Reporter Erin Sloane returns to her home town of Southport. Her Dad’s sick and though they haven’t always had the best relationship, he’s her only family. This is no nostalgia trip though. Erin’s editor wanmts her to report on the notorious Southport Three, a group of teens implicated in a satanic murder in the 90s. Erin’s going to write a story about the group and their legacy, but Erin is also a part of the story; she hasn’t told her editor she was dating one of the killers. Will the past stay buried once Erin starts digging?!

In part two of the conversation with Max Easton we delve into Max's narrative style, discuss gentrification and tackle the big issue of Sydney's east/west divide... Walt, Helen and Duncan are growing up in the Western Suburbs of Sydney. Walt and Duncan are paired on the footy field. Duncan serves as Walt’s protector, while Walt explores his precocious footballing talent. Rugby League is tribal for the boys and their families and they know that they'd rather live in the legacy of the likes of Tommy Raudonikas than the silvertails in the east. Walt’s older sister Helen can’t play with the boys but she can run water and plays to the team. As the three grow up together they each start looking for more than their suburban existence offers. As their family life breaks down Walt and Helen gravitate towards Sydney's Inner West. There they find underground success in the punk and noise music scene, and Walt is able to explore his growing political consciousness. Duncan stays at home, diligently completing uni and finds himself in a more conventional job. As the three criss-cross each other's lives they find themselves with contradictory purposes and opaque goals. Always present though is where they came from and how being from the west defines them in other people’s eyes. Join us as we talk to Max Easton on this week's Final Draft

Walt, Helen and Duncan are growing up in the Western Suburbs of Sydney. Walt and Duncan are paired on the footy field. Duncan serves as Walt’s protector, while Walt explores his precocious footballing talent. Rugby League is tribal for the boys and their families and they know that they'd rather live in the legacy of the likes of Tommy Raudonikas than the silvertails in the east. Walt’s older sister Helen can’t play with the boys but she can run water and plays to the team. As the three grow up together they each start looking for more than their suburban existence offers. As their family life breaks down Walt and Helen gravitate towards Sydney's Inner West. There they find underground success in the punk and noise music scene, and Walt is able to explore his growing political consciousness. Duncan stays at home, diligently completing uni and finds himself in a more conventional job. As the three criss-cross each other's lives they find themselves with contradictory purposes and opaque goals. Always present though is where they came from and how being from the west defines them in other people’s eyes. Join us as we talk to Max Easton on this week's Final Draft

Walt, Helen and Duncan are growing up in the Western Suburbs of Sydney. Walt and Duncan are paired on the footy field. Duncan serves as Walt’s protector, while Walt explores his precocious footballing talent. Rugby League is tribal for the boys and their families and they know that they’s rather live in the legacy of the likes of Tommy Raudonikas than the silvertails in the east. Walt’s older sister Helen can’t play with the boys but she can run water and plays to the team. As the three grow up together they each start looking for more than their suburban existence offers. As their family life breaks down Walt and Helen gravitate towards Sydney's Inner West. There they find underground success in the punk and noise music scene, and Walt is able to explore his growing political consciousness. Duncan stays at home, diligently completing uni and finds himself in a more conventional job. As the three criss-cross each other's lives they find themselves with contradictory purposes and opaque goals. Always present though is where they came from and how bening from the west defines them in other people’s eyes.

As the novel begins Vega arrives at the dilapidated Seafarers Hotel. Isolated, surrounded by farms and ocean, the hotel promises to be the perfect location to restore the angel with broken wings, her most ambitious project yet. It is not long though before a naked man wearing a crown, dive bombing canaries and a local tango party threaten to ruin the solitude Vega is craving. Join me as we discover Mette Jakobsen’s The Wingmaker...

Tony Birch’s stories have a way of giving voice to things that we are too often not talking about. In the eponymous story that opens the collection, Dark As Last Night Birch details a dark tale of domestic abuse. A young girl flees her home as her father becomes violent and is taken in by the strange lady next door. There she learns that this woman is not so strange, so much as she is independent of those minds who would stay silent. A refugee from Europe she has learned that “People say nothing and others die. It is that simple.” Operating almost as a type of fairy tale we are opened up to a world where this girl has a choice in her own fate.

