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.
May 23, 2023
The idea for Karina May's novel came to her while she was in the ICU, recovering from brain surgery. In this open-hearted interview, Karina shares the experience of living with a brain tumour for two decades before undergoing multiple surgeries to have it removed, and the resulting anxiety and creative inspiration...
May 2, 2023
‘There’s a reason that this has happened. Science could predict this outcome for me, even though I feel like I’m in constant chaos.’ Anna Spargo-Ryan is the author of the memoir A Kind of Magic. In this illuminating interview, she describes the gap between what science understands and what she’s experienced...