Newcastle Writers Festival

Emily Bitto ( Wild Abandon ) and Diana Reid ( Love & Virtue ) have received critical acclaim for their evocative new coming-of-age novels, which dissect relationships, power, and moral responsibility. They speak to  Amy Lovat. This conversation was recorded at the 2022 Newcastle Writers Festival. Thank you to Create NSW for funding the Stories To You series.   See omnystudio.com/listener for p...

Award-winning writer Hannah Kent made her Newcastle Writers Festival debut in 2022. In this conversation with Ashley Hay, she discusses her most recent novel Devotion , which takes readers on a journey back in time, across oceans and spiritual planes. Hannah Kent’s first novel, the international bestseller,  Burial Rites , was translated into over 30 languages and won the ABIA Literary Fiction Boo...

A former newspaper editor has described Kate McClymont as ‘a walking almanac of Sydney crime and corruption’. Delve into a day in the unusual life of one of Australia’s most respected investigative journalists – death threats and all. This conversation was recorded at the 2022 Newcastle Writers Festival and hosted by best-selling author Michael Robotham .  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy i...

It was standing room only for this important event at the 2022 festival with Paul Callaghan and Uncle Paul Gordon, who believe that First Nations thinking can be a source of contentment for all. The men bring together Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal world views in their powerful book, The Dreaming Path , and they expand on some of its themes in this conversation; relationships, caring for place, bei...

As we prepare for our 10th festival, which will be held from 31 March to 2 April 2023, enjoy the first in a series of sessions recorded at the 2022 festival. A blind man yearns to see the face of his wife of 30 years. A divorced mother has a secret love affair with a travelling priest. A tree lopper’s heart falls in a forest. A respected 100-year-old scientist ponders the one great earthly puzzle...

In the final episode of this year's Stories To You series, we have collaborated with Caroline Baum, host of the Life Sentences podcast, to bring you a conversation with American biographer Professor Heather Clark about her acclaimed biography of poet Sylvia Plath.  Caroline describes Red Comet: The Short Life and Blazing Art of Sylvia Plath , which has been nominated for a 2021 Pulitzer Prize...

Andrew Pippos , who has been shortlisted for the 2021 Miles Franklin Literary Award, and Newcastle writer Michael Sala , discuss their creative challenges and decisions, how they juggle the demands of writing and parenting, and what they are working on now. Hosted by Ed Wright. This session was recorded at our inaugural Fresh Ink Emerging Writers Program on 23 April, in collaboration with New...

Cassandra Atherton talks about prose poetry and microlit — reading from the Anthology of Australian Prose Poetry  she recently co-edited with Paul Hetherington, and  Pulped Fiction , the latest collection in the Joanne Burns microlit prize series.  Host: Beth Spencer Anthology of Australian Prose Poetry  is published by Melbourne University Press. Pulped Fiction  is...

Triple J presenter Bridget Hustwaite and journalist Gabrielle Jackson are 'endo warriors'. They share their experiences of living with endometriosis and explore the assumptions and misinformation that impact sufferers.  How to Endo by Bridget Hustwaite and Pain and Prejudice by Gabrielle Jackson are published by Allen and Unwin. Buy both books online via the Festival's book store MacLean's Bo...

Acclaimed First Nations Canadian writer Billy-Ray Belcourt speaks to Laura Kebby, of Secret Book Stuff , about writing, poetry, identity, and the importance of representation in literature.  Billy-Ray's memoir A History of My Brief Body is published by UQP .  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Eminent British philosopher A. C. Grayling  discusses the fields of knowledge that have opened up with new methods and tools of inquiry – including cutting-edge physics, humanity’s very ancient history before Greece and Rome, and what we now know about the mind and the brain. Hosted by Newcastle philosopher and author Russell Blackford . The Frontiers of Knowledge: What We No...

Whether you’re interested in self-publishing, are an aspiring author, or simply keen to take a behind-the-scenes look at the business of publishing, Jaye Ford, Brendan Fredericks and Ed Wright share an insider’s view. Hosted by Nick Milligan. This session was recorded at our inaugural Fresh Ink Emerging Writers Program on 24 April, 2021, in collaboration with Newcastle Libraries....

