Sydney Writers' Festival

Regarded as one the great Sri Lankan novelists, Shehan Karunatilaka won the 2022 Booker Prize for his epic, searing and darkly funny satire The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida. Narrated by the ghost of a gay atheist photojournalist, it follows a week in the afterlife in which he reckons with his sexual escapades, a gambling habit, and the state-sponsored death squads he sought to expose. Shehan speaks with Michael Williams about a novel that breaks with conventional modes of storytelling to illuminate the humanity and horrors of wartime Sri Lanka. Supported by ARA. This episode was recorded live at the 2023 Sydney Writers’ Festival.   If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and follow our channel.  Sydney Writers’ Festival podcasts are available on all major podcast platforms.  After more? Follow Sydney Writers’ Festival on social media:Instagram: @sydwritersfestFacebook: @SydWritersFestTwitter: @SydWritersFestTikTok: @sydwritersfestSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jane Harper has been hailed “the queen of outback noir” (The Sunday Times) for a string of crime novels that have sold more than 3 million copies in 40 territories worldwide. Her latest book, Exiles, brings back federal policeman Aaron Falk, who was first introduced in The Dry. He investigates the disappearance of a woman from a country wine festival whose infant daughter is found unharmed in her pram. Listen to Jane in conversation with Michaela Kalowski about the thrilling and final instalment of the much-loved Falk series. This episode was recorded live at the 2023 Sydney Writers’ Festival.  If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and follow our channel. Sydney Writers’ Festival podcasts are available on all major podcast platforms. After more? Follow Sydney Writers’ Festival on social media:Instagram: @sydwritersfestFacebook: @SydWritersFestTwitter: @SydWritersFestTikTok: @sydwritersfestSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Two-time world debating champion Bo Seo and former High Court justice Michael Kirby examine how we might better listen to and disagree with each other in an era of increasingly harsh and divisive discourse. They discuss Bo’s new book, Good Arguments, part memoir of how he discovered the art of debating as a shy, conflict-adverse child, and part treatise on why the pillars of good debate – fact finding, reason and persuasion – offer an antidote to political spin, fake news and social media slugfests. Supported by the Jibb Foundation. This episode was recorded live at the 2023 Sydney Writers’ Festival.   If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and follow our channel.  Sydney Writers’ Festival podcasts are available on all major podcast platforms.  After more? Follow Sydney Writers’ Festival on social media:Instagram: @sydwritersfestFacebook: @SydWritersFestTwitter: @SydWritersFestTikTok: @sydwritersfestSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How is fiction evolving with our times? Is the novel a vulnerable art or more vital than ever? Could AI one day pen a masterpiece or do our storytellers guard an inimitable craft? Join some of the leading names in literature today – Eleanor Catton, Richard Flanagan, Tracey Lien and Colson Whitehead – for a lively discussion about the state of the novel and the future of fiction. They are joined in conversation by ABC RN’s The Bookshelf’s Kate Evans. This episode was recorded live at the 2023 Sydney Writers’ Festival.   If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and follow our channel.  Sydney Writers’ Festival podcasts are available on all major podcast platforms.  After more? Follow Sydney Writers’ Festival on social media:Instagram: @sydwritersfestFacebook: @SydWritersFestTwitter: @SydWritersFestTikTok: @sydwritersfestSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We are fascinated by stories of crime and how they unfold. There are no finer narrators of such stories than legendary author Helen Garner and The Teacher’s Pet podcaster Hedley Thomas, whose work explores the link between confronting terrible things that happen and the people who are involved. They sit down with Sarah Krasnostein to explore the compelling nature of crime and the pressing question of what happens when justice takes a lifetime – or if it never comes at all? This episode was recorded live at the 2023 Sydney Writers’ Festival.   If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and follow our channel.  Sydney Writers’ Festival podcasts are available on all major podcast platforms.  After more? Follow Sydney Writers’ Festival on social media:Instagram: @sydwritersfestFacebook: @SydWritersFestTwitter: @SydWritersFestTikTok: @sydwritersfestSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With effects rippling into the present, the Sri Lankan Civil War, lasting more than 25 years from the early 1980s until 2009, has found an important place in our current cultural canon. Join lawyer and novelist of Song of the Sun God and Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens, Shankari Chandran, author of Booker Prize–winning The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida, Shehan Karunatilaka, and Anandavalli as they discuss the island nation’s turbulent recent history and its influence in their storytelling. In conversation with prize-winning author Roanna Gonsalves. Supported by UNSW Sydney. This episode was recorded live at the 2023 Sydney Writers’ Festival.   If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and follow our channel.  Sydney Writers’ Festival podcasts are available on all major podcast platforms.  