Today's episode features Tony Birch discussing his latest a collection of poetry entitled Whisper Songs, and a short story collection Dark as Last Night. The works in Whisper Songs & Dark as Last Night explore themes both personal and universal. Tony writes around the death of his brother, moving into memory to understand loss and carrying on. The poetry of Whisper Songs explore language; the ways we use it to express and to hide our inner world. Tony explores through archival excerpts and reworkings how language is harnessed as a weapon against indigenous people; to strip them of their humanity and place them within the society that has stolen so much from them. Join me as we discover Tony Birch’s Whisper Songs & Dark as Last Night...

There is a long tradition in times of adversity that we read mysteries to divert ourselves from the challenges of our daily lives. Back in the interwar period of the 1920’s & 30’s Agatha Christie became a legend. Taking readers into little towns and intercontinental trains to solve a variety of cunning murders. It’s a more complicated world, so maybe we need a darker, more nuanced voice. JP Pomare has a way of delivering, and right now when we can’t go anywhere, he’s crafted a thriller that will make you terrified of staying in any type of house share.

Today's episode is part two of a panel discussion on the new collection from Sweatshop Racism - Stories on Fear, Hate and Bigotry. In part two of our discussion Shirley, Tyree and Amani explore public and personal responses to racism. We looking at the process of unlearning and discuss how to approach instances of racism in everyday life. Sweatshop are a literacy movement out of Western Sydney. They work to empower culturally and linguistically diverse communities through writing.

Sweatshop are a literacy movement out of Western Sydney. They work to empower culturally and linguistically diverse communities through writing. Sweatshop have an impressive library of works and the latest is Racism - Stories on Fear, Hate and Bigotry. Asking the question ‘Is Australia a Racist Country?’ Racism - Stories on Fear, Hate and Bigotry explores well understood as well as more covert iterations of racist behaviour as well as the ways institutions prop up dominant culture ways of thinking and being. Racism - Stories on Fear, Hate and Bigotry is available through www.sweatshop.ws

The Other Half of You is situated firmly within Michael Mohammed Ahmad’s body of work. Beginning with The Tribe and following through The Lebs we discover unfolding the story of Bani Adam. Bani is a young Lebanese Australian man. He is an Alawite Muslim; a member of a family, a tribe, but also a young man trying to figure out where he belongs in a contradictory society that does not seem to make room for men like him The Other Half of You is a continuation of this quest for identity both as an individual and within his family and his religion. It’s also a beautiful love letter written by a man to his young son. Want more great conversations with Australian authors? Discover this and many more conversations on Final Draft every week from 2ser. https://2ser.com/final-draft

In Part Two of the conversation on his latest novel The Last Guests, Josh delves into the ways he uses psychology in his stories, as well as the ways our own psychology influences our behaviour. We also get a little tongue in cheek, exploring Josh's back catalogue and the possibility of a J.P. Pomare extended universe The Last Guests A nondescript man enters a holiday accommodation in Auckland with bags full of electrical equipment. Hours later he leaves with empty suitcases. Another Peephole stream has gone live. On the other side of Auckland Cain and Lina are doing it tough. Cain hasn’t had much work since he was injured in combat and he wants Lina to put her family home up on WeStay - an online accommodation app. Lina’s not too sure though. All her childhood memories are in that home and who knows what terrors a guest could inflict on that nostalgia?

A nondescript man enters a holiday accommodation in Auckland with bags full of electrical equipment. Hours later he leaves with empty suitcases. Another Peephole stream has gone live. On the other side of Auckland Cain and Lina are doing it tough. Cain hasn’t had much work since he was injured in combat and he wants Lina to put her family home up on WeStay - an online accommodation app. Lina’s not too sure though. All her childhood memories are in that home and who knows what terrors a guest could inflict on that nostalgia?

Nothing But My Body is a journey through eight days in the life of a young, queer sex worker. The narrator explores her world and confronts the versions of herself seen through the eyes of clients, friends and lovers, at all times challenging and railing against the strictures of labels and reductive stereotypes. Nothing But My Body confronts the lows we can feel navigating the world while celebrating the constancy of friendships and the steady community they offer against a tide of cruelty and Join me as we discover Tilly Lawless’s Nothing But My Body...

I want to leave the last word on this collection to its collectors. Winnie Dunn, Stephen Pham and Phoebe Granger are the editors of Racism and in their introduction they lay out that they “seek to provide a personal and intimate record from first nations people and people of colour across all ages, that demonstrates the pain, despair, confusion, complexity and rejection that comes from being the ‘other’.”

