Auscast Literature Channel

Senior Leader at XUNO Suite (xuno.com.au) and driving force behind the Student Maps platform, Anthony Sacker , joins Around the School Table (xuno.com.au/podcasts) to unpack how DIBELS can move from raw scores to real classroom action. In this interview, we explore how smart visualisations and simple workflows help teachers identify risk early and respond with confidence. From pronunciation myths...

Megastar Jim Cummings joins This is My Voice podcast. Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Darkwing Duck, Pete from a Goofy Movie, singing voice of Scar, you name it he's done it! He is one of the best voice actors in the world. He's the voice of your childhood and if you've ever watched a cartoon chances are you would have heard the many voice talents of Jim Cummings! Check out Jim at a Supanova near you. Th...

This week we're stepping away from our books and onto the internet (oh no) as Amy, Justina & Abby chat to life writing expert Dr. Emma Maguire about online girlhood cultures and digital life writing. Join us as we discuss self representation online, 'authenticity' on social media, the commodification of the self and 'content' creation, the voices of women in a space labelled for 'girls', and t...

Miriam Webster makes her literary debut with a sharp, funny and often dark collection of short stories about love, loss and very modern dilemmas. With an eye for what isn’t said and that which is said by accident, the collection is named for the Freudian slip. + New publishers on the block, Margot Lloyd and Emily Hart, are publishing exciting debut authors, re-releasing irresistible classics...

Rebecca Woolnough, Area Manager, Oceania at SMART Technologies ( http://smarttech.com/en-au) joins  Around the School Table ( https://xuno.com.au/podcast) to unpack how right-fit edtech lifts learning, not workload. From “divisolation” to Universal Design for Learning, her lens is practical and hopeful. Crucially, she argues for outcomes before hardware. Consequently, schools avoi...

This week life writing month takes an experimental turn as Amy, Payton & Justina chat to Olivia De Zilva about her debut genre-defying book Plastic Budgie , out now with Pink Shorts Press. Join us as we dive into the messy intersections of memory, nostalgia, fact and fiction, and we wax poetic about the unapologetically cringey kitsch of Adelaide and our love of novelty processed meats. Our Bo...

CEO and Founder Anna Vermooten joins  Around the School Table (xuno.com.au/podcasts) to share how Parents Battle of the Bands (parentsbattleofthebands.com) grew from a St Kilda idea into a movement. This audio-only conversation captures the energy of community music. It also reveals how parent bands can strengthen connections between families and schools. From the first rehearsal room jokes t...

This month we're talking about life writing.... including what on earth that means. Amy & series regulars Justina, Payton, and Millie may not be experts, but it turns out they've consumed a lot more of the genre than they thought. Join them as they talk about the myriad types of life writing, how scary it is to write about yourself, and why the patriarchy is at it again. Our Book of the Month...

In this episode of Around the School Table  (xuno.com.au/podcast), host Steve Davis welcomes Danni Mattiazzo , assistant principal at Larrakeyah Primary School (larrakeyahprimary.com.au) in Darwin. Recently recognised with the Australian Education Award for Best Use of Technology , Danni Mattiazzo shares how her leadership has guided the development of IntelliLearn, a locally built platform t...

In this episode of Around the School Table ( xuno.com.au/podcasts ), host Steve Davis is joined by Ryan Ma , assistant principal of Saltwater P–9 College , one of Australia’s fastest-growing schools. Since opening its gates in 2019 with 490 students, Saltwater has expanded to more than 2,200 learners in just six years. With families representing over 29 nationalities and 81 languages,...

This week on Amy & we're thrilled to be interviewing romance author and academic, Jodi McAlister, about her career and latest romance novel,  An Academic Affair !! Join us as we ask Jodi all about writing romance fiction as an academic from her latest research on bonkbusters and erotic audio, to creating a believable rivals to lovers plot against the backdrop of a 'brutal neoliberal insti...

In this episode of Around the School Table   ( https://xuno.com.au/podcasts/ ), host Steve Davis is joined by Darcy Nolan , lower secondary subschool leader at Sunbury and Macedon Ranges Specialist School ’s Bullengerook campus ( https://wordpress.smrss.vic.edu.au/ ). The school is the setting for the acclaimed ABC documentary This is Going to Be Big, ( https://iview.abc.net.au/show/thi...

Since shooting to fame with “The Rosie Project”, Graeme Simsion has formed a successful writing partnership with his psychiatrist wife, Anne Buist. Here they share with Annie why the mental health system provides such fertile ground for their creativity, the change they hope to see in that world…and the nuts and bolts of working together. + Can a murder mystery warm your heart?...

