Sydney Writers' Festival

In award-winning writer Fiona Murphy’s (The Shape of Sound) first year of work as a physiotherapist, a patient asked her: “How does it feel to be nothing more than a glorified walking stick?” In some ways the work of a physiotherapist appears passive – congenial, even, involving gentle walks and small talk. But they are primed to catch any signs of distress or fatigue and predict the likelihood of a fall before it happens. In this insightful lecture, Fiona examines bodies, aging, fear and falling. If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and follow our channel. Sydney Writers' Festival podcasts are available on all major podcast platforms.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

William Shakespeare has long been regarded as one of the greatest writers in the English language, but have we heard enough from The Bard? Is it time we prioritised other writers? Wirlomin Noongar writer and poet Claire G. Coleman (Lies, Damned Lies: A personal exploration of the impact of colonisation) contends that Shakespeare’s work lacks relevance for Australian readers and urges that it is vital we work more concertedly to decolonise the literary canon. If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and follow our channel. Sydney Writers' Festival podcasts are available on all major podcast platforms.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The authors of two of 2022's most atmospheric historical fiction novels come together to discuss their books which trace compelling family dramas in richly-drawn settings from Western Australia to Iceland. Emily Brugman’s The Islands follows the sweeping story of the Saari family, a small group of Finnish migrants who come to find a new home on a tiny island in an archipelago off the coast of Western Australia in the mid-1950s. Kári Gíslason’s The Sorrow Stone takes a sidelined figure from the Viking tales and places her at the centre of an epic story of betrayal and revenge, set against the dramatic backdrop of the Icelandic countryside. Emily and Kári discuss their enthralling novels with Susan Wyndham. If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and follow our channel. Sydney Writers' Festival podcasts are available on all major podcast platforms.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’re living in an attention economy, but some of us are paying a steeper price than others. Being disabled or chronically ill means navigating a world not designed for you and having no choice but to always pay attention. 2022 Sydney Writers’ Festival Guest Curator Fiona Murphy asks: what if we flipped the equation and people with disability and chronic illness started charging for their expertise? In a series of funny, compelling and frank talks, four writers with disability and chronic illness share why society needs to start paying attention to the experts. Featuring El Gibbs (appearing live via video), Fiona Wright, Hannah Diviney and Michelle Law. If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and follow our channel. Sydney Writers' Festival podcasts are available on all major podcast platforms.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The authors of two of 2022's most anticipated releases, Arab-Australian writers Omar Sakr and George Haddad, come together to discuss their debut novels about family, history and identity, and Western Sydney. Omar’s Son of Sin is a story of growing up queer and Muslim that illuminates the bonds that bind families, and how they can break. George’s unflinching Losing Face reflects Australian identity back to readers, while testing the notion that facing consequences makes us better people. They speak with Sarah Malik. If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and follow our channel. Sydney Writers' Festival podcasts are available on all major podcast platforms.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Published by SBS Voices and Sweatshop: Western Sydney Literacy Movement, ‘Straight-up Islander’ is Australia’s first online collection from writers with specific ancestral ties to the many islands and oceanways that make up the South Pacific Ocean. As Australia’s closest neighbours, we have a long and complicated history together: from the brunt of brownface humour to slavery and colonialism. Join the collection’s editor, Winnie Dunn, in this urgent and critical dialogue with Professor Jioji Ravulo, Anne-Marie Te Whiu, Kaiya Aboagye and Christine Afoa, all writers who represent Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Erub Island and Kuku Yalanji lands and oceanways.Presented with SBS Voices and Sweatshop. If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and follow our channel. Sydney Writers' Festival podcasts are available on all major podcast platforms.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this special event, Sweatshop: Western Sydney Literacy Movement celebrates the release of BLACKLIGHT, an anthology showcasing 10 years of First Nations storytelling from Western Sydney and beyond. Join a panel of First Nations writers as they delve deep into the art, history and soul of Black and Brown literature in Australia. Featuring Travis De Vries, Ali Murphy-Oates and Steven Ross in conversation with Sweatshop General Manager, Winnie Dunn. Presented in partnership with Sweatshop: Western Sydney Literacy Movement. If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and follow our channel. Sydney Writers' Festival podcasts are available on all major podcast platforms.