James and Ashley are staying at home. Partly because there’s a pandemic, partly because they’re writers, and partly because of their health. Through discussions and interviews, they explore the big questions: how do books get written? How do people live with chronic illness? And just what ARE you reading?
Ashley Kalagian Blunt is author of two books, How to Be Australian, a memoir, and My Name Is Revenge, a thriller novella and collected essays. My Name is Revenge was a finalist in the 2018 Carmel Bird Digital Literary Award, and was shortlisted for the 2019 Woollahra Digital Literary Awards. Her writing appears in Griffith Review, Sydney Review of Books, The Australian, The Big Issue, Westerly, Kill Your Darlings and more. She lives and works in Sydney, NSW. Find her on Twitter and Instagram or visit her website.
James McKenzie Watson won the 2021 Penguin Literary Prize for his novel Denizen, which also received a 2021 Varuna Residential Fellowship and 2021 KSP Fellowship, and was highly commended for the 2020 Writing NSW Varuna Fellowships. His short fiction has been recognised in competitions including the International InkTears Flash Fiction Contest and the Grieve Writing Competition, and featured in publications such as Baby Teeth Journal and Brave Voices Magazine. He works as a nurse in regional NSW. Find him on Twitter and Instagram or visit his website.
Jan 24, 2023
What happens when your job results in PTSD, forcing you into unexpected retirement? You write a memoir, of course! At least, that's what Dr Hilton Koppe did when he suddenly had to leave his practice as a rural GP.
Hilton speaks to James and Ashley about his PTSD diagnosis, the secret of work/life, how he turned to...
Dec 16, 2022
This special episode gathers the best 'What Are You Reading?' segments from 2022 into a comprehensive summary of book recommendations from Australian and international authors. These well-informed highlights will give you plenty of last-minute gift solutions and ideas for how to spend your Christmas gift cards!
Plus,...
Dec 9, 2022
'When I sat down to write, it felt like I had killed someone.' Hayley Scrivenor opens up about managing creative anxiety, what it means to write through our feelings, and the experience of having her novel 'Dirt Town' debut as a number one Australian bestseller. Plus James turns the interview into a therapy...
Nov 15, 2022
'I regard my seventh book, Curlews on Vulture Street ... as my first real writing. You know, this is the one I'm most proud of. It was the biggest challenge and the one I enjoyed the most.' Urban ecologist and noted bird guy Darryl Jones joins us to share his transition from popular science to narrative...
Oct 25, 2022
How do you work through a major edit on your book when you have a traumatic brain injury? And how do you write about the death of a loved one while you're grieving? Jackie Bailey, author of debut novel 'The Eulogy' and professional deathwalker, joins us to discuss her experience with both.
Jackie Bailey is a...