Poetry Month is a showcase of the incredible wealth of poetic talent in this country and will be Featuring: 30 in 30 - delivering daily, original text/video poems from some of Australia’s best poets Poetry Workshops - with incredible poets Line Break - a weekly online poetry show Fair Trade - conversations with First Nations poets

This week though I wanted to bring you a little poetry. Specifically I wanted to let everyone out there know about Poetry Month an initiative from Red Room Poetry. This is the inaugural poetry month and it really is a festival of poetic art spanning styles from the traditional, through hip hop and an array of voices from throughout the community. Poetry Month is organised and run by Red Room Poetry and it’s designed to increase the profile of Australian Poets, Poetry and Publishers. For more details check out https://redroompoetry.org/ and discover all the poetry events across the month....

Missed Part One? Check it out in your podcast app Romy is a graduate lawyer. Her work sees her taking a deep dive into the relationships corporations have with their employees and she’s finding that often these look more like intimate, romantic partnerships than anything she’s got on her personal calendar. Romy’s parents worry she’s not dating. Her mates think she’s got a type and is being picky. Even Romy wonders if the guys she’s interested in set up the relationships to fail. When she’s introduced to optimal stopping point theory she wonders if maybe there’s another way to go about finding the one. Romy has to apply ruthless legal logic to relationships in her work, why not try a little algorithmic thinking to her non-existent dating life? Join me as we discover Elodie Cheesman’s Love, in Theory...

Romy is a graduate lawyer. Her work sees her taking a deep dive into the relationships corporations have with their employees and she’s finding that often these look more like intimate, romantic partnerships than anything she’s got on her personal calendar. Romy’s parents worry she’s not dating. Her mates think she’s got a type and is being picky. Even Romy wonders if the guys she’s interested in set up the relationships to fail. When she’s introduced to optimal stopping point theory she wonders if maybe there’s another way to go about finding the one. Romy has to apply ruthless legal logic to relationships in her work, why not try a little algorithmic thinking to her non-existent dating life? Join me as we discover Elodie Cheesman’s Love, in Theory...

Flock brings together twenty First Nations writers, poets and authors in a collection that features some of the best writing in this country. The collection is edited and features a story from Ellen Van Neerven. The stories promise to roam the landscape of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander storytelling, bringing together voices from across the generations. This episode of book club features words from Wiradjuri poet Jeanine Leane as she describes how "First Nations writing is always important because First Nations writing does the job that national history fails to do."

Flock introduces itself as First Nations Stories Then and Now. The stories promise to roam the landscape of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander storytelling, bringing together voices from across the generations. The collection is edited and features a story from Ellen Van Neerven. It features contributions from the likes of Tara June Winch, Tony Birch and Melissa Lucashenko as well as our guests today Mykaela Saunders, Jeanine Leane and Jane Harrison

Romy is a graduate lawyer. Her work sees her taking a deep dive into the relationships corporations have with their employees and she’s finding that many of these look more like romantic partnerships than anything she’s got on her personal calendar. Meanwhile her parents have challenged her with the theory of then optimal stopping point; a way of calculating the best time to make a decision when the choices seem to go on endlessly. Romy has to apply ruthless legal logic to the relationships in her work, why not try a little algorithmic thinking to her non-existent dating life.

Andrew Pople is the host of Final Draft on 2ser and the Great Conversations podcast. Here he is celebrating three years of the podcast on air on Sydney radio 2ser 107.3

Join us in celebrating three years of the Final Draft podcast! We've come a long way and today we're looking back to the beginning. Bram Presser is the author of the award winning The Book of Dirt. He is also the first guest to grace our little podcast way back when it began. Listen back to a remastered version of that first interview along with exclusive audio of Andrew and Bram discussing the incredible success of The Book of Dirt winning the NSW Premier's Literary Awards.

In January 1940 Lucie and her mother Yvonne must leave Australia for France, following the death of Lucie’s father. They are taken in by Gerard, Yvonne’s brother and their only surviving relative. Despite feeling she might never fit in as a Parisian, Lucie endeavours to settle in to the fabled city of lights, sketching postcards for sale at a nearby art supply store. But Lucie’s arrival coincides with the invasion of France by Germany. As the Germans exert more and more control, Lucie must decide whether to shelter in her relative safety or make a show of resistance. Join me as we discover Michelle Wright’s Small Acts of Defiance...

