In part two of our conversation Emily talks secrets; how they inform the plot and how they drive the narrative forward. There's even some secrets of our own to share in a special spoilers section at the end where Emily and I discuss one of the most impactful moments of A Million Things Rae is pretty self sufficient for a ten year old. She can get to school lunch packed. Clean the house, although the backyard is a mess. And she’s always got time for her dog Splinter. In fact until the money in her Mum’s back account runs out no one needs to know her Mum’s not around. Lettie next door could be a problem though. Always on her porch, just sitting and watching. If she notices Rae’s on her own there could be trouble. But Lettie’s got problems of her own.

Rae is pretty self sufficient for a ten year old. She can get to school lunch packed. Clean the house, although the backyard is a mess. And she’s always got time for her dog Splinter. In fact until the money in her Mum’s back account runs out no one needs to know her Mum’s not around. Lettie next door could be a problem though. Always on her porch, just sitting and watching. If she notices Rae’s on her own there could be trouble. But Lettie’s got problems of her own.

AB Endacott is a self published author. It's creatively freeing but also a lot of work. In Part Two of our conversation with AB Endacott we explore the creation of the books. Deliverance of the Blessed takes us into the world of the Sanctuary and a core group of the Blessed. Kaylene is mourning the death of her love Luka. She’s desperate and will do almost anything to get him back. Just as she’s about to make an irreversible decision though she is offered a chance. But could hope be more terrible than the loss she feels?

Deliverance of the Blessed takes us into the world of the Sanctuary and a core group of the Blessed. Kaylene is mourning the death of her love Luka. She’s desperate and will do almost anything to get him back. Just as she’s about to make an irreversible decision though she is offered a chance. But could hope be more terrible than the loss she feels?

In part two of our conversation Eileen shares one of her poems from the collection... Eileen Chong is an Australian poet of Chinese descent. She is the author of eight collections of poetry and her work has been listed for more prizes than a half hour show like ours could possibly list but I’ll just mention the likes of the The Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards and the PM’s Literary Award. Her first collection Burning Rice is taught as part of the NSW HSC Syllabus and today we will be talking about her new collection A Thousand Crimson Blooms.

Eileen Chong is an Australian poet of Chinese descent. She is the author of eight collections of poetry and her work has been listed for more prizes than a half hour show like ours could possibly list but I’ll just mention the likes of the The Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards and the PM’s Literary Award. Her first collection Burning Rice is taught as part of the NSW HSC Syllabus and today we will be talking about her new collection A Thousand Crimson Blooms.

Emily Maguire is the author of fiction and non-fiction. Her 2016 novel An Isolated Incident garnered short list noms for the Stella Prize and the Miles Franklin. It explored the reverberations within a community around a horrific act of violence against a young woman. Her latest novel Love Objects takes us into Sydney’s Inner West where Nicole has lived pretty much her entire life. It’s a modest house but Nic has always said her family has a bed there if they ever need it. Nicole hasn't had much in the way of family after her mum died and her sister moved to Brisbane. When Michelle left she took Lena, Nic’s niece.

In part two of the conversation with Emily we dive deeper into the family dynamic at the heart of Love Objects. Nicole has always looked out for family. When her sister Michelle packed up and left Sydney for Brisbane Nic was devastated. Nic had always treated her niece Lena like her own and to be separated was unbearable. Now Lena’s back in Sydney studying and every Sunday she and Nic meet up for lunch. When Nic misses their date one Sunday, Lena goes in search of her aunt. What she finds changes everything and Lena will have to confront the lengths she will go to for someone she loves…

Nicole has always looked out for family. When her sister Michelle packed up and left Sydney for Brisbane Nic was devastated. Nic had always treated her niece Lena like her own and to be separated was unbearable. Now Lena’s back in Sydney studying and every Sunday she and Nic meet up for lunch. When Nic misses their date one Sunday, Lena goes in search of her aunt. What she finds changes everything and Lena will have to confront the lengths she will go to for someone she loves…

Three women attend a staging of Samuel Beckett’s play Happy Days. Inside the theatre is air conditioned to a chill, while outside bushfires rage outside the city. On the stage a woman is trapped to her waist inside an expanding mound, happily exploring her past through items in her bag. Within the audience the women’s minds drift out across time. Margot considers her family, expanded to include a new grandson, even as her husband slowly moves into his old age. Ivy thinks about her world and how far she’s come from the person she was at uni. Summer wishes she could pay closer attention to the stage. Her job is to usher guests to their seats but her mind is miles away as the fires circling the city move closer to her girlfriends family home. Join me as we discover Claire Thomas’s The Performance...

Three women attend a staging of Samuel Beckett’s play Happy Days. Inside the theatre is air conditioned to a chill, while outside bushfires rage outside the city. On the stage a woman is trapped to her waist inside an expanding mound, happily exploring her past through items in her bag. Within the audience the women’s minds drift out across time. Margot considers her family, expanded to include a new grandson, even as her husband slowly moves into his old age. Ivy thinks about her world and how far she’s come from the person she was at uni. Summer wishes she could pay closer attention to the stage. Her job is to usher guests to their seats but her mind is miles away as the fires circling the city move closer to her girlfriends family home. Join me as we discover Claire Thomas’s The Performance...

Zoya Patel is the author of No Country Woman. She is the founding editor of Feminartsy and has been published widely including Junkee, Women’s Agenda and The Canberra Times. Today she is joining us as the head of the 2021 Stella Prize Judging Panel. The Stella Prize is an annual award open to books published by women and non-binary writers. It’s now in its ninth year and always offers up an incredible selection of titles.

