Compulsive Reader talks

Compulsive Reader talks

Peter Valentine on World heritage Sites of Australia

Sep 18 • 32 min

Peter Valentine reads from and talks about his new book World Heritage Sites of Australia. In this wide-ranging discussion, we talk about the book and how it came about, why he’s pleased it took the more popular and less academic form of a coffee table…

Eliana Gray on Eager to Break

Jul 1 • 35 min

Eliana Gray reads from and talks about their new poetry book Eager to Break. In this candid interview we talk about such things as writing about, through, and after trauma, on finding new forms of language, on writing about the body, on blurring and…

Interview with Richard James Allen

Jun 24 • 30 min

Richard James Allen reads from and talks about his new poetry book, The Short Story of You and I, exploring topics such as his book’s themes and unique dialectical structure, the relationship between the poems and the reader, writing about love, the…

Bram Presser on The Book of Dirt

May 6 • 36 min

Bram Presser drops by to read from The Book of Dirt and we chat about many things including the Holocaust, the origins of his novel, the research he’s done, on the interplay between fact and fiction, the motif of dirt and his many golems, Czech folklore,…

Anne Casey on Where the Lost Things Go

Feb 10 • 33 min

Anne Casey drops by to read from and talk about her debut poetry collection Where the Lost Things Go, including the poem that started it all (fifth most read item in The Irish Times “In memoriam II: The draper” which actually made both of us cry, some of…

Ali Whitelock on And My Heart Crumples Like a Coke Can

Jan 10 • 28 min

Ali Whitelock reads from and talks about her latest poetry book And My Heart Crumples Like a Coke Can. We cover such topics as Ali’s particular take-no-prisoners style, on being candid, how the book came together, on being a permanent migrant, her…

Steve Armstrong on Broken Ground

Aug 6, 2018 • 31 min

Poet Steve Armstrong joins us to read a number of poems from his new poetry book Broken Ground. We also talk about the healing power of poetry and the magic of nature, about his poetry practice, on writing the ‘walking poem’, themes, rhythms, on the…

Jill Jones on Brink

Jun 28, 2018 • 34 min

Jill Jones joins us to read several poems from and talk about her latest poetry book Brink. We discuss some of the key themes in the book (what does it mean to be on the ‘brink’), the changing face of eco-poetry (and why trees remain fertile subjects for…

Kathryn Fry on Green Point Bearings

Jun 17, 2018 • 33 min

Poet Kathryn Fry reads a number of poems from her latest poetry collection Green Point Bearings and talks about the book’s inspiration, how many of the poems came about and how the collection came together, her interest in the natural world, on…

Holly Ringland on The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart

May 17, 2018 • 32 min

Holly Ringland, author ofThe Lost Flowers of Alice Hart joins us to read a little from the book and talk about the wonderful language of flowers she invents for the book and how that came about, writing and trauma, her recently completed book tour, the…

Tracy Sorensen on The Lucky Galah

Mar 26, 2018 • 35 min

Tracy Sorensen drops by Compulsive Reader Talks to read from and chat about her new book The Lucky Galah. The conversation is wide ranging but we talk about such things as her fabulous main character Lucky, about anthropomorphism and the relationship…

Jennifer Maiden launches her poetry book Appalachian Fall

Feb 13, 2018 • 52 min

The wonderful Jennifer Maiden joins me at Macleans Booksellers in Hamilton NSW for a launch of her new book Appalachian Fall, including a Q&A, 3 poems, and audience questions. The talk, which is opened by a reading from the introduction by Quemar Press…

Interview with Jessica Townsend

Oct 23, 2017 • 33 min

Jessica Townsend, the author of Nevermoor: the Trials of Morrigan Crow drops by to read from and chat about her book, which has been had the biggest children’s debut in the Australian market since records began. We talk about the book’s outrageous…

Gerry Orz talks about Lucky or Not Here I Come

Aug 16, 2017 • 30 min

Gerry Orz is an award winning actor, director, producer, youth activist, and author of the book Lucky or Not, Here I come, released this month. He drops by to read from Lucky or Not Here I Come and to discuss his inspiration for the book, some of the key…