After more? Follow Sydney Writers’ Festival on social media:Instagram: @sydwritersfestFacebook: @SydWritersFestTwitter: @SydWritersFestTikTok: @sydwritersfestSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Culinary icons Stephanie Alexander AO and Maggie Beer have inspired generations of home cooks and fundamentally transformed how we think about food. They reflect on their decades-long friendship, and their partnership in running a cooking school for Australians in a medieval villa in Italy. They also talk about their influential books on preparing, cooking and savouring delicious food, including their co-authored Tuscan Cookbook, which was recently optioned to be made into a feature film. They are joined on stage by cook, writer and presenter Adam Liaw. This episode was recorded live at the 2023 Sydney Writers’ Festival.   If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and follow our channel.  Sydney Writers’ Festival podcasts are available on all major podcast platforms.  After more? Follow Sydney Writers’ Festival on social media:Instagram: @sydwritersfestFacebook: @SydWritersFestTwitter: @SydWritersFestTikTok: @sydwritersfestSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In a special series of events, Your Favourites’ Favourites sees one of our most beloved writers speak with a breakout Australian author from the past year. Join popular writer and broadcaster Benjamin Law as he chats with Tracey Lien, a southwestern Sydney–raised, Brooklyn-based reporter and debut novelist of All That’s Left Unsaid. Set in 1990s Cabramatta, the story is an internationally bestselling murder mystery that explores the effects of migration and inherited trauma while pulling apart the intricate bonds of friendship, family and culture. This episode was recorded live at the 2023 Sydney Writers’ Festival.   If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and follow our channel.  Sydney Writers’ Festival podcasts are available on all major podcast platforms.  After more? Follow Sydney Writers’ Festival on social media:Instagram: @sydwritersfestFacebook: @SydWritersFestTwitter: @SydWritersFestTikTok: @sydwritersfestSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Australian novelist Pip Williams drew wide acclaim for her bestselling debut, The Dictionary of Lost Words, “a marvellous fiction about the power of language to elevate or repress” (Geraldine Brooks). Her new novel, The Bookbinder of Jericho, covers similar terrain, with the story of a young British woman working in a book bindery who gets a chance to pursue knowledge and love when the first world war upends her life. Pip discusses her latest work with Cassie McCullagh. This episode was recorded live at the 2023 Sydney Writers’ Festival.   If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and follow our channel.  Sydney Writers’ Festival podcasts are available on all major podcast platforms.  After more? Follow Sydney Writers’ Festival on social media:Instagram: @sydwritersfestFacebook: @SydWritersFestTwitter: @SydWritersFestTikTok: @sydwritersfestSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Celebrated actor Sam Neill shares stories from his memoir Did I Ever Tell You This, a wild and witty account of a career in film and TV spanning half a century. From his early days in amateur Shakespeare productions in New Zealand to leading roles in movies such as My Brilliant Career, Jurassic Park and The Piano, Sam brings insight and humour to his trials and triumphs, on and off screen. He is joined in conversation by fellow actor and author, Bryan Brown. This episode was recorded live at the 2023 Sydney Writers’ Festival.   If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and follow our channel.  Sydney Writers’ Festival podcasts are available on all major podcast platforms.  After more? Follow Sydney Writers’ Festival on social mediaInstagram: @sydwritersfestFacebook: @SydWritersFestTwitter: @SydWritersFestTikTok: @sydwritersfestSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Four favourite writers come together to give the lowdown on having their works adapted into TV shows and movies and adapting the work of others. Hear from Eleanor Catton, whose novels The Rehearsal and The Luminaries have made their way to the screen; Holly Ringland, whose bestseller The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart is being turned into a series starring Sigourney Weaver; and Tom Rob Smith, whose novel Child 44 became a movie with Tom Hardy and whose adaptations for the screen The Assassination of Gianni Versace have won him an Emmy and a Golden Globe. They chat with Benjamin Law. This episode was recorded live at the 2023 Sydney Writers’ Festival.   If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and follow our channel.  Sydney Writers’ Festival podcasts are available on all major podcast platforms.  After more? Follow Sydney Writers’ Festival on social mediaInstagram: @sydwritersfestFacebook: @SydWritersFestTwitter: @SydWritersFestTikTok: @sydwritersfestSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Asma Khan, the Indian-British chef, restaurateur and star of Netflix’s Chef’s Table, shares culinary memories and treasured recipes from her book Ammu. Well-known for her all-female kitchen team and her commitment to social change, Asma speaks with Annabel Crabb about a cook book that is a joyful celebration of heritage, of slow-cooked dishes passed through generations, and of the inextricable link between food and love.  This episode was recorded live at the 2023 Sydney Writers’ Festival.   If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and follow our channel.  Sydney Writers’ Festival podcasts are available on all major podcast platforms.  After more? Follow Sydney Writers’ Festival on social mediaInstagram: @sydwritersfestFacebook: @SydWritersFestTwitter: @SydWritersFestTikTok: @sydwritersfestSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Whether in his magical realist tale of climate crisis The Living Sea of Waking Dreams or Booker Prize–winning window into the cruelty of war, The Narror Road to the Deep North, Australian novelist Richard Flanagan has used fiction to explore some of the great topics of our time. In his engrossing Closing Night Address, Richard speaks to the vital importance of telling our own stories to the shape the future.  This episode was recorded live at the 2023 Sydney Writers’ Festival.   