Who Gets to Be Smart begins in Oxford. Bri Lee is visiting a friend there on a Rhodes Scholarship. As she wanders the lanes and cobbles of Oxford’s campuses Lee thinks back to Virginia Woolf decrying the iniquity that sees Women scholars living in relative squalor compared to their male peers. Woolf wrote about this iniquity, positing the solution that women needed A Room of One’s Own, and five hundred pound a year. Nearly a century later Bri Lee realises that this is not enough. That equality within the system does not address the systemic privilege and bias that props up the system, creating a framework of elitism that maintains power in the hands of a few. Where Woolf worries about the lack of money for women, Lee questions where the money comes from. In the money and power that prop up the colleges she finds a system of institutionalising education that reinforces the very systems that fund them.

The Competition centres around the Speech Makers annual conference and competition. Frances didn’t enter for the camaraderie, not the opportunity to attend workshops on timing your use of cliches. This year Speech Makers is offering $40,000 to the winner and that would go a long way to setting Frances up and convincing her parents she isn’t failing at life. Keith has mentored Frances in getting this far, but as her competition he can’t reasonably want her to win. The money would be nice, but for Keith the glory of being a Speech Makers champion would finally show people he’s got what it takes. As the competitors line up only to fall each round there’s rumblings that this year there’s more changing in Speech Makers than just prize money. Could it be that the organisation isn’t what it used to be? Join Andrew in conversation with Katherine Collette... Final Draft is produced and presented by Andrew Pople

On Reckoning is part of Hachette’s On series. A collection of bite sized books exploring ideas driving our society. In On Reckoning Amy Remeikis explores the evolving public narrative around sexual assault and how survivors of sexual assault are treated. In doing so Remeikis looks at how inadequate our current ways of engaging with sexual assault survivors are and how this inadequacy is leading to a ground swell of anger that is changing the story. Final Draft is produced and presented by Andrew Pople

Linda Jaivin is an internationally published Australian author, translator, essayist, novelist and specialist writer on China. Her new book is The Shortest History of China, and it’s a fabulously readable account of Chinese history that attempts to take us beyond the partisan headlines and explore the story of the most populous nation in the world. Join Andrew in conversation with Linda Jaivin on The Shortest History of China... Final Draft is produced and presented by Andrew Pople

James Brandt didn’t look back when he got away from his rural hometown as a teenager. Now, he’s returned to Kippen for the first time in twenty years because his cousin Tony has been found dead under the local bridge. The news that Tony has left him the entire family farm triggers James’s journalistic curiosity – and his anxiety – both of which cropped up during his turbulent journey to adulthood. But it is the unexpected homophobic attack he survives that draws James into a hunt for the reasons one lonely Kippen farm boy in every generation kills himself. Standing in the way is James’s father, the town’s recently retired top cop, who is not prepared to investigate crimes no one reckons have taken place. James must use every newshound’s trick he ever learned in order to uncover the brutal truth. Felix Shannon is in conversation with Michael Burge on Tank Water... Final Draft is produced and presented by Andrew Pople

Michelle de Kretser is the author of nine books. She has won the Miles Franklin award twice for Questions of Travel and The Life to Come. Michelle’s new novel is the wonderfully unsettling Scary Monsters Lili is teaching in southern France in the 1980’s. It’s a thrifty life but she is striving to be like her hero Simone de Beauvoir, strong, independent and free. All around her she sees the divides in society, watching the treatment of African immigrants and wondering at the protections her Australian passport provides her. In a too-near future, Lyle negotiates life both within and without Australian society. Islam is banned and repatriation laws leave three quarters of the population in a state of tense anticipation. Lyle and his family work to be model citizens; virtually invisible to the state. But constant vigilance is not easy and Lyle has dreams. Can he overcome the quirks of family and relationship to climb the social ladder - a perfect quiet Australian. Final Draft is produced and presented by Andrew Pople