Patti Miller on Writing True Stories

Jul 23, 2017 • 32 min

Award-winning author Patti Miller reads from and talks about her new nonfiction book Writing True Stories. Patti reads from chapter one, and we discuss such things as how Patti became the “memoir whisperer”, the rise and rise of the memoir in all of its…

Interview with Melinda Smith

Jun 18, 2017 • 38 min

The award-winning author of Goodbye, Cruel, reads from her new book and talks about how it came together, the structure, her linked suites, the influence of Dante, her attraction to Rabi’a Balkhi and Persian poetry in general, on writing about sensitive…

Jennifer Maiden on Play With Knives

Feb 12, 2017 • 32 min

Poet and novelist Jennifer Maiden drops by to read from her latest novel Play With Knives: Three: George and Clare and the Grey Hat Hacker, and to talk about all three novels in the Play With Knives series, about the joy of working her poetic and complex…

Dr Joanna McMillan talks about Get Lean, Stay Lean

Jan 8, 2017 • 30 min

Nutritionist Dr Joanna McMillan talks about her new book Get Lean, Stay Lean, including how the book came together, why people are still struggling with nutritional and weightloss, outlines the Dr Joanna plate, her six steps to success and which one is…

Interview with Michele Seminara

Nov 28, 2016 • 32 min

Michele Seminara drops by to read from and talk about her poetry book Engraft and how it came together, the variety of forms and how she uses the page, about writing through Shakespeare, Kafka and other authors, about the tension between tradition and…

Interview with Michelle Cahill on Letter to Pessoa

Oct 26, 2016 • 35 min

Michelle Cahill reads “Aubade for Larkin” and talks about her new book Letter to Pessoa, including the book’s genesis, its shifting genres (and genders), about literary connection and disconnection, about writing meta-fiction, and the intersections…

Tim Elliott on Farewell to the Father

Aug 24, 2016 • 33 min

Tim Elliott joins us to read from and talk about his memoir Farewell to the Father. He discusses how the initial article and book came about, the reasons for its powerful impact on readers, the themes that underlie the book including notions of failure,…

Joel Deane on Year of the Wasp

Jul 31, 2016 • 32 min

Joel Deane reads from and talks about his new poetry book Year of the Wasp. Joel discusses a number of the themes and motifs throughout the book and in individual poems, the way the book came together, the power of poetry in getting to the heart of who we…

Hazel Smith on Word Migrants

Jun 27, 2016 • 32 min

Poet, performer, professor and new media artist Hazel Smith drops by to read from and talk about her latest book of poetry Word Migrants. Hazel is an incredible reader and her readings alone are worth listening to, but she also talks with me about the…

Jane Caro talks about Plain-Speaking Jane

Jun 5, 2016 • 29 min

Author, novelist, journalist, broadcaster, columnist, advertising writer and social commentator Jane Caro, chats about her memoir Plain-Speaking Jane, about the power of plain speaking - not just in terms of being candid, but in terms of breaking silence…

Vivian Gornick reads from and talks about The Odd Woman and the City

May 23, 2016 • 25 min

In this special “on location” Sydney Writers Festival show, Vivian Gornick reads from and talks about the writing of her latest book The Odd Woman and the City, about the nature (and freedom) of “oddness”, about the joy and vitality of New York City,…

Dimitrios Ikonomou reads from and chats about The Diary of Norman K

May 18, 2016 • 37 min

Author and scultor Dimitrios Ikonomou reads from his new novel The Diary of Norman K, and chats with Justin Goodman about his book and its origins, his characters, on having an unreliable narrator on an unreliable journey, on meta-fiction, on the…

Rebecca Starford on Bad Behaviour

Mar 14, 2016 • 32 min

In this special Newcastle Writers Festival episode, Rebecca Starford, the author of Bad Behaviour, reads from and talks about her memoir and how it came about, her “characters” and why she needed to revisit them, about the complex and fuzzy lines between…

Mark Flanagan on David Foster Wallace’s Infinite Jest and Infinite Winter

Mar 3, 2016 • 31 min

Mark Flanagan is the founder and editor of Run Spot Run, and the instigator behind Infinite Winter, an online book club of hundreds of readers who have banded together to jointly read David Foster Wallace’s Infinite Jest in celebration of the book’s 20th…

