pleasures and complexities of moving.
Friedmann’s recent book, Things That Helped, chronicles her postnatal depression through a series of essays which reference theory, pop culture and her personal experiences. She describes the many significant changes she faced at once, and how on the advice of a hospital psychologist, walking and narrating her steps formed part of her recovery – helping to focus her consciousness on ‘the immediacy of voice and breath’.
Acute bodily awareness is a familiar subject for Wright, who in Small Acts of Disappearance describes vividly her encounters with anorexia. Join them for a sunlit lap of Princes Park.
When his novel Less won the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, Andrew Sean Greer tweeted, he ‘had just persuaded a dog to let me put her into polka dot pajamas (not my dog)’. He literally didn’t believe the news.
Readers clearly feel otherwise. Less tells the story of Arthur Less – a writer fearing his own mediocrity and middle age, who takes on a series of far-flung literary engagements in order to avoid the wedding of a significant ex. With understated eloquence, the book’s narrator is generous to its subject, making for a joyful and nuanced celebration of human complexity. It spent six months on the coveted New York Times bestseller list.
Benjamin Law and Andrew Sean Greer — Photo: Jon Tjhia
Beyond the runaway success of his latest novel, Greer is a novelist, short story writer and writing teacher whose books frequently explore themes of love and time. His other books, including The Confessions of Max Tivoli and The Story of a Marriage, have earned him critical praise for their sensitive, lyrical prose.
Last May, Greer joined Benjamin Law to talk about the ways in which writing can express our hunger for language, for the world, and for each other.
There’s walking, and then there’s walking. When Lisa Dempster set out to tackle the Shikoku Pilgrimage – a 1200km, 88 temple route through regional Japan – she was at a nadir of mental and physical health; desperate for something to bring major change to her life.
'People really do see walking now as a solution, and an answer to things.'
Lisa Dempster
As she describes the gruelling journey, laid out in her travelogue Neon Pilgrim (2009; re-launched in 2017), it surprised her with unexpected spiritual encounters. Yet the sense of an inner shift was still elusive and intangible – and something which only later emerged through writing about the experience.
Walking Princes Park with doctor and author Leah Kaminsky, Dempster recounts the circumstances of her adventure, her writing of it, and how it’s impacted her life in the near-decade since.
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