In Fancy Meeting You Here... Evie Berry worries about her chances of finding romance after thirty. She’s the co-host of Pasta-la-Visita, a podcast for fans of romance movies but can’t seem to find the meet cute she dreams about. Evie’s hung up on Hugo Hearst, the gorgeous auteur of her favourite novel and film. If only they’d run into each other when he was a struggling writer haunting local cafes. Perhaps it just wasn’t meant to be, until a psychic flips Evie ten years into her past, Now Evie has everything she needs to find Hugo and win his heart. Just like in the movies right?! Join Andrew as he talks with Ali and Michelle about Fancy Meeting You Here

For the final book club of the year Andrew sat down after listening to Xmas music to reflect on the way we tell Xmas stories. Whether you celebrate the holiday or just need a break after the year that was, Xmas stories celebrate our survival and our coming together. However you are spending the holiday, we wish you happy reading and and a safe denouement to the year!

Omar Musa is a Malaysian-Australian author, poet and hip hop artist. His debut novel Here Come the Dogs was longlisted for the 2015 Miles Franklin award. Omar is celebrated for his Slam Poetry and spoken word and today joins us with a unique new collection. Killernova combines poetry and woodcarving allowing Omar to explore his heritage and the ongoing tension that exists within Australia and around the world, between indigenous peoples and colonialism. Join me as we discover Omar Musa ’s Killernova...

We are absolutely at the book end of the year. And I don’t mean that simply as a kind of fun book pun (although it did inadvertently turn out that way). No I meant that this is the time of the year when you finally have the time to do a little reading, our best of lists are coming out (does anyone want a book club best of btw?) and we are buying and reading Xmas stories. Now ghosts and tiny tims are all well and good, but we have a plethora of Xmas tales to contend with and when the book I’ve selected for this week ended up with a little bit of December in it I got to thinking; could this be a Xmas story? What even is a Xmas story? A quick Google pointed me in the direction of nostalgia and holiday hijinks. There has to be a complication but it all gets resolved, and much like Austen, a wedding at the end (or at least a heretofore unlikely snog) doesn’t hurt. And so I present you Michelle Kalus and Ali Berg's Fancy Meeting You Here

Make sure you catch Part One of this chat with Jennifer Down before diving in! Holly has a simple, but happy life. It’s uncomplicated for a reason and Holly would prefer it stay that way. When a message out of the blue drags Holly into her past, she is shaken. She felt she had escaped, buried the ghosts and become a new person. No one should know who Maggie is but now Holly is faced with the woman she used to be. Trauma is rarely far from the surface and we are thrown into Maggie’s life to revisit all the events that have brought her to where she is today and once caused her to disappear. Join me as we discover Jennifer Down ’s Bodies of Light...

Holly has a simple, but happy life. It’s uncomplicated for a reason and Holly would prefer it stay that way. When a message out of the blue drags Holly into her past, she is shaken. She felt she had escaped, buried the ghosts and become a new person. No one should know who Maggie is but now Holly is faced with the woman she used to be. Trauma is rarely far from the surface and we are thrown into Maggie’s life to revisit all the events that have brought her to where she is today and once caused her to disappear. Join me as we discover Jennifer Down ’s Bodies of Light...

Holly has a simple, but happy life. It’s uncomplicated for a reason and Holly would prefer it stay that way. When a message out of the blue drags Holly into her past, she is shaken. She felt she had escaped, buried the ghosts and become a new person. No one should know who Maggie is but now Holly is faced with the woman she used to be. Trauma is rarely far from the surface and we are thrown into Maggie’s life to revisit all the events that have brought her to where she is today and once caused her to disappear. Bodies of Light is a complex and painstakingly realised portrait of a woman. While it is true for any life, in Maggie we see the myriad tragedies and small joys that have dragged up from childhood, through adolescence to become an adult.