Christine Evans on Cloudless

Dec 10, 2015 • 27 min

The author of Cloudless reads from and talks about her new verse novel Cloudless, her unique characters, the way the book came together, why she used verse, about the interlinking lives, about Perth in the 1980s, about the magic in her book (and her taste…

Martin Langford on his new book Ground

Oct 26, 2015 • 37 min

Martin Langford reads from his new poetry book Ground, and talks about his overarching principle of spaces places and the evolution of the book as a collection, about time and timelessness, about Australian history and how it plays out in Ground, about…

Jean Kent talks about The Hour of Silvered Mullet

Sep 13, 2015 • 29 min

In this episode held live (complete with rich sound effects) from Lake Macquarie Pub, acclaimed poet Jean Kent reads from her new book The Hour of Silvered Mullet, and talks about the importance of scent, her settings, eco-poetics, the way in which the…

Carolyn Martinez talks about Finding Love

Aug 17, 2015 • 28 min

Carolyn Martinez, author of Inspiring IVF Stories and Finding Love: 7 Things you Need to Know Before You Date Again reads from and talks about her new book, about her path to becoming an author, about her writing process, the most surprising response from…

Ali Cobby Eckermann on her book Inside my Mother

Aug 10, 2015 • 32 min

Ali Cobby Eckermann joins us to read from and talk about her latest poetry collection Inside my Mother, as well as the “My Mother’s Heart” sesion at the Sydney Writers Festival, the many meanings of “mother”, both personal, universal, and metaphoric,…

Lucy Dougan on The Guardians

Jul 27, 2015 • 33 min

The author of The Guardans reads a number of poems from her book and talks about how it has has come together, about the key themes in the book: masks, the roles and genetics we inherit, about poetry as archeology, on animals, parenting, the “wild…

Beth Spencer on Vagabondage

Jun 15, 2015 • 33 min

Award winning novelist, poet and nonfiction writer Beth Spencer reads from and talks about her latest poetry book,Vagabondage. In this candid conversation we discuss her own journey, the idea of “leaving no trace”, about aging, displacement, homelessness,…

Graham Stull on The Hydra

Jun 8, 2015 • 33 min

The author of The Hydra reads from and talks about his new novel and where his ideas for it came from, about his biologist turned Frankenstein protagonist Brian Matterosi, on viral engineering, genre fiction, indie publishing, distopias, population and…

Ben Okri on The Age of Magic

May 23, 2015 • 26 min

Ben Okri joins us live from the Sydney Writers Festival to read from and talk about his latest novel The Age of Magic and what inspired it, its characters, on the true nature of magic, on the book’s themes incuding what Goethe calls des Pudels Kern (the…

Joan Schweighardt on The Accidental Art Thief

May 17, 2015 • 27 min

The author of The Accidental Art Thief reads from and talks about her new novel and the inspiration for it, her quirky “under-the-radar” characters, her gorgeous Albuquerque setting, some of her key themes, on keeping secrets, her new work in progress,…

Philip Salom on Alterworld

Feb 16, 2015 • 32 min

The author of Alterworld: Sky Poems, The Well Mouth, Alterworld reads from and talks about his new poetry collection and how it came together as a trio over 27 years, about his settings, the poetic afterlife, mythologies, the power of poetry, on black…

Masterchef Julie Goodwin on 20/20 Meals

Nov 7, 2014 • 28 min

Masterchef and author of 20/20 Meals Julie Goodwin talks about her new cookbook, about her journey from being a keen home cook to becoming a Masterchef and of making a business out of cooking, about the way in which food is a key to understanding other…

Jeri Kroll on Workshopping the Heart

Oct 26, 2014 • 33 min

The author of Vanishing Point, and Workshopping the Heart reads from and talks about her latest books of poetry, about the transition from poetry to drama, the relationship between poetry and theatre, about her protagonist Diana, on writing about…

Brooke Davis on Lost and Found

Jul 28, 2014 • 33 min

Australian Book Industy Award Winner Brooke Davis reads from and talks about her novel Lost & Found, about her lovely, quirky characters, about writing a novel as PhD project and its impact on her work, about the intersection of grief and art, about…