If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and follow our channel.  Sydney Writers’ Festival podcasts are available on all major podcast platforms.  After more? Follow Sydney Writers’ Festival on social mediaInstagram: @sydwritersfestFacebook: @SydWritersFestTwitter: @SydWritersFestTikTok: @sydwritersfestSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former prime minister Julia Gillard deep dives into her new book with Indira Naidoo. Not Now, Not Ever celebrates 10 years since Julia clapped back at misogyny with a speech in Parliament that continues to echo through the years. What inspired her words? What progress has been made since then? And what does future look like for the next generation of female leaders?  This episode was recorded live at the 2023 Sydney Writers’ Festival.   If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and follow our channel.  Sydney Writers’ Festival podcasts are available on all major podcast platforms.  After more? Follow Sydney Writers’ Festival on social mediaInstagram: @sydwritersfestFacebook: @SydWritersFestTwitter: @SydWritersFestTikTok: @sydwritersfestSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From Pulitzer Prize–winning author and journalist Geraldine Brooks, Horse is a historical saga of spirit, obsession and injustice. With the moral complexity of her novel March and a multi-stranded plot reminiscent of People of the Book, she explores the true tale of one of America’s greatest racehorses while reckoning with the corrosive legacy of slavery and racism. Geraldine Brooks spoke with Nicole Abadee about her latest work at the 2023 Sydney Writers’ Festival.  This episode was recorded live at the 2023 Sydney Writers’ Festival.   If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and follow our channel.  Sydney Writers’ Festival podcasts are available on all major podcast platforms.  After more? Follow Sydney Writers’ Festival on social mediaInstagram: @sydwritersfestFacebook: @SydWritersFestTwitter: @SydWritersFestTikTok: @sydwritersfestSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With the campaign for a First Nations Voice to Parliament in full swing, leading First Nations thinkers Stan Grant and Teela Reid ask whether we are entering a new era for Australian democracy. Are we ready to speak and hear the truth about history as we move into the future? Two storytellers with different experiences and perspectives spoke about what it means to be a First Nations person in a country that is yet to reconcile historical wrongs.  This episode was recorded live at the 2023 Sydney Writers’ Festival.   If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and follow our channel.  Sydney Writers’ Festival podcasts are available on all major podcast platforms.  After more? Follow Sydney Writers’ Festival on social mediaInstagram: @sydwritersfestFacebook: @SydWritersFestTwitter: @SydWritersFestTikTok: @sydwritersfestSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What will a Voice to Parliament actually mean? Indigenous leader Thomas Mayo and legendary journalist Kerry O'Brien have worked together to write an accessible and engaging guide to this important question. Whether you want to understand more about the Voice in the lead-up to the referendum, or would like some clear answers to share in conversation with loved ones, their discussion with host Jennifer Robinson is an inspiring sneak peek into what our shared future can be. This episode was recorded live at the 2023 Sydney Writers’ Festival. If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and follow our channel. Sydney Writers’ Festival podcasts are available on all major podcast platforms. After more? Follow Sydney Writers’ Festival on social media: Instagram: @sydwritersfestFacebook: @SydWritersFestTwitter: @SydWritersFestTikTok: @sydwritersfestSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"…it’s also a question of thinking about what lies ahead and what is the history behind it." Ann Mossop, Artistic Director of Sydney Writers' Festival Join Annabel Crabb and Artistic Director Ann Mossop as they discuss the 2023 Sydney Writers’ Festival program. The pair talk about the 2023 Festival theme, Stories For The Future, and its underlying call to action to think about how we understand the past, how we live in the present and how our words, our imaginations and our actions shape the future. Thank you to 2SER for facilitating the recording of this podcast. The 2023 Sydney Writers' Festival is now on sale. Head to our website to explore the program and book your tickets: https://www.swf.org.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Join acclaimed Australian authors Jennifer Down and Hannah Kent as they discuss their immersive and lyrical novels that find beauty and hope amid tragedy. Praised as “mesmerising, brutal and unforgettable” (Sydney Morning Herald), Jennifer’s Bodies of Light traces a woman’s quest to forge a meaningful life after overcoming cycles of abuse and trauma. Hannah’s Devotion is a historical queer love story that journeys from Prussia to the South Australian frontier, exploring love, longing and the pain that arises from division. They appear 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.

If creativity and building a cultural and intellectual contribution are difficult undertakings, does doing it in collaboration with another person make it easier or harder? Whether making a podcast, writing a book or building a following are two heads better than one? With their acclaimed podcast, Ladies, We Need to Talk Yumi Stynes and Claudine Ryan tackle taboos and topics that women want to explore but are too afraid to share. Taking their partnership to the next level, the two released a book that dove deeper into the forbidden conversations of bodies, health, sex and relationships. Join Yumi and Claudine as they compare notes on the highs and lows, the advantages and disadvantages of working with one another. This panel will be moderated by interviewer and curator, Michaela Kalowski. 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.