Here on Final Draft each week I speak with Australian writers and we explore the ways their stories reflect, explode or are just in conversation with our everyday world. A central thesis is that stories play an integral role in the ways we make sense of our world. Dr Denise Chapman joins us to discuss why representation in literature matters and challenge us to think about what it means when you can't see yourself in the books you read.

Rachel leads a reclusive life on the land. She has an art studio where she blows exquisite collectors pieces. Her daily needs are delivered to her and the isolation is both a boon and a protection from a world that has become too overwhelming. Rachel has cut herself from the daily news cycle of fire, flood and disease. It’s an unchanging litany of destruction that she cannot bear and while the world seemed hellbent on destruction she didn’t expect anything to suddenly change. Rachel is content in her isolation until one night a young mother and her child come knocking. They shouldn’t be there and their mere presence shatters Rachel’s peace. When Hannah reveals they are on the run that it is all gone, Rachel realises the world has seemingly self-destructed… Join me as we discover Inga Simpson ’s The Last Woman in the World...

Rachel leads a reclusive life on the land. She has an art studio where she blows exquisite collectors pieces. Her daily needs are delivered to her and the isolation is both a boon and a protection from a world that has become too overwhelming. Rachel has cut herself from the daily news cycle of fire, flood and disease. It’s an unchanging litany of destruction that she cannot bear and while the world seemed hellbent on destruction she didn’t expect anything to suddenly change. Rachel is content in her isolation until one night a young mother and her child come knocking. They shouldn’t be there and their mere presence shatters Rachel’s peace. When Hannah reveals they are on the run that it is all gone, Rachel realises the world has seemingly self-destructed…

The beautiful coastal town of Shelbourne is full of contradictions. For seventeen year old Hesse it’s the only home he knows. Hesse lives for the waves that break off the myriad banks and reefs along the coast. Hesse works at the local surf shop and doesn’t need much else. But just outside the town is the Hadron open cut mine and power station. Hadron employs most of the town and they fund all the local sports teams and the surf club. Hesse hadn’t given much thought to the power station and what it’s putting into the air. His mum’s a nurse and she knows that there’s more than the usual amount of respiratory disease in the local area. Imogen’s also a part of the local climate action group and Hesse is about to learn first hand the dangers to his beloved coast. In part two of the conversation we explore Hesse's growing activism and the ways masculinity plays into our social

The beautiful coastal town of Shelbourne is full of contradictions. For seventeen year old Hesse it’s the only home he knows. Hesse lives for the waves that break off the myriad banks and reefs along the coast. Hesse works at the local surf shop and doesn’t need much else. But just outside the town is the Hadron open cut mine and power station. Hadron employs most of the town and they fund all the local sports teams and the surf club. Hesse hadn’t given much thought to the power station and what it’s puting into the air. His mum’s a nurse and she knows that there’s more than the usual amount of respiratory disease in the local area. Imogen’s also a part of the local climate action group and Hesse is about to learn first hand the dangers to his beloved coast. Join me as we discover Mark Smith ’s If Not Us...

Mark’s new novel is If Not Us and it follows in the Winter Trilogy’s footsteps of smart storytelling focussed on the resourcefulness of his young protagonists and the sort of hope we can place in future generations. The beautiful coastal town of Shelbourne is full of contradictions. For seventeen year old Hesse it’s the only home he knows. Hesse lives for the waves that break off the myriad banks and reefs along the coast. Hesse works at the local surf shop and doesn’t need much else. But just outside the town is the Hadron open cut mine and power station. Hadron employs most of the town and they fund all the local sports teams and the surf club. Hesse hadn’t given much thought to the power station and what it’s puting into the air. His mum’s a nurse and she knows that there’s more than the usual amount of respiratory disease in the local area. Imogen’s also a part of the local climate action group and Hesse is about to learn first hand the dangers to his beloved coast. The first thing If Not Us hits you with is the small town vibe. Hesse biking to the beach and back is all I needed to feel the sand between my toes and know that this is one of those special places. Through Hesse’s naive perspective we almost come to believe that life could be a little bit of work and lots of waves. When Hesse lines up that first wave you could just imagine one clean ride straight in to the beach. That’s until a local drops in on him and knocks him out for his trouble. The peace of the ocean can’t account for human damage and Hesse knows if he wants something he has to fight for it.