Andy Kissane on Radiance

Jun 22, 2014 • 34 min

The author of the poetry collection Radiance reads a selection of poems from his new book, talks about how the book came together as a collection, its structure and epitaphs, his themes, on being a “cricket poet”, on hanging out with great, dead authors,…

Interview with Carmel MacDonald Grahame

May 26, 2014 • 29 min

The author of Personal Effects reads from and talks about her novel and how the story came together, about the cyclical (and pieced together) nature of time in her book, about mosaic (pique assiette) and its role in the novel, about writing as craft,…

Vanessa Berry on Ninety 9

Feb 23, 2014 • 28 min

The author of Ninety 9 reads from and talks about her new book, about band t-shirts, growing up in the 1990s (and what has and hasn’t changed), on the joy of ‘zines, on the conjunction of the mythical and the domestic, on the power of capturing ephemera,…

Interview with Jaye Ford

Oct 29, 2013 • 28 min

The author of Blood Secret reads from and talks about her new book, about the incident that gave rise to it, her main characters, her local settings, her struggles with the writing, her work in progress, and lots more.

Interview with Paul W Newman

Sep 18, 2013 • 34 min

Author Paul Newman drops by to read from and talk about his novel Fin Rising, about writing the first novel, his quirky characters, the fine art of fly fishing, genre bending, the relationship between illustration and writing, and lots more.

Interview with Brian Castro

Sep 12, 2013 • 31 min

Author Brian Castro reads from and talks about his latest novel Street to Street, his three protagonists, the transformative power of the imagination, the notion of failure, melancholy, the relationship between fiction and non-fiction, the fuzziness of…

Don’t Let the Wind Catch You with Aaron Paul Lazar

Aug 28, 2013 • 29 min

The author of Don’t Let the Wind Catch You reads from and talks about his newest LeGarde mystery book, his protagonist Gus, his other mystery series and the lure of the genre for him, the secrets of his proflic output, the intersection of life and…

The Bookman’s Tale with Charlie Lovett

Jul 15, 2013 • 30 min

The author of The Bookman’s Tale talks about his new novel, about his multinational settings, the book’s structure, the joy of libraries and bookstores, book restoration, his characters, the nature of fiction (versus nonfiction and plays), his upcoming…

Lisa Gorton on Hotel Hyperion

Jul 4, 2013 • 27 min

The author of Hotel Hyperion talks about and reads from her new book of poetry, the relationship between memory, dreams, appropriation and art, the book’s origins including the nature of a storm glass, Titan, Keats, multiverses and rooms, art and…

Bread of the Lost with Philomena Van Rijswijk

Jun 5, 2013 • 32 min

The author of Bread of the Lost talks about and reads lots of poems from her new poetry collection, discusses the notion of the ‘metaphorical feed’, the genesis of the book, the natural world as character, the wild animal beneath the veneer of…

Bob Rich’s Ascending Spiral

May 5, 2013 • 30 min

The author of Ascending Spiral talks about his latest novel,about genre bending, the books themes, its characters, sustainability, about being a Renaissance man, on optimism and pessimism, and lots more.

Fred Watson on Star Craving Mad

Apr 8, 2013 • 32 min

The author of Star Craving Mad reads from and talks about his latest book, on the importance of a multi-disciplinary perspective in science, on future areas of interest for astronomy and other scientific areas, the relationship between music and science,…

Interview with Kent MacCarter & Ali Lemer

Feb 18, 2013 • 32 min

The editors of Joyful Strains: Making Australia Home talk about the book, about choosing the essays and working with the 27 authors, about their own migration experiences, about the relationship between writing and migration, and lots more.

Interview with Jennifer Maiden

Dec 17, 2012 • 31 min

The author of Liquid Nitrogen reads from and talks about her new poetry book, about her themes, about the combining of the personal and political, about writing topical poetry, about meta-poetics, mentorship and parenting as it plays out in her work, the…

ModPo’s Amaris Cuchanski, Max McKenna & Anna Strong

Nov 15, 2012 • 32 min

Three of the Teaching Assistants from the University of Pennsylvania’s Modern and Contemporary American Poetry course (ModPo) drop by to chat about the course, how they got involved, contemporary poetics, the notion of uncreative writing and play in…

Interview with Jillian Schedneck

Nov 6, 2012 • 30 min

The author of Abu Dhabi Days, Dubai Nights reads from and talks about her book, about the differences (and similarities) between Abu Dhabi and Dubai, about her current research project, about seeing a culture through the eyes of a foreigner, and lots more.