Today's episode is a shout out to To Be Read piles everywhere. As we face down the Sydney Lockdown it can be easy to pressure ourselves to try to do all the things. Instead we should be kind to our mind and approach our TBR with love and curiosity. Today's selection offers books to challenge, make you think and just relax into as your mind travels wide while your body stays put.

Nancy Business returns to Riverstone. Tippy’s been getting on with life after solving the murder of her teacher. Pike and Devon have bought the murder house and are trying to decorate it without murdering each other. So far so normal when the town is rocked by an explosion at the Town Hall. Three people are killed and it looks like the bomber might be a local. The bombing happens on the anniversary of Tippy’s father’s death and this brings back so much for her. Tippy is now constantly in fear of more violence and of losing more people close to her. The only thing to do is reform the Nancys and solve the mystery of the lone bomber.

In January 1940 Lucie and her mother Yvonne leave Australia for France, following the death of Lucie’s father. Taken in by Gerard, their only surviving relative, Lucie must settle into the fabled city of lights on the eve of invasion from Germany. Small Acts of Defiance chronicles Lucie’s coming of age in Paris and a world that is forever teetering on chaos as the Germans exert more and more control.

Heartsick weaves together three stories of love and loss. Claire has returned from London, only to realise something is wrong with her partner Maggie. Patrick is a lonely uni student, until he meets Caitlin - but does she feel as connected as he does? Ana is happily married with three children. Then, one night, she falls in love with someone else. Today’s conversation is presented by 2ser producer Briannah Devlin

Heartsick weaves together three stories of love and loss. Claire has returned from London, only to realise something is wrong with her partner Maggie. Patrick is a lonely uni student, until he meets Caitlin - but does she feel as connected as he does? Ana is happily married with three children. Then, one night, she falls in love with someone else. Today’s conversation is presented by 2ser producer Briannah Devlin

Tippy, Pike and Devon return in Nancy Business. The stakes are higher, the tone is darker, Tippy has a new haircut and don’t even think of going near Devon with green! Get ready for a cosy mystery, with a queer heart and some real questions about what it means to be a part of a community. In Nancy Business Riverstone is rocked by an explosion at the Town Hall. Three people are killed and it looks like a local is the bomber. Straight away things feel darker than the last novel. The bombing happens on the anniversary of Tippy’s father’s death and this has brought back so much for her. She is now constantly in fear of more violence and of losing more people close to her.

Bani Adam knows that his family expect him to do the Tribe proud. To marry the right kind of girl and grow their family. But Bani knows this is not the only way to be a good son, a good man. The Other Half of You is Bani telling the story of this life and this love to his son Khalil. To help Khalil understand the complexity of his identity as a Muslim, an Australian and a man Bani must tell both halves of his story. In Part two we explore the damage that media depictions of young lebanese men has done and the ways that Mohammed has worked in his writing to tell more nuanced stories. We also get into the heart of the novel and discover a humorous side to Mohammed. Join me as we discover Michael Mohammed Ahmad’s The Other Half of You...

Bani Adam knows that his family expect him to do the Tribe proud. To marry the right kind of girl and grow their family. But Bani knows this is not the only way to be a good son, a good man. The Other Half of You is Bani telling the story of this life and this love to his son Khalil. To help Khalil understand the complexity of his identity as a Muslim, an Australian and a man Bani must tell both halves of his story. In part one Mohammad explores Love and the necessity of telling stories that represent, engage and transform the communities they represent.

Who is Nancy Drew and why are we talking about her? Nancy Drew, along with her male teen detective counterparts The Hardy Boys, were the brainchild of the publishing empire of Edward Stratemeyer. Stratemeyer grew his empire over the early decades of the twentieth century using a shrewd understanding of what children want and how to market it to their tiny allowances.

It’s Paris. August 1944. Auguste Duchene is renowned for his ability to find missing people. Now he finds himself in an impossible situation; as the Allies close in on Paris Duchene must find a missing priest and a German soldier. Working both sides against the other he must somehow satisfy two masters to protect his family. In part two we get deeper into the mystery of The Paris Collaborator as well as exploring the ways that ideologies clash. Intriguingly we discover that the denouement may have as much to with how Duchene survives as with the solution to the mystery.

It’s Paris. August 1944. Auguste Duchene is renowned for his ability to find missing people. Now he finds himself in an impossible situation; as the Allies close in on Paris Duchene must find a missing priest and a German soldier. Working both sides against the other he must somehow satisfy two masters to protect his family.