Welcome back to Academia Month! This week, we talk through two fascinating academic articles, 'The Australian Convict Prostitute Romance', and 'Conflict and Colonialism in 21st Century Romantic Historical Fiction: Repairing the Past, Repurposing History' by one of our podcast favourites, Professor Hsu-Ming Teo, with a shoutout to Dr Paloma Fresno-Calleja too! Prepare for a raucous discussion, a my...

In this episode of Around the School Table , host Steve Davis is joined by Jason Mustin , assistant principal at Good Shepherd Lutheran College in Palmerston, Northern Territory. Drawing from 17 years in education and an early career in medical science, Jason Mustin brings a unique blend of analytical insight and heartfelt leadership to the table. From navigating national education policy through...

Welcome to Academia Month, where the vibes are casual but the thoughts are deep 🧠. In this episode, Amy is joined by Justina, Millie, and special return guestie Kathleen Stanley to talk all things academia. Tune in to hear all about their TEXT special issue, how being an academic is both scary and fun, and why you don't have to justify being a romance researcher anymore! Our Book of the Month is...

In this episode of Around the School Table , Ben Sacco offers a fresh perspective on classroom behaviour. Drawing from his book ‘ Disruption in Schools: Understand me before you mark me! ’ , he challenges traditional approaches to student discipline and reframes disruption as a signal, not simply a setback. With a decade of experience in education, policy, and innovation, he blends res...

Not ready to say goodbye to Western month yet? Good! Neither are we! It's the last week of our cast takeover and we’re lucky enough to have a cheeky fifth Thursday – which means it's time for Amy & After Dark! These are the late-night episodes where we get cosy and yap about all the things that don't fit into our regular podcast schedule. At the behest of Amy, our holidaying host,...

Cameron Peverett may have stumbled into special education, but his leadership journey has been anything but accidental. In this episode of Around the School Table , host Steve Davis is joined by Cameron Peverett , principal at Lake Colac School and current president of the Principal Association of Specialist Schools (PASS) . From humble beginnings and unexpected opportunities to pioneering best-pr...

Our amazing host is off galavanting in the mountains and in her absence we read Amy Barry's latest release,  Seven Brides for Beau Mcbride . ⋆˖°.𖤓𓄀🂾𐚁𓃗.°˖⋆ Beau Mcbride might just be Amy Barry's most swoon-worthy cowboy yet — and we are  so  ready to catch the next train to Montana. Join us as we discuss why we (genuinely) love these books, and just how easily the Mcbri...

In this episode, Kristy Miller and Suzanne Litchfield share their journey founding Turrun Primary School on a greenfield site. In this episode of Around the School Table , host Steve Davis explores how they built a school identity rooted in local Indigenous language and meaning. From day one, Principal Kristy Miller and Assistant Principal Suzanne Litchfield focused on core values—respect, c...

SPOILER ALERT! Cast takeover month continues as Abby, Harry, and Payton interrogate— I mean interview bestselling author Amy Barry about her latest release and our July book club pick, Seven Brides for Beau McBride! Learn what Harry REALLY thinks about this book, why Abby fantasises about getting stuck on fences, and whether or not Payton is a brown-noser, this week on Amy &. Mentions: T...

In this episode of Around the School Table , host Steve Davis speaks with Kendall Lange and Wendy Tregenza from North Mandurah Primary School in Western Australia. Kendall Lange, the principal, and Wendy Tregenza, leader of the school’s Specialised Learning Programs for Autism (SLP-A), share real-world strategies for supporting autistic students and fostering inclusive school communities. Ke...

Brian Castro's “The Chinese Postman” is a meditation on old age with a central character whose life mirrors his own. The story strays into fiction when the protagonist, Abe Quin, begins a correspondence with a woman seeking refuge from the war in Ukraine. This acclaimed work of autofiction is short-listed for this year’s Miles Franklin Award. + In Bronwyn Rivers’ menacing t...

Put on your cowboy boots and grab a partner for the square dance, because we ain't finished talkin' cowboys just yet! ⋆˖°.𖤓𓄀🂾𐚁𓃗.°˖⋆ In this episode we are joined by writer, social media manager, cowboy enthusiast and boot scootin' professional, Bee Saint James, as well as academic and Christmas romance (occasionally on a ranch) expert Kathleen Stanley, to talk all things contemporary cowbo...