Interview with Lily Brett

Oct 25, 2012 • 30 min

The author of Lola Bensky talks about her new book, about rock journalism and the 1960s, about her character Lola, about the black humour in the book, the relationship between ‘real life, her fictional detectives Harry and Schlomo, and lots more.

Interview with Joanne Harris

Oct 9, 2012 • 31 min

The author of Peaches for Father Francis talks about her new book, about revisiting Lansquenet, about the nature of serials, about food writing, about magical realism and how it works in her books, about her character Vianne Rocher, about what it’s like…

Interview with Margaret Wertheim

Sep 10, 2012 • 29 min

The author of Physics on the Fringe talks about how her years of collecting the work of ‘outsider physics’ turned into a book, about the notion of some aspects of modern physics being more akin to art than science, about her star outsider Jim Carter,…

Interview with Danny Iny

Sep 4, 2012 • 31 min

The author of Engagement from Scratch talks about his company Firepole Marketing, about the power of blogging, about why creative people need to market, author promotion, his book and why he’s giving it away, on philanthropy, mantaining the balance…

Interview with Nigel Marsh

Aug 12, 2012 • 33 min

The author of Fit, Fifty and Fired Up talks about his new book, about self-actualisation, about why his book is not a self-help, the pressures on the modern male and why this is important beyond the personal, about his “characters”, on living a purposeful…

Interview with Anna Solding

Jul 30, 2012 • 33 min

The author of The Hum of Concrete reads from and talks about her first novel, about the the relationship between the stories and a novel, about the title and its meaning, about her characters, about the setting in Malmö, Sweden, about Midnight Sun…

Interview with Kate Fagan

Jun 12, 2012 • 28 min

Poet, editor, musician, researcher, and lecturer Kate Fagan talks about and reads from her new poetry book First Light. We discuss the Cento form, the structuring of the book, poetics and meaning making, her collaborations, on music and poetry, style and…

Interview with Ian Gibbins

May 27, 2012 • 30 min

The author of Urban Biology reads from and talks about his new poetry book and the poems in it, the relationship between poetry and science, anthropomorphism, on giving words to the wordless, his music, and lots more.

Interview with Stephen Scourfield

Apr 30, 2012 • 31 min

The author of Unaccountable Hours: Three Novellas reads from his latest book, and talks about his characters, mentorship, the novella form, wood and craftmanship, water and “the secret”, ethics and environmentalism, and lots more.

Interview with Frank Delaney

Mar 14, 2012 • 33 min

The author of The Last Storyteller talks about his latest novel, about trilogies, about the art of storyteller and the Seanchai, about the communal nature of the story, his characters, about exile and art, his new Amazon short “The Druid”, and lots more.

Interview with Amanda Curtin

Feb 15, 2012 • 29 min

The author of Inherited, talks about her new book of short stories, about the notion of inheritance in all its forms, about the short story form, about writing on obsession, loss and love, the origins of some of her stories, and much more.

Interview with Lesley Synge

Dec 14, 2011 • 35 min

The author of Mountains Belong to the People Who Love Them reads a variety of poems from her book, and talks about the parallels between the two sections of her book, about the importance of slowing down and learning to observe, about Buddhism and the…

Interview with Mike French

Oct 20, 2011 • 35 min

The author of The Ascent of Issac Steward talks about his first novel, on being compared to James Joyce, on physics and cognative science, his symbolism and Biblical references, his literary magazine The View From Here, on the value of the slow read, his…

Interview with George Ivanoff

Oct 18, 2011 • 31 min

The author of Gamer’s Quest and Gamer’s Challenge talks about his latest novel, some of the key themes, his favourite games (and Dr Who monster), the nature of reality, The Ultimate Gamer, his 50 books, and lots more.

Interview with Jane Smiley

Aug 25, 2011 • 29 min

Jane Smiley talks about her latest novel Private Life, about historical fiction and genres in general, about the relationship between fiction and memoir, about her characters, the notion of obsession, and the universe in the particular, and much more.