A Million Things runs on its extraordinarily realised characters. Rae, Lettie and Splinter the dog are the sort of characters that you find yourself talking about like they’re real people. I don’t mind telling you that at one point Emily had me fully ugly crying over the story. I can’t you what it was, that would be spoilers, but suffice to say these are the sort of people who get under your skin and make you care.

If you woke up one day with no memory of who you were, where do you think you would place your trust? Every 179 days Robbie forgets everything about himself. The last time this happened all he had was a note, written by himself to guide his future. He keeps himself protected by avoiding the world; shut in, deliveries to the door and very little outside interaction. He can’t risk that the forgetting happens and he is left at the mercy of a stranger. Robbie has a project that structures his days. He’s building an elaborate, record breaking dominoes pattern. And that’s enough until one day, not long before the next forgetting a new delivery person comes to Robbies door and he feels a spark of something?

Re[ad]generate aims to regenerate reading by supporting children in fire and flood-affected communities. The campaign will deliver books written and illustrated by First Nations authors and artists, providing children in those communities with educational opportunities that reflect their communities and their daily lives. Kirli Saunders is a proud Gunai woman whose writing includes the acclaimed poetry collection Kindred and her latest, Bindi which tells the story of a community facing bushfire and its aftermath.

It’s Paris. August 1944. Auguste Duchene is renowned for his ability to find missing people. He doesn’t see race or nationality, only people who need his help. But Duchene is about to find himself in an impossible situation; as the Allies close in on Paris Duchene must find a missing priest and a German soldier.

Today’s episode is going to be a little different. We’re not getting into a work of literary fiction seeking to illuminate our world, rather we’re exploring the practical ways we can make change ourselves. Jean Hinchliffe describes her journey into social change and the lessons she’s learned about how to advocate for what you believe in. Oh, and Jean’s still in high school. Yeah, the kids are going to be ok and can we do any less than support them as they try to make the world a better place Join me as we discover Jean Hinchliffe’s Lead The Way...

Evie Wyld is the author of The Bass Rock, a novel which has gone on to win the Stella Prize for 2021. In part two of the conversation we are getting into spoiler territory, exploring all the questions that arise from a close reading of the novel. And a warning; the conversation does discuss violence against women and if this is a topic you'd prefer to avoid maybe skip this one. The Bass Rock weaves together three narratives across the centuries exploring the pervasive violence that women must live with daily. The novel opens on a scene of a child and her mother walking on the beach, about to make a gruesome discovery. We then meet Vivianne arriving in town late at night to catalogue the estate of her grandmother Ruth. In post war Scotland Ruth arrives at her new home unsure of her place and her role in the lives of her adopted children. And some centuries earlier Sarah must flee her village after she is charged with witchcraft and faces brutality at the hands of the townsfolk and burning at the stake.

Evie Wyld is the Miles Franklin award winning author of All the Birds Singing. She joined me on Final Draft last year to discuss The Bass Rock, a novel which has gone on to win the Stella Prize for 2021. Today we are revisiting that conversation with a special extended chat that takes in all the bits that didn't make it to air last time... The Bass Rock weaves together three narratives across the centuries exploring the pervasive violence that women must live with daily. The novel opens on a scene of a child and her mother walking on the beach, about to make a gruesome discovery. We then meet Vivianne arriving in town late at night to catalogue the estate of her grandmother Ruth. In post war Scotland Ruth arrives at her new home unsure of her place and her role in the lives of her adopted children. And some centuries earlier Sarah must flee her village after she is charged with witchcraft and faces brutality at the hands of the townsfolk and burning at the stake.

Claire Thomas is the author of Fugitive Blue which won the Dobbie Award for women writers, as well as being longlisted for the Miles Franklin Literary Award. Claire is an academic who teaches literary studies and creative writing. She has a new novel that I will be discussing today called The Performance. The Performance centres around three women attend a staging of Samuel Beckett’s play Happy Days. Inside the theatre the air is conditioned to a chill, a matter of stark contrast to the world outside. Bushfires rage outside the city and each of the women have navigated this sweltering outer world to find some modicum of solitude and peace within the theatre. As the play begins each of the women find their minds drifting out through memory, their lives and into the pressures that threaten their peace.

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!

Erma Bridges is tired. She just got off a red eye to answer as yet unknown charges of misconduct from her university. A university where Erma is writing a book on the History of Reader Deployed Young Adult Fiction (Choose Your Own Adventure books ‘natch’). 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.