Anonymous Was A Woman Podcast

Jamila Rizvi  and  Astrid Edwards embrace the happier side of life this week and consider the idea of comfort. Chapter 1: Jamila and Astrid reflect on what gives them comfort in 2020 (it involves books, of course). Chapter 2: Jamila makes the case for reading The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down: How to Be Calm and Mindful in a Fast-Paced World by Haemin Sunim. Chapter 3: Astri...

Tara June Winch joins Jamila Rizvi  and  Astrid Edwards from her lockdown in France to discuss creativity and solitude. Tara was awarded the Miles Franklin Literary Award in 2020 for The Yield , and the novel was also shortlisted for The Stella Prize. In this interview, Tara reflects on the recent novel, The White Girl , written by her mentor Tony Birch (who was also shortlisted for the...

Jamila Rizvi  and  Astrid Edwards are back with Season 2 of Anonymous Was A Woman . Chapter 1: First up, Jamila and Astrid consider the idea of solitude and creativity in 2020. Chapter 2: Jamila and Astrid take a look back at Virginia’s Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own (a quote from which serves as the name of the podcast). How does the work stack up in 2020, and what else c...

In the lead up to Season 2, Jamila Rizvi and Astrid Edwards are inviting women of colour to recommend to you their favourite reads. Carly Findlay , author of the memoir Say Hello and editor of the forthcoming anthology Growing Up Disabled in Australia , recommends The Confessions of Frannie Langton by Sara Collins and Nightingale Point by Luan Goldie. Let us know what you think and what you are re...

In the lead up to Season 2, Jamila Rizvi and Astrid Edwards are inviting women of colour to recommend to you their favourite reads. Zoya Patel , author of No Country Woman , recommends  Too Much and Not the Mood: Essays by Durga Chew-Bose. The title of this collection of essays is of course a quote from Virginia Woolf, as is the title of our podcast. Zoya also gives a shout out to the work of...

In the lead up to Season 2, Jamila Rizvi and Astrid Edwards are inviting women of colour to recommend to you their favourite reads. Alice Pung recommends you dive into the works of Melissa Lucashenko. Alice suggests starting with Melissa Lucashenko's 2014 award-winning essay 'Sinking Below Sight: Down and out in Brisbane and Logan', and then move on to Too Much Lip , her novel which received...

In the lead up to Season 2, Jamila Rizvi and Astrid Edwards are back with a special episode featuring Jan Fran , Leah Purcell and Jessie Tu . Introduction: Why a special episode? Chapter 1: Jamila and Astrid talk accountability and reading audits. Chapter 2: Jan Fran reflects on her experience of the 2005 Cronulla Riots in Western Sydney, introduces her forthcoming book, and recommends Talkin' Up...

In our final bonus episode, Jamila Rizvi and Astrid Edwards consider the female characters from literature they would want to befriend at the end of the world. And yes, they have very different understandings of what the end of the world might look like. This bonus episode follows on from Episode 8: Triumph. CHAT WITH US Join our discussion using hashtag  #AnonymousWasAWomanPod   and don...

Jamila Rizvi  and  Astrid Edwards are joined by Min Jin Lee to discuss triumph in literature. The hero’s journey has shaped fiction since before we called it that. Is the heroine's journey different? Chapter 1: Min Jin Lee joins Jamila and Astrid from New York to discuss her novel Pachinko and explore the different ways her female characters experience success and triumph.  Ch...

In our seventh bonus episode, Jamila Rizvi and Astrid Edwards reveal the children’s books they most adored when younger, as well as those they are now deeply embarrassed by. And yes, kids books have gotten so much better. This bonus episode follows on from Episode 7: Innocence. CHAT WITH US Join our discussion using hashtag  #AnonymousWasAWomanPod   and don't forget to follow Jamil...

Jamila Rizvi  and  Astrid Edwards discuss childhood, innocence and growing up.  Introduction: Innocence and the importance of remembering childhood. Chapter 1: We buy books for kids to expand their minds and their worlds. But does literature for and about children have something to offer adults as well? Laura Harris, Publishing Director at Penguin Random House Australia, joins Jamil...

In our sixth bonus episode, Jamila Rizvi and Astrid Edwards consider who the loneliest character in literature may be. This bonus episode follows on from Episode 6: Loneliness. CHAT WITH US Join our discussion using hashtag  #AnonymousWasAWomanPod   and don't forget to follow Jamila (on  Instagram  and  Twitter ) and Astrid (also on  Instagram  and  Twitter...