From essays to poetry, there’s more than one way to write a memoir. How do we find the best form to tell the stories of our own lives? With Bastian Fox Phelan, Susan Francis, and Bri Lee. Hosted by Rosemarie Milsom. This session was recorded at our inaugural Fresh Ink Emerging Writers Program on 24 April, 2021, in collaboration with Newcastle Libraries. Funding was provided by Create NS...

Newcastle has a robust poetry community and in late 2020 three local writers had books published by Puncher & Wattmann. Ivy Ireland, Kerri Shying, and Ed Wright speak to Magdalena Ball about their funny and deeply original work.    Kerri Shying’s  Know Your Country,  Ivy Ireland’s  The Owl Inside,  and Ed Wright’s  Gas Deities  are all...

When her husband decided he didn't want biological children,  Sarah Sentilles  was forced to acknowledge her deepest longing. In her compelling new memoir, Stranger Care, she explores the realisation that she wanted to be a parent - to care for someone else's baby. Sarah speaks to  Newcastle Writers Festival  director Rosemarie Milsom about the life-changing experience.  ...

Novelist Maria Dahvana Headley has created a revisionist translation of the Old English poem Beowulf, infusing it with feminism and social-media slang. She speaks to Magdalena Ball   about being one of only a few women translators who has tackled the 3182-line poem.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What if you woke up one morning and decided to give the fate of your marriage just 12 months?  Author Holly Wainwright chats to Laura Jackel about her latest aptly titled novel,  I Give My Marriage A Year .     Holly Wainwright is a writer, editor and broadcaster who lives in Sydney with her young family. She's the Head of Content at women's media company Mamamia and...

Australian writer Emily Maguire's  new novel is a clear-eyed and compassionate novel about love and family, betrayal and forgiveness, and the things we do to fill our empty spaces. She speaks to Magdalena Ball . Love Objects is published by Allen & Unwin .  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This episode of Stories to You brings together two veteran Australian music journalists and authors, Stuart Coupe and Mark Mordue, to discuss their respective new biographies, Paul Kelly: The Man, the Music and The Life In-Between and Nick Cave: Boy On Fire . Author and entertainment journalist Nick Milligan speaks with Coupe and Mordue about the craft of writing an incisive biography and the...

What happens if your misunderstood child becomes embroiled in a school scandal? Fiona Higgins chats to Laura Jackel about her new novel An Unusual Boy.  For more on Fiona Higgins visit  fionahiggins.com.au and buy An Unusual Boy, published by Boldwood Books here   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In his new book My Year of Living Vulnerably , Rick Morton reveals what happened when childhood trauma caught up with him in his 20s. He then set himself the task of undoing some of the damage by living more openly and vulnerably, and by exploring the evolving science around how people living with trauma can begin to heal. He speaks to Ed Wright. If this conversation has raised issues for you, hel...

During the destructive and widespread bushfire season of 2019/20, philosopher Danielle Celermajer's rural NSW idyll was under threat. The trauma and fear caused her to reflect on our responsibility for the damage and pain caused, especially to the natural world. She speaks to Rosemarie Milsom about her book  Summertime: Reflections on a Vanishing Future .    See omnys...

Does being vegan mean having to miss out on burgers, jalapeno peppers and deep-fried banana fritters? No way, according to Melbourne writer and vegan recipe developer Zacchary Bird. He talks to Magdalena Ball about his first book  Vegan Junk Food . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former Prime Minister Julia Gillard discusses her most recent book Women and Leadership: Real Lives, Real Lessons, co-written with economist Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. She explores the influence of gender on women’s access to positions of leadership and the perceptions of them as leaders. The conversation is hosted by Newcastle Writers Festival director Rosemarie Milsom and was record...

Nicola Redhouse reads from her book Unlike the Heart: A Memoir of Brain and Mind and talks about the way her research grew from her own postnatal anxiety to something much bigger. Host - Magdalena Ball If you would like to buy a copy of Nicola’s book, which is published by UQP, go to www.macleansbooks.com.au See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.