Unfolded

Author Jumaana Abdu speaks with Seth and Tony about writing from a place of spirituality, the influences that shaped Two Burials, and what it means to live and write in the face of crisis.   Listeners are advised that this episode of  Unfolded  comes with a language and content warning.    About Jumaana Abdu Jumaana Abdu is the author of  Translations ...

The sun rises in the west.     Two Burials by Jumaana Abdu Read by Zena Abdo.   Synopsis On the last day on Earth, the sun rises in the West, and Luqman must bury the body of his companion, Habil.     A beautiful, folkloric journey, Two Burials, brings a together questions of the spiritual, and political, in a story about connection, and what...

Romy Ash talks about her writing practice, its emotional drivers, and how it flows like the merging of two creeks. We talk about ‘Australiana’, the cultural impact of Twisties, and how to write characters that feel archetypal, without them becoming caricatures.   Listeners are advised that this episode of  Unfolded  comes with a language and content warning.  &...

 A new life awaits at a petrol station.    I bought him these dogs to show him how to love, by Romy Ash Read by George McMillan. Originally published in the Big Issue   Synopsis The service station is a beautiful building from the 1950s, beautiful bones, as they say, with the potential to be anything. But what will it be for Aya and Charlie? A new opportunity, an...

Melanie Cheng talks about how she sees a natural connection between writing, and her career as a doctor. We also go learn about the influences and traditions behind Australian Ghost Story, how we might break the mythology of exaclty what we consider ‘Australian’.     Listeners are advised that this episode of  Unfolded  comes with a lan...

A grieving granddaughter finds a surprising stowaway.   Australian Ghost Story by Melanie Cheng Read by Sonya Chong.   Synopsis Alice brings an unexpected guest back from her grandfather’s funeral, in an experience that makes her question the routine of her day-to-day life, what comes next, and the nature of grief. Originally published in Kill Your Darlings.   Listeners a...

Helena Pantsis takes Seth and Tony through her writing process, talks genre, the surreal moments we all have in childhood, and how first and foremost she views herself as a short story writer.    Listeners are advised that this episode of  Unfolded  comes with a language and content warning.    About Helena Pantsis Helena Pantsis (she/they) is an editor, writer and ar...

A birthday is removed from the calendar.    The Last Birthday  by Helena Pantsis Read by Ellen Pennell.   Synopsis Lucy and Mother couldn’t be closer. She’s a perfect daughter, so when mother throw’s her a perfect 17th birthday party, she couldn’t be more grateful, but what comes next is a different kind...

In the final episode of Unfolded for this season, Claire G. Coleman takes us into the workings of her story, Ancestral Memory / As Slippery as an Eel . We talk about how she finds inspiration in all kinds of mediums (especially music), how writing speculative fiction allows her to speak about the real world, and the importance of Ancient Knowledges and stories being told, without being exploited.&...

A navigator reckons with the gift, and burden, of ancient knowledge.     Ancestral Memory / As Slippery as an Eel  by Claire G. Coleman Read by Chelsea Hawke.   Down in the belly of the ship, a crewmate waits for the test that will determine her role, and how she will pay her way on this ride across the stars. But it's in her dreams and the memories that can't possibly be hers...

We get the dirt on how 'Farrow' came to be with Miriam Webster, and talk about our love of 'sparkly' language despite (or perhaps because of) it's limitations, writing for all the senses, and how Miriam was always going to be a writer, despite her best efforts.    Listeners are advised that this episode of Unfolded  comes with a language and content warning.    About Miria...

A gardener seeks solace in the earth.   Farrow by Miriam Webster Read by Molly Holohan   Synopsis On the day of his Grandmother's death, a gardener digs back through the fertile ground of his memory, seeking something down in the roots of his family tree. He finds comfort amongst fecund, and a connection to the earth few of us will ever understand. Farrow  delivers a sensory experie...

Join us as we speak with Paige Clark about what made her story possible. From inspirations and influences, to writing the specific and the hyperlocal. 'It's Possible' is a story about the big issues, and menace playing out in the minor moments.    About Paige Clark Paige Clark is a Chinese/American/Australian writer and teacher. Her first book of fiction, She Is Haunted , was shortlisted...

A young mother wrestles with the unknown.   It's Possible  by Paige Clark read by Gabrielle Ng   Synopsis On an unseasonably beautiful day, a trip to the park paints a picture of potential. From a moment on the monkey bars, to a dog without a lead, there is what  is , and what could be. There is what is safe, and what's known, and then, there's something else ... It's Possible&...

Hear from Frankey Chung-Kok-Lun how to make a story about a table, and so much more. Frankey takes inside his practice of writing non-human voices, the relationship between the objects in our lives and how we understand climate change, and why writing, or simply existing, might be an act of resistance.    About Frankey Chung-Kok-Lun Frankey Chung-Kok-Lun is a Chinese-Mauritian-Australian...

A table speaks.   How to make a table a table from memory by Frankey Chung-Kok-Lun read by Alfie Baker   Synopsis What might your kitchen table say to you? What about the phone in your hand? Or the shoes on your feet?  How might the things in our lives look back on where they came from, or where they're going?  How to make a table from memory tells us a powerful, non-human stor...

Come visit the  Territory  with Laura Jean McKay. Hear how a visit to community on Australia's fringes and a real – stranger than fiction – experience inspired this story, how giving voice to the voiceless has become part of Laura's practice, and why the voice we gave her story caught her off guard.    Listeners are advised that this episode of  Unfolded ...

A pig hunt doubles as a first date.    Territory  by Laura Jean McKay read by Ben de Pagter   Synopsis Territory takes listeners inside an Australia that few of us ever get to see: from the dried creek beds of the Northern Territory, to a Sunday afternoon at the pub unlike any other. It's a visceral story, that captures a sense of heat, violence, and tension of a place, that ma...

Chris Flynn takes us inside the world of Kitsune,  discussing the scattered moments that gave life to the story, his literary inspirations, why he's sceptical of the term 'speculative fiction', and how it's best to write short stories like mini-novels.    Listeners are advised that this episode of  Unfolded  comes with a language and content warning.    About Chr...

A fox bite changes a life.   Kitsune  by Chris Flynn. Read by Harry McGee.   Synopsis Plans change for Christmas morning when a bite from a fox sends a man to the emergency room, but a rabies shot is only the beginning. Soon, strange dreams of nine-tailed foxes, a sensory overload, and a sex drive he can't contain push him to the brink of his reality. Kitsune is a story of vulpine v...