Interview with Mary E Martin

Jul 18, 2011 • 29 min

The author of The Drawing Lesson talks about her most recent novel in the Trilogy of Remembrance, the trilogy form, her characters, the notion of inspirational light, the muse, her research, her amazing book trailer and lots more.

Interview with Chad Hautmann

May 17, 2011 • 30 min

The author of Billie’s Ghost and Magic and Grace talks about his latest book, his characters and key themes, his interesting route to publication, the injury that gave rise to the story, on the relationship between teaching and writing, and lots more.

Interview with Sue Collier

May 2, 2011 • 26 min

The co-author of The Complete Guide to Self-Publishing talks about her book, about the paradigm shift in publishing over the past 5 years, the benefits and challenges of self-publishing, and lots more.

Interview with Terry Denton

Apr 18, 2011 • 30 min

Funnyman, writer, illustrator, cartoonist Terry Denton talks about his new television series Gasp, along with his latest collaborations, his future projects and lots more.

Interview with Gail Jones

Mar 21, 2011 • 28 min

The author of Five Bells talks about her latest novel, about the poem that inspired it, about Sydney, and lots more.

Interview with Carl Zimmer

Feb 16, 2011 • 10 min

The author of Brain Cuttings talks about his latest book, on how the brain works, on the limits of our understanding about the brain, the meaning of time, the nature of consciousness, and lots more.

Interview with David Follett

Feb 6, 2011 • 30 min

The author and illustrator of Uncle Silas: Genetis talks about his book, his themes, his other comics, about the graphic novel form in general, and lots more.

Interview with Tim Flannery

Dec 15, 2010 • 13 min

The author of Here on Earth talks about his latest book, about the human superorganism and the Gaia system, about game theory, the tipping point, and lots more.

Interview with Lyn Reeves

Dec 12, 2010 • 31 min

The author of Designs on the Body talks about her new book, about poetry in general and Australian poetry in particular, about her magazine Famous Reporter, and lots more.

Interview with Meredith Whitford

Oct 20, 2010 • 32 min

The author of Shakespeare’s Will talks about her new book, about historical fiction in general, about her involvement in Bewrite Books new Australian wing and what that means, and lots more.

Interview with Craig Silvey

Sep 27, 2010 • 25 min

The author of Jasper Jones talks about his multi-award winning novel, his characters, his themes, music, and lots more.

Interview with Ramona Koval

Aug 29, 2010 • 29 min

ABC Radio’s and The Book Show’s Interviewer extraordinaire (and author of the newly released Speaking Volumes) sits on the other side of the chair for a meta-discussion on the art of the literary interview.

Interview with Bob Stahl

Aug 11, 2010 • 30 min

The author of A Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Workbooks talks about his new book, about the connection between mindfulness and creativity, why mindfulness is so powerful, about the spiritual challenges of modern living, and lots more.

Interview with Justin D’Ath

Jul 18, 2010 • 30 min

Justin D’Ath is the author of 26 books for children and young adults, including the hugely popular Extreme Adventures series. He’ll be joining us to talk about his latest book Phoebe Nash: Girl Warrior.

Interview with Linda Ruth Brooks

Jun 30, 2010 • 37 min

The author of I’m Not Broken: I’m Just Different talks about her latest book, about self-publishing, Asperger’s Syndrome, and lots more.

Interview with Eric Maisel

Jun 16, 2010 • 27 min

The author of Brainstorm: Harnessing the Power of Productive Obsessions talks about his latest book, about the nature of productive obsessions, the importance of creativity, creative anxiety, his upcoming work, and lots more.

Interview with Peter Bowerman

Jun 10, 2010 • 31 min

The Well-Fed Writer talks about the latest, updated edition of his book, about commercial writing, about the work-life balance, about the whole notion of the hungry artist, and lots more.

Interview with Mark Coker, founder of Smashwords

Mar 3, 2010 • 39 min

The founder of smashwords.com talks about the future of reading, publishing, the relationship between electronic and print books, why it has taken so long for ebooks to catch on and why it’s happening now, DRM, and a whole lot more.

