Conversations

After journalist Julia Baird survived a terrible bout of cancer, she began to think about what sustains us when the world goes dark

John Hockney grew up in an unconventional family of five siblings in post-war Yorkshire. As a child, his brother David drew constantly on any paper he could find. He grew up to become the world's most famous living artist

When Daniel Mendelsohn signed up for a Mediterranean cruise to Ithaca with his aging father, neither of them could have predicted what would happen next

Bill Bailey's passion for twitching began as boy growing up in England's west country (R)

Stories of imagination, poetry and menace while living in captivity, from Kari Gislason and Candice Fox

How a flash of insight about her life saw Liz upend almost everything in it

Sarah Brown always wanted to be a remote area nurse. Then she began a medical revolution (R)

Jan Becker on saving the lives of newborn babies in the 'golden minute' after birth (R)

Psychiatrist Graham Martin learned a lot of new things about medicine when he unexpectedly and painfully became the patient (R)

When working with people experiencing homelessness, Erin Longbottom looks to their strengths to help them find their way to health, and a home (R)

Abolishing iodine deficiency throughout the world was this doctor's mission (R)

Travelling Australia with her husband Slim Dusty brought challenges and rewards

Tanya Bretherton tells the story of the victims whose killings were largely ignored by police, and whose fate haunted the streets of eastern Sydney

When Siobhan McHugh set out to write a history of Australia's Snowy Scheme, she unearthed stories of pugnacious unionists, drowned towns and a love story on a laundry floor (R)

The warm, funny and slightly terrifying Angela Lansbury opens up about her seven-decade long career on stage and screen (R)

After she was trolled online, Ginger Gorman turned to face her attackers, and developed a completely new understanding of why people abuse others online

A donation of land and $10 was all Australian-born Gemma needed to establish The School of St Jude in Tanzania

As Jean negotiated the maze of caring for her ageing parents, she began collecting the information she found useful, as well as asking herself and others deeper questions about aged care

The fairies of Ireland's folk culture were capricious twilight creatures who could bestow favour or grave misfortune (R)

Doctor Karen Hitchcock peers into the culture of modern medicine, from the flu season to female viagra, to dementia and the humble sick day

Jamie Susskind on how digital technologies such as artificial intelligence, blockchain, robotics and virtual reality are transforming our political systems

Extraordinary survivor Sohaila Abdulali was seventeen when she was gang raped and forced to fight for her life (R)

Mark is an experienced consultant psychiatrist who also suffers from Australia's most common mental health condition, anxiety. His direct insight helps him understand how people with anxiety can thrive at work and in life Mark is a consultant psychiatrist with thirty years' experience, a senior university lecturer, and specialist in the mental health of young people. He came to public attention in...

Andrew Darby flew around the world on the trail of a small, unassuming migratory shorebird called the Grey Plover. In the middle of his journey, without warning, he began to fear for his own survival

Biologist David George Haskell on how he discovered the unique songs of trees, and the way they interconnect (R)