In rural Pakistan Malika is entrusted to the care of Ayesha after her parents are killed in an accident. She grows up along another survivor, Tahir, gradually becoming part of the village life. As Malika is entrusted with more responsibility it emerges that she has an extraordinary intelligence. Malika’s talents are destined to take her away from the village until a violent betrayal threatens her entire world. In Melbourne Kate is piecing together her life after the death of her mother. She’s always leant on her career as a surgeon and has little to show in the way of personal relationships. When a young woman from PAkistan enters her life, will she finally learn to open up to others? Join me as we discover L.P. McMahon’s As Swallows Fly...

Erma Bridges is tired. She just got off a thirty six hour flight to answer as yet unknown charges of misconduct from her university. A university where young women are disappearing at an alarming rate. A university where one young woman, Erma’s missing research assistant, is about to reappear and brutally attack Erma for seemingly no discernible reason. When Erma wakes from the shocking attack she must try and piece together what has happened to her life. Why did her research assistant turn on her. Did it have anything to do with her book on the History of Reader Deployed Young Adult Fiction and the missing interviews with an elusive author?

Layla is an inventor. After winning a scholarship to an exclusive school she is now preparing for the Grand Designs Tourismo which will take her to Germany and working her hardest to win a place on the Special International Invention Tour. But Layla’s plans for conquering the world with her inventions hit a hurdle when her family must travel to Sudan to be at her grandmother’s bedside. This trip challenges Layla to discover who she is beyond the world of her inventors workshop...

Layla is an inventor. After winning a scholarship to an exclusive school she is now preparing for the Grand Designs Tourismo which will take her to Germany and working her hardest to win a place on the Special International Invention Tour. But Layla’s plans for conquering the world with her inventions hit a hurdle when her family must travel to Sudan to be at her grandmother’s bedside. This trip challenges Layla to discover who she is beyond the world of her inventors workshop...

Today I have a novel of Sydney that has become a favourite already of my reading this year. Friends & Dark Shapes is a gorgeous meditation on movement. The novel had me reflecting on the ways I move through life, through relationships and yes through this city. As I record this just outside of Sydney in the Blue Mountains, I find Friends & Dark Shapes takes me back to the streets and the people that I have loved. When I spoke with Kavita for Final Draft she compared our conversation to a virtual walk through Sydney. I think that’s a good metaphor for the experience of reading Friends & Dark Shapes This is a soulful novel that I would highly recommend

Michael Williams has joined the Sydney Writers Festival as its artistic director for 2021 following Michaela McGuire leaving to take the helm at Melbourne Writers Festival. It’s like the two passed each other somewhere around Albury as Michael was the director of Melbourne’s Wheeler Centre for more than a decade. He’s also been a presenter on Radio National and RRR down in Melbourne. And Michael has joined the festival in the wake of the cancellation of last year's festival due to Covid. We’re all excited to see a return to the stages and talks and Michael has put together a program worth anticipating Join me as Michael Williams takes us through the 2021 Sydney Writers Festival...

Harper Brown has arrived in Paris to live her dream. She’s leaving her romantic baggage behind and starting a job at an online magazine as its new art & culture writer. This is Paris and a small borrowed apartment and rude co-workers are just part of the charm. Except Harper’s nourishing dreams of becoming a hard-hitting reporter and the arrogant git currently doing that job is ignoring her warnings that a serial killer may be stalking women on the streets of Paris.

The Animals in That Country takes us north. Jean is a guide in a wildlife preserve. Irascibly anti-social, Jean drinks too much, smokes too much and picks fights online. Except for Thursdays when she cleans herself up and looks after her granddaughter. Jeans son Lee may have done a runner, but he did leave behind Kimberly and Jean is fiercely protective of Kim, even if Kim’s mum Ange has little time for Jean. Jean and Kimberly love to plan for the day when they will have their own wildlife preserve. They carefully scrapbook their ideas, even as the news warns them of an illness spreading in the south. Zooflu has hit the southern states hard, bringing flu-like symptoms, pink eyes and the ability to talk to animals! Soon the park must close their gates and quarantine themselves against the pandemic, because who knows what the rescued animals will have to say about their captivity?

Four friends move into a share-house in Redfern. Over the course of four seasons the friends navigate communal living and try to get a handle on whether this is in fact their lives or just another stepping stone towards a place everyone else seems to have reached. From toilet rolls and the dishwashing roster, to navigating space in a city that is always shifting and seemingly forever out of reach; Friends & Dark Shapes explores love, longing and loss in Sydney.

Mirror Mirror explores our propensity as storytellers. Every day our world is filled with stories; stories we consume and especially those we tell. These stories help us shape our world, but how do we influence those stories and how in turn do those stories reflect our culture? Mirror Mirror explores our propensity as storytellers. Every day our world is filled with stories; stories we consume and especially those we tell. These stories help us shape our world, but how do we influence those stories and how in turn do those stories reflect our culture?

Johnny Novak’s a family man; beautiful wife, young son, his mum & dad live two blocks away, his brother Ivan lives two blocks in the other direction. Johnny even works in the family business, although as the second son he’s always let his older brother do the heavy lifting. Then one evening around dusk Ivan is gunned down in his driveway. A killing that threatens to erupt Sydney into all out warfare!

Margot is a successful psychologist; thriving practice, beautiful family and an academic interest in antisocial personality disorder. On an otherwise uneventful night Margot is woken by the sound of broken glass. The family escapes through their open front door to see flames blooming from Margot’s office window. Someone has firebombed their house!