Interview with Felicity Plunkett

Feb 15, 2010 • 30 min

The author of Vanishing Point reads her poems, talks about poetry in general, and in particular, her own work’s inspiration and implications, her next book, her university work, and much more.

Interview with Margaret Hawkins

Feb 1, 2010 • 28 min

The author of A Year of Cats and Dogs talks about her first novel, her innovative use of the I Ching and recipes, her main character’s journey, and lots more.

Interview with John Banville

Dec 14, 2009 • 27 min

The author of The Infinities, The Sea and a number of other award winning novels talks about his latest novel, his sometimes unacknowledged playful side, his alter ego ‘crowd pleaser’ Benjamin Black, on creating reality through the mesh of language, and…

Interview with Matthew Riley

Oct 25, 2009 • 52 min

The author of The Five Greatest Warriors talks about his latest novel, his unique ‘storyteller’ style of writing, the Jack West Jr. series (and on the nature of series’ in general) his unusual promotional techniques, and lots more.

Interview with Sofie Laguna

Oct 19, 2009 • 30 min

The author of One Foot Wrong talks about her first adult novel, her child protagonist, themes, the transition from children’s to adult literature, acting, and lots more.

Interview with Andrew Thelander

Sep 30, 2009 • 30 min

The author of Last Birds talks about his latest novel, his characters and narrative style, about birdwatching, the relationship between conservation, ethics, and literature, and lots more.

Interview with K J Fraser

Aug 31, 2009 • 31 min

The author of A Journey, a Reckoning and a Miracle talks about her novel, her characters and their relationship to the real life people they mirror, her thoughts about America’s future, her literary themes, and lots more.

Interview with Emily Ballou

Aug 27, 2009 • 31 min

The author of The Darwin Poems talks about her latest book, about the relationship between fiction, biography and poetry, about her famous subject and his 200th birthday, and lots more.

Interview with Dale Beaumont

Aug 3, 2009 • 31 min

The author of How to Write and Publish Your Own Best-Selling Book, talks to us about his latest package, on being a young entrepreneur, about the relationship between writing and promoting, the “secret” of success (using the term in its broadest context),…

Interview with Danny Gillan

Jun 18, 2009 • 29 min

The author of Will You Love Me Tomorrow talks about his novel, his upcoming anthology, his other writing work, about rock and roll and its many facets, including its representation in literature, about comedy writing, and lots more.

Interview with Sir Ken Robinson

Jun 15, 2009 • 29 min

The author of The Element talks about his book, about the notion of finding your ‘passion’, about his vision of human ability and creativity, about the role of mentors, and lots more.

Interview with Lorraine Mace

May 27, 2009 • 29 min

The author of The Greatest Moving Abroad Tips in the World and The ABC Checklist for New Writers talks about her latest book, about being a “perennial nomad”, about being a professional freelancer, about nonfiction in general, and lots more. This is a…

Interview with Gaynor McGrath

May 20, 2009 • 28 min

The author of Lemniscate talks about her novel, the relationship between fact and fiction, her characters, her own travels, her next project, and lots more.

Interview with Marion Halligan

Apr 27, 2009 • 30 min

Marion Halligan reads from and talks about her new novel Valley of Grace, about its French setting, it’s themes, about being a reader as much as a writer and the connection between reader and writer, and lots more.

Interview with Paul Burman

Apr 6, 2009 • 32 min

The author of The Snowing and Greening of Thomas Passmore returns to The Compulsive Reader on his own to talk about his novel, his characters, deja vu, about the relationship between teaching and writing, and lots more.

Interview with Terry Denton

Feb 16, 2009 • 30 min

Children’s author (Storymaze, Wombat in the City), illustrator, and humourist Terry Denton talks about his work, his latest Wombat in the City, on literary humour in general and lots more.

Interview with Bel Schenk

Feb 10, 2009 • 29 min

The author of Ambulances & Dreamers talks about her new book, Express Media, poetry in Australia, poetry for young people, and lots more.

Interview with Geoff Nelder

Dec 8, 2008 • 30 min

The author of Exit, Pursued by a Bee talks about his book, science fiction, his SciFi mag Escape Velocity, and lots more.

Interview with Mark David Gerson

Nov 6, 2008 • 30 min

The author of The Voice of the Muse talks about his book, the ideas behind it, his “rules” for writing and living, the relationship between prose, and lots more.

