From the Lighthouse

This week, From the Lighthouse is hosted by the English Department's International Masters students— Oluwanifemi Temitayo Maxwell, Cornelia Li and Jonathan Chang. Travelling to Macquarie from all over the globe, the Masters students discuss everything from what it's like to live and study far from home to the challenges and rewards of negotiating flatmates who think you eat banana skins.

The students have taken over! Welcome to a special episode featuring issue #15 of The Quarry ‘Zoographia.’ Join the editorial team, Aylish, Jodie, Claire and Emily and their guests, Thomas and Matt, as they chat all things writing, reading and whether Nineteen Eighty-Four is a hazard to your health.   Read all their stories on The Quarry website – out November 8th!

Diana Plater, professional travel writer, journalist, and now novelist, discusses her first novel, Whale Rock, a sensuous exploration of mothering and loss and what it means to be a middle-aged woman in multi-cultural Sydney.   Credit for the pic of Diana: Sylvia Karschies. Whale Rock by Diana Plater is available at: https://themoshshop.com.au/collections/new-releases/products/whale-rock-by-diana-...

It's time to get spoooooky. This month, Stephanie and Kirstin discuss the Gothic charms, sassy witches and excellent cats of the Netflix series The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.

Join Jimmy Van and Michelle Hamadache as they discuss all things Titus Andronicus. Listen in to hear what they thought of the Bell Theatre Company's Sydney production of the play (not much!), and you'll also get to hear some insights into Shakespeare's original vision for what is a very bloody play. Warning: Both original play and the Bell production are rife with graphic scenes of sexual violence...

We love Fleabag. No, we really love Fleabag. This week, Stephanie and Jimmy discuss their love of Phoebe Waller-Bridge's brilliant, smart, surprising, dirty comedy. 

2019 marks 300 years since the publication of Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe. This week, Stephanie is joined by Geoff to discuss the strange life, and perhaps even stranger works, of Daniel Defoe.

Stephanie and Jimmy meet up yet again to discuss all their various true crime obsessions. They can't stop watching, reading, and listening to true crime! It's a bit worrisome.

This week, Stephanie talks to Sara-Mae Tuson about her upcoming podcast series, Heyer Today, which will begin airing in December. They talk about the ongoing appeal of Heyer, the delights of rereading, and what happens when Stephen Fry accidentally sends you an email meant for his assistant. Crowdfunding site:  https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/fable-gazers-podcast-company-season-2-fundraiser#/up...

The romantic poet John Keats wrote most of his most famous poetry in the year 1819: 200 years ago this year. This week, Stephanie is joined by Dr Geoffrey Payne for an expansive discussion about Keats's life, death, poetry, and why 1819 was such an extraordinarily prolific year for him.

Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile is the extremely long title of a recent Netflix movie about Ted Bundy, starring Zac Efron as one of America's most notorious serial killers. This week, Jimmy and Stephanie chat about whether the film lives up to its promise. Spoiler: it doesn't. 

Everybody is talking about the Game of Thrones finale. So, we decided to as well. Jimmy and Louise join Stephanie to discuss the final series of the worldwide phenomenon but fair warning: ranting awaits.

Guinevere has always been one of the most popular, and the most contested, characters of the Arthurian legends. This week, Stephanie is joined by Ellie Crookes to talk about the place of Guinevere in Arthurian literature, and why the nineteenth century loved to represent her as a nun.

How are Indigenous people represented in Australian children's literature? Xu Daozhi joins Stephanie to discuss her book Indigenous Cultural Capital: Postcolonial Narratives in Australian Children's Literature, which explores this very subject.

We love true crime. We consume lots of true crime. This week, Jimmy and Steph discuss some recent true crime books, podcasts, and documentaries, and ponder exactly what was happening in the 1970s. #FreeAdnan.

Lee Kofman's Imperfect explores the way our bodies shape the people we are. This week, Stephanie talks to Lee about imperfect bodies, gender, the cultural history of scars, and why we never talk about our bodies. Visit Lee's website at  https://leekofman.com.au/  

Mary Queen of Scots seems to be having a moment, with new films and plays about the Scottish queen's relationship with her cousin, Elizabeth I, recently released. This week, Michelle and Jimmy chat to Steph about one of her favourite subjects: the enduring appeal of Tudor queens. 

Jenna Guillaume's debut novel, What I Like About Me, is a YA romantic comedy set at that most Australian of settings: the daggy caravan park. This week, Stephanie is joined by Jenna to discuss romance, body positivity, beauty pageants, Twitter, Dirty Dancing, and why all dresses should have pockets.   Jenna's Twitter account is @JennaGuillaume and her novel What I Like About Me is available at all...

The Quarry Journal, the online journal of Macquarie University's English Department, is currently seeking submissions for Issue 13: Borderlines. This week, Stephanie and Michelle discuss the issue with the student editor, Laura Neill. For more information on The Quarry, or to submit please visit the journal website:  http://thequarryjournal.com/submit-2/  

This week, Stephanie, Michelle and Jimmy finally gather to talk about their favourite books (and film!) of 2018. Jimmy talks crime movies, Michelle talks about her love of deep, depressing books, and Stephanie cheats wildly.

Enid Blyton was a part of many childhoods, as the author of such classics as The Enchanted Forest, the Famous Five and the Naughtiest Girl in the School series. However, in recent years she's come under increasing scrutiny for the racism and sexism apparent in many of her stories. This week, Stephanie and Lee discuss school stories, food, women, and all things Blyton. 

Hang on, A.A. Milne wrote a crime novel? Is Winnie the Pooh the murderer or the detective? This week, Stephanie and Lee discuss a crime novel that does not feature Winnie the Pooh, but does feature all the best features of a cozy crime novel, complete with some digs at Australia.

Lois Austen-Leigh was a descendant of Jane Austen but did you know she was also a crime novelist? This week, Stephanie is joined by Lee to discuss The Incredible Crime, Northanger Abbey, and the grossness of hunting.

Bah humbug! This week, Jimmy and Stephanie revisit Charles Dickens's classic A Christmas Carol, on the 175th anniversary of its publication. Join them as they discuss Scrooge, ghosts, Mickey Mouse, and Stephanie’s favourite Christmas song. 

To celebrate the 200th anniversary of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein we will be releasing recordings from the FrankenReads event at Macquarie University in September. ​This week's recording features the following presentations: “’Yes Master, No Master’: The Cinematic Development of Igor in the Frankenstein Narrative” by Guy Webster ​“Monstrous Scions: Frankenstein and Posthumanist Mythology” by Paul...