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“Poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world,” Percy Bysshe Shelley once mused. His famous epithet resonates today as readers turn to a new generation of poets who are bringing rhyme and reason to bear on thorny ideas and urgent emotions in uncertain times. In this special event, the poets behind some of 2022's most thought-provoking and stirring works read and perform from their works. Featuring Eunice Andrada (TAKE CARE), Tony Birch (Whisper Songs), Maxine Beneba Clarke (How Decent Folk Behave), Madison Godfrey, Sarah Holland-Batt (The Jaguar and Fishing for Lightning), Jazz Money (how to make a basket), Omar Musa (Killernova) and Sara M. Saleh, with host Declan Fry. If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and follow our channel. Sydney Writers' Festival podcasts are available on all major podcast platforms.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“10 September 1996: Pauline Hanson delivered her maiden speech, and I lost all faith in Australian politics. 20 August 2018: Mehreen Faruqi was sworn in as the first Muslim Senator to join the Upper House, and my faith was finally restored." – Michael Mohammed AhmadMiles Franklin–shortlisted author Michael Mohammed Ahmad (The Other Half of You) speaks with Mehreen Faruqi about Too Migrant, Too Muslim, Too Loud, her no-holds-barred debut memoir. If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and follow our channel. Sydney Writers' Festival podcasts are available on all major podcast platforms.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The new books from acclaimed journalists Antoinette Lattouf (How to Lose Friends and Influence White People) and Amy Remeikis (On Reckoning) each draw on their personal and professional insights into challenging structural power. They come together to discuss their work: Antoinette on how to make a difference when championing change and racial equality with witty yet confronting analysis of how to prepare for the popularity contest you’ll lose; and Amy on her investigation into the fallout of allegations of sexual assault in Parliament, and the power and potential of anger and non-conformity in the face of injustice. They are joined in conversation with Ellen Fanning. If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and follow our channel. Sydney Writers' Festival podcasts are available on all major podcast platforms.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The newest works of non-fiction by Australian writers Delia Falconer and Indira Naidoo offer deeply personal and profound meditations on our relationship with the natural world. Delia’s Signs and Wonders explores how it feels to live as a reader, writer, mother and lover of nature in an era of extreme ecological change. Indira’s The Space Between the Stars is the poignant story of awakening to the power of nature in the wake of her sister’s passing. They appear in conversation with Suzanne Leal.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Louisa Lim and Kylie Moore-Gilbert come together to discuss the complexities of power, persecution and freedom. Louisa’s Indelible City: Dispossession and Defiance in Hong Kong is a deeply researched and personal account of Hong Kong, its people and the untold history they are claiming. Kylie’s The Uncaged Sky: My 804 days in an Iranian prison is the gripping account of her extraordinary fight to survive imprisonment in Iran. They speak with Ann Mossop. If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and follow our channel. Sydney Writers' Festival podcasts are available on all major podcast platforms.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From the soapbox to the stage, carefully crafted speeches have inspired and persuaded minds throughout the ages. As we lose faith in our leaders and the institutions of civil society cede their moral authority, we gather a group of stirring orators to recreate their favourite moments of speechifying – from the worlds of politics and theatre, cinema and the law – to remind us of the power of words and the thrill of great oration. Including Richard Fidler (The Golden Maze), Sisonke Msimang (Always Another Country), Clare Wright (You Daughters of Freedom) who take to the microphone for this rousing event. Hosted by Sarah Kanowski.  Sydney Writers' Festival podcasts are available on all major podcast platforms. If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and follow our channel.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Too often our notions of life outside Australia’s capital cities are that it is monochrome and homogenous. The Growing Up In Country Australia anthology offers a fresh, modern, and at times surprising look at country life today, bringing together the perspectives of established and emerging writers. Join the collection’s editor, prize-winning One Hundred Years of Dirt author Rick Morton, as he speaks with contributors Farz Edraki, Bridie Jabour and Benjamin Riley. Together, they discuss challenges such as drought, fire and isolation, as well as the joy, adventure and beauty of growing up outside our capital cities. Sydney Writers' Festival podcasts are available on all major podcast platforms. If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and follow our channel.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