Writer and comedian Rosie Waterland joins  Jamila Rizvi  and  Astrid Edwards to discuss loneliness.  Introduction: Loneliness in 2020. Chapter 1: What is the difference between being alone and loneliness? Is there a difference for introverts and extroverts?  Chapter 2: Rosie Waterland discusses loneliness, loss and social isolation, and reflects on the process of writing T...

In our fifth bonus episode, Jamila Rizvi and Astrid Edwards reveal what their boggart would be. And if you aren't a Harry Potter fan, a boggart is a shape-shifting creature that takes on the form of its observer's worst fear... This bonus episode follows on from Episode 5: Fear. CHAT WITH US Join our discussion using hashtag  #AnonymousWasAWomanPod   and don't forget to follow Jamila (on...

Author  Rebekah Robertson  joins  Jamila Rizvi  and  Astrid Edwards  to discuss fear in life and literature.  Introduction:  Why do we  choose  to be afraid when we read? And what does that mean for an author who writes their own experience of fear, or of others being somehow afraid of them? Chapter 1:  Rebekah Robertson discusses  About...

In our fourth bonus episode, Jamila Rizvi and Astrid Edwards project forwards thirty years and consider the books being published today that might evoke nostalgia in our future. This bonus episode follows on from Episode 4: Nostalgia. CHAT WITH US Join our discussion using hashtag  #AnonymousWasAWomanPod   and don't forget to follow Jamila (on  Instagram  and  Twitter ) an...

Melina Marchetta  joins  Jamila Rizvi  and  Astrid Edwards to discuss nostalgia and the act of returning to one's favourite books.  Introduction: How do authors transport us back in time, sometimes to a place we’ve never been?  Chapter 1: Melina Marchetta considers her own works and the reactions readers have to them, as well as the pull of fiction for lovers of...

In our third bonus episode, Jamila Rizvi and Astrid Edwards name the characters who forced them to consider the world from another viewpoint, as well as the ones whose experience made them feel seen. Again, this is a little embarrassing for both of them. This bonus episode follows on from Episode 3: Solidarity. CHAT WITH US Join our discussion using hashtag  #AnonymousWasAWomanPod   and...

National treasure and writer  Benjamin Law  joins  Jamila Rizvi  and  Astrid Edwards  to discuss solidarity in literature and non-fiction.  Introduction:  Reading allows us to experience the world from another point of view. It is the ultimate act of empathy. But what about writing? Chapter 1:  Benjamin Law joins Jamila and Astrid to consider the nuance...

In our second bonus episode, Jamila Rizvi and Astrid Edwards reveal their favourite (and least favourite) relationships on the page. Some of them are a little embarrassing. This bonus episode follows on from Episode 2: Lust. CHAT WITH US Join our discussion using hashtag  #AnonymousWasAWomanPod   and don't forget to follow Jamila (on  Instagram  and  Twitter ) and Astrid (...

The fiercely intelligent Australian author Ceridwen Dovey joins Jamila Rizvi and Astrid Edwards to discuss lust in literature and non-fiction.  Introduction: How lust is depicted in literature, and how it needs to change. Why are we, as readers, drawn to stories of lust over love? Chapter 1: Power imbalances within a couple can fuel lust and often are the driver of romantic liaisons in litera...

In our first bonus episode, Jamila Rizvi and Astrid Edwards chat about the times they enjoy being anxious when reading, and how they feel about some famous cliffhangers in literature. This bonus episode follows on from Episode 1: Anxiety. CHAT WITH US Join our discussion using hashtag  #AnonymousWasAWomanPod   and don't forget to follow Jamila (on  Instagram  and  Twitter...

Widely awarded and acclaimed author  Chloe Hooper joins Jamila Rizvi and Astrid Edwards to discuss anxiety and books in times of crisis.  Introduction: Anxiety and reading in a time of crisis. Chapter 1: Chloe Hooper on bushfires, pandemics and whether it will be fact or fiction that saves us. Chapter 2: Exploring non-fiction works about climate and the balance between optimism and...

Anonymous Was A Woman  with  Jamila Rizvi  and  Astrid Edwards  is a conversation on books by, and about, women. Join our discussion using hashtag #AnonymousWasAWomanPod , and don't forget to follow Jamila (on Instagram and Twitter ) and Astrid (also on Instagram and Twitter ). This podcast is brought to you by Future Women and Penguin Random House Australia . The podcast...