Joel Deane and Karen Knight: an hour of poetry

Sep 24, 2008 • 60 min

In this exciting show, we bring two of Australia’s leading poets together for an hour of poetry, discussion and debate. Joel Deane has won two national awards for his poetry and fiction. His novel, Another, and his first poetry book Subterranean Radio…

The View From Here

Sep 10, 2008 • 30 min

Mike French and Paul Burman, Editors of The View From Here magazine(http://www.viewfromheremagazine.com) will be talking about their literary journal, their own novels The Dandelion Tree and The Snowing and Greening of Thomas Passmore (respectively), and…

Interview with Wendy James

Aug 18, 2008 • 27 min

The author of The Steele Diaries talks about her latest novel, on being a sophomore, on the Australian artworld, on her mother-daughter-absent father theme, and lots more.

Interview with Howard Waldman

Aug 13, 2008 • 29 min

The author of Good Americans Go to Paris When They Die talks about his latest novel, his unique premise, his settings, characters, themes, sales, next novel, and a whole lot more.

Interview with Aaron Paul Lazar

Aug 5, 2008 • 28 min

The author of Tremolo: Cry of the Loon talks about his new book, about literary mysteries, about serialising his character Gus LeGarde, and lots more.

Interview with Will Chaffey

Aug 4, 2008 • 25 min

The author of Swimming with Crocodiles talks about his book, his great adventure, about publishing across borders, his future work and plans for return, and lots more.

Interview with Nick Place

Jun 30, 2008 • 29 min

The author of The OK Team talks about his novel, the world of superheros, his key themes, the dullest member of the royal family, Harry Potter, how to hack into his character’s website, and lots more.

Interview with Marion Roberts

Jun 9, 2008 • 30 min

The author of Sunny Side Up talks about her novel, the development of her protagonist, about the gender divide in young adult books, where the photographs came from, upcoming releases, and lots more.

Interview with Julie Mars

May 5, 2008 • 29 min

The author of Anybody Any Minute reads from her latest novel, talks about her heroine Ellen Kenny, the challenges of living an authentic life, the theme of sisterhood and empowerment which run through her books, the female at midlife, and a whole lot more.

Interview with Basil Eliades, author of 3rd i

Mar 11, 2008 • 37 min

Poet, painter, performer Basil Eliades (www.basileliades.com performs from his CD 3rd i, and talks about poetry, painting, aesthetics, life, love, art, and the relationship between them.

Interview with Lorraine Mace, co-author of The ABC Checklist for New Writers

Feb 11, 2008 • 31 min

The author of The ABC Checklist for New Writers talks about her book, provides tips and tricks for authors, talks about international collaboration, her children’s book, and lots more.

Interview with Roland Harvey

Dec 11, 2007 • 31 min

The award winning Australian children’s author and illustrator talks about his new book In the City, his unique, heavily detailed style, his fascinating settings, the relationship between reality and fantasy in his latest “in the” series, and much more.

Interview with Emily Ballou, author of Aphelion

Dec 4, 2007 • 31 min

Emily Ballou talks about her new novel Aphelion, her old/new Adaminaby setting, on the cycles of life, death, love, longing and memory which form the motif of this novel, and lots more.

Interview with Graeme Kinross-Smith

Nov 14, 2007 • 33 min

The author of Long Afternoon of the World talks about his first novel, the book’s strange cyclical time, on the creation of meaning, on the relationship between poetry, nonfiction, photography and teaching, his publisher, his next book, and lots more.

Interview with Justin Lowe

Oct 16, 2007 • 33 min

The author of The Great Big Show talks about his verse novel, about poetry, publishing, the literary world and much more.

Interview with Helen Townsend, author of Above the Starry Frame

Sep 18, 2007 • 31 min

The author of Above the Starry Frame talks about her new book, her character William Irwin, the Eureka Stockade, and lots more.

Ross Duncan on All Those Bright Crosses

Aug 14, 2007 • 30 min

Ross Duncan reads from his new novel All Those Bright Crosses, talks about the development of his book, his key themes - love, loss, grief, on the nature of morality, his historical setting, Fiji, the rise of poker machine addiction, the relationship…