[Content warning: Sensitive themes including suicide] Two fascinating non-fiction works explore our relationship to life, our bodies and mortality itself. In Bedtime Story, Chloe Hooper looks to classics by the likes of Brothers Grimm and JRR Tolkien to teach her own children about grief and resilience after her partner falls seriously ill. In her essay collection The First Time I Thought I Was Dying, Sarah Walker examines our unruly bodies and asks how we might learn to embrace our chaos. They share the stage with interviewer Anton Enus. Sydney Writers' Festival podcasts are available on all major podcast platforms. If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and follow our channel.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With so much concern around silencing and censorship in contemporary discourse, it’s hard to think of any one element that has a greater impact on what can and can’t be said in Australia than our defamation laws. No matter how much of an idiot **REDACTED** might be, or however well founded the allegations against **REDACTED** are, in Australia, you publish at your peril. Our panel of brilliant legal and media minds – Hannah Marshall, Chris Masters and Kate McClymont – choose their words carefully with Erik Jensen as they explore why we have the harshest defamation laws in the world, and how this affects good public discourse. Sydney Writers' Festival podcasts are available on all major podcast platforms. If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and follow our channel.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Two extraordinary writers of short fiction come together to discuss crafting fully realised worlds that capture our interest over just a few pages. Patrick White Literary Award winner Tony Birch’s latest collection of short stories (Dark as Last Night) captures the humanity and humour of kids toughened beyond their years on the edges of society. Paige Clark’s debut (She Is Haunted) showcases an entrancing new literary voice. Drawing comparisons to Carmen Maria Machado, Paige runs with themes such as race, family and grief into surreal and uneasy places. Tony and Paige are in conversation with Declan Fry. Sydney Writers' Festival podcasts are available on all major podcast platforms. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and rate our channel.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This All Come Back Now is the first anthology of speculative fiction by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander writers, spanning bush horror, ghost stories, time travel and post-human futures. Hear from a panel of contributors as they discuss how their work is rooted in Indigenous ways of being, knowing and becoming, and what the toolkit of speculative fiction allows them to explore in terms of kin and Country, memory and future thinking. The editor of the anthology, Mykaela Saunders, sits down with Evelyn Araluen, Merryana Salem and Jack Latimore. Sydney Writers' Festival podcasts are available on all major podcast platforms. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and rate our channel.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Booker Prize-winning British author Julian Barnes returns to Sydney Writers’ Festival to introduce his latest novel, Elizabeth Finch. Charting the story of a remarkable teacher through the recollections of a former student, the book has been hailed as a loving tribute to philosophy, a careful evaluation of history and an invitation to think for ourselves. Julian appeared live via video at the 2022 Festival, in conversation with host of ABC Radio National’s The Book Show Claire Nichols, to discuss how questions of love, friendship and biography are woven through the story and his broader body of work, including Flaubert’s Parrot and The Sense of an Ending. Sydney Writers' Festival podcasts are available on all major podcast platforms. If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and subscribe to our channel.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Two beloved figures in Australian media come together to discuss their hopeful and heartfelt new memoirs that excavate the struggles and secrets of their youth. Funkytown charts ABC journalist Paul Kennedy’s path to redemption as a promising young AFL player who lost his way to drinking, brawling and a faulty notion of what it means to be a man. All Mixed Up by ABC 7.30’s Jason Om explores the early trauma of losing his mum, his hard-won acceptance after coming out as gay and the obscured truths of his multiracial family. They appear on stage with interviewer Rick Morton. Sydney Writers' Festival podcasts are available on all major podcast platforms. If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and subscribe to our channel.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.