Zoe life is looking up. High school’s over and she’s landed her dream job, interning at online media company Bubble. Getting here took work though. High school left Zoe burnt out, she was bullied because she’s autistic, and even without the bullying sometimes it was all too much attention, too much misplaced sympathy for her neurodiversity. Zoe knows she missed out on some stuff. So when the opportunity comes to write about navigating the world of online dating Zoe can barely imagine what’s in store for her! Embarking on a series of dates to unlock the social secrets of modern love, Zoe is challenging herself to really think about what she wants in a friend and a partner. Join me as we discover Kay Kerr ’s Social Queue...

Today I’ve brought you The Brumby Wars - The Battle for the Soul of Australia by Anthony Sharwood Anthony is a Walkley Award-winning journalist. He loves the high country and his 2020 book From Snow to Ash, is a love letter to the Australian High Country. The Brumby Wars is his third book and it takes in the history and scope of the ongoing battles between supporters of wild horses in the Australian Bush and those who see the destruction they cause to fragile ecosystems. The book takes an open approach to the debate, trying to hear all sides. Sharwood confronts the challenges of confronting and contrasting the scientific and ecological understanding of feral horses with the cultural understanding of Brumbies. With surveys noting that 78% of Victorians didn’t know that Brumbies were listed by Parks Victoria as pests Sharwood comes to the conclusion that “Mythology has become reality” and the power of storytelling has overtaken the reality of what is happening in the landscape. But in this space, a battle that literally plays out on Mountains and in the halls of political power, Sharwood sounds a warning against tilting towards extremes.

Greta and Joel have a good life travelling with their boys, they go where the work is and enjoy the adventure of the road. As they return to the land where Joel grew up Greta looks forward to a more stable existence, perhaps somewhere they can settle. The homestead is on an isolated property in the Northern Territory, a burnout house surrounded by the skeletons of old cars. Joel’s there to build and to prepare the land for sale, and he seems to want to ignore the tragedy that happened there in his childhood. Greta too is avoiding her own hometown and secrets. But in this new place she’s conscious that she is an outsider in the landscape; she has her stories, but the land has its own. Join me as we discover Karen Manton ’s The Curlew's Eye...

Social Queue introduces us to Zoe. Zoe has Autism and that means her everyday can be tough. Social spaces aren’t designed for her and this forces her to navigate a world of noise, bustle and crowds that leaves her exhausted. Worse, people just expect her to be ok with these things and that adds another layer of exhaustion as Zoe must choose to explain her discomfort or hide until she can feel safe. But now Zoe’s finished school and landed her dream internship at Bubble, an online media company. After the hell of high school, this is Zoe’s chance to greet life on her terms. And her first story pitch is a huge success!

Part two of the conversation with Maxine Beneba Clarke dives deeper into the poems in her new collection How Decent Folk Behave. You'll even get Maxine's insights on her incredible poem Fire Moves Faster, taking in the events of 2020 and trying to find some solace and perspective on the tumult we've all experienced.

Maxine Beneba Clarke is an author of short fiction, non fiction and poetry. She won the Victorian Premier’s literary award for poetry in 2017 for her collection Carrying the World, Her short story collection Foreign Soil, masterfully captures voices from marginalised communities, winning the ABIA for Literary Fiction Book of the Year 2015 and the 2015 Indie Book Award for Debut Fiction. Maxine Beneba Clarke’s new collection of poetry, How Decent Folk Behave, once again highlights Clarke’s ear for voices and ability to tell stories with empathy and insight. I cannot wait to share this conversation with you. Maxine has even generously agreed to share a poem from the collection Join me as we discover Maxine Beneba Clarke ’s How Decent Folk Behave...