Through discussions and interviews with writers, artists and health professionals, author friends James McKenzie Watson and Ashley Kalagian Blunt explore the big questions: how do books get written? How do people navigate life with chronic illness? And just what are you reading?
Ashley Kalagian Blunt is the author of Dark Mode, an internationally published psychological thriller. Her earlier books are How to Be Australian, a memoir, and My Name Is Revenge, collected fiction and essays. Her writing appears in the Sydney Morning Herald, Overland, Griffith Review, Sydney Review of Books, and more. Ashley is an enthusiastic teacher of writing and creativity. Originally from Canada, she has lived and worked in South Korea, Peru and Mexico. Find her on Twitter and Instagram or visit her website.
James McKenzie Watson is the author of Denizen, which won the 2021 Penguin Literary Prize and was shortlisted in 2023 Ned Kelly Awards for Best Debut. His writing has appeared in The Guardian, Meanjin, Kill Your Darlings and the Newtown Review of Books. He has appeared at events including the Sydney Writers Festival, Newcastle Writers Festival and BAD Crime Sydney. He works as a nurse. Find him on Twitter and Instagram or visit his website.
Oct 29, 2024
In ep 105, James and Ashley interview Arna Radovich, the author of Limits of Forgetting, a collection of stories interwoven with themes of memory, grief and reflection. Arna shares insights into how her own experiences provide the background for her fiction, and how she found the resolve to release her collection after the loss of her husband.
We also delve into Arna's multifaceted creative practice, which spans poetry, prose, fiction and nonfiction for both children and adults. We discuss her dedication to both evolving her practice and contributing to her artistic community, affirming how art and connection foster resilience and insight amidst personal and collective challenges.
Reflecting on her commitment to writing and community, Arna discusses her long-standing involvement with artist-run initiative Mounted. Their latest exhibition, Excavate, is happening in Sydney in November.
Arna Radovich writes for both adults and children. Her short fiction and poetry has been published widely and performed. She won the ZineWest 2020 Prize and 2nd prize in the 2019 Peter Cowan Short Story Award and has been a finalist in the 2018 Tasmanian Writers Prize, the Carmel Bird Digital Literary Award and the NWF/joanne burns Microlit Award.In 2024 she released her debut collection of new and selected short stories, Limits of Forgetting.
Meet Arna and other Blue Mountains artists at Excavate: an exhibition from Mounted ARI:
- 13 to 17 November, The Corner Gallery Stanmore
- Opening event: Friday 15 November, 5.30 to 7.30 pm
Get your copy of Limits of Forgetting from Rosey Ravelston Bookshop or your local bookshop or library. Supporting libraries and neighbourhood bookshops supports authors.
- Forgetting: The Benefits of Not Remembering by Scott Small
- Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout
- The Writer Laid Bare by Lee Kofman
- If You're Happy by Fiona Robertson (from ep 53)
- 'Vigil' by Amanda O'Callaghan
- Helen Garner
- What Happened to Nina? by Dervla McTiernan
- The Glass House by Graeme Simsion & Anne Buist
- Stoneyard Devotional by Charlotte Wood
- The Dinner Party by Victoria Benn
- Nuclear War: A Scenario by Annie Jacobsen
- The Conspiracy Against the Human Race by Thomas Legotti
- Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy ('It's like Knausgård in the 1800s!')
- War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
- Jon Ronson
- Revisionist History season 11: Hitler's Olympics by Malcolm Gladwell and Ben Naddaff-Hafrey
- Dopamine Nation by Anna Lembke
- Stolen Focus by Johann Hari
- The Grieving Brain: The Surprising Science of How We Learn from Love and Loss by Mary-
- Francis O’Connor
- Resilient Grieving: How To Find Your Way Through Devastating Loss: A Practical Guide To
- Recovery by Dr Lucy Hone
- Love, Death and Other Scenes by Nova Weetman
Learn more about James' award-winning novel Denizen and get your copy from your local bookshop or your library.
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