The official Writing WA podcast, featuring West Australian authors, poets, essayists, booksellers, publishers & other industry professionals talking about their new books, their favourite books … just books, books, books! Hosted variously by Will Yeoman, Lesley Reece & other members of the Writing WA team.
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About the hosts
Will Yeoman
Will Yeoman is CEO of Writing WA. He was Literary Editor at The West Australian before moving into arts and travel; he remains a music critic for Limelight and Gramophone magazines. Will is Artistic Director of York Writers Festival and York Festival. Previously he was Artistic Director of New Norcia Writers Festival and Perth Festival Writers Week. A lover of literature (and comics!) from an early age, Will is also a keen classical guitarist who enjoys collaborating on spoken word and music performances with writers and poets including Stephen Scourfield and John Kinsella.
Lesley Reece AM
Lesley is on the board of Writing WA. For over 27 years Lesley has promoted Australian literature, inspiring thousands of students and teachers through stimulating programmes. Her passion and dedication have broken through the barrier of indifference to bring awareness and investment in her field. There is no-one more supportive or dedicated to the cause of promoting quality Australian literature for children and young adults than Lesley Reece. In establishing The Literature Centre in 1992, Lesley’s consummate vision to nurture quality Australian literature for children and young adults, whilst promoting authors and illustrators has been realized, and her legacy will continue.
EPISODE 1
Sara Foster on podcasts, mothers & daughters & the art of language
Bestselling WA author Sara Foster has just seen her 2019 novel You Don’t Know Me serialised as a podcast by LiSTNR. She talks to Writing WA’s Will Yeoman about the experience. This sparks a broader conversation about the portrayal of mothers in literature, the joys and pains of being a writer and the freedoms and restraints of language. And much more besides. Including what are some of Sara’s favourite books of all time.
Listen to Episode 1
EPISODE 2
Stephen Scourfield on travel writing, fiction & performance
The West Australian’s Stephen Scourfield has twice been voted Australia’s Best Travel Writer and has a United Nations Media Award for fairness in publishing. But he is also an award-winning writer of novels, novellas and essays, as well as an accomplished spoken word performer. Here, he chats with former colleague and Writing WA CEO Will Yeoman about a life in writing, the differences between writing for the page and for the stage and how a tour itinerary can also be a form of narrative storytelling.
Listen to Episode 2
EPISODE 3
Night Parrot Press’s Linda Martin and Laura Keenan on the art of flash (non)fiction
Flash fiction is small but carries a big stick. Night Parrot Press is small but carries a big stick. It’s a match made in heaven. Especially when the two team up with Writing WA and Raine Square for Flashscapes! The Love to Read Local Flash competition, now in its fourth year. Join Night Parrot Press’s co-publishers and editors Laura Keenan and Linda Martin in conversation with Writing WA CEO Will Yeoman as they discuss the flash phenomenon, the competition, the joys and challenges of starting a small press and their favourite books.
Listen to Episode 3
Episode 4
Laurie Steed, author & Partnerships & Development Manager, Writing WA
For the first in our occasional series which focuses on the staff right here at Writing WA, host Will Yeoman talks to Laurie Steed. Laurie is a much-loved WA author, but he is also the Partnerships & Development Manager at Writing WA. We chat about his new role with the organisation – and about inspiration, creativity and writing with your heart while still keeping an eye on the bank balance!
Listen to Episode 4
Episode 5
Author Brendan Ritchie on his new novel, Eta Draconis (UWAP)
Join us on Podstreet as host Will Yeoman catches up with WA author Brendan Ritchie, whose latest novel Eta Draconis, winner of the prestigious 2022 Dorothy Hewett Award for an Unpublished Manuscript, has just been published by UWAP.
“Eta Draconis is a road novel set in a world besieged by a long and destructive meteor shower. The story follows two sisters as they journey from their small coastal town to the city ahead of the coming semester. The relationship between the sisters is fractured and fading. Turned upside down by the meteorites that arrived at the start of their adolescence and the strange world they have inhabited since. As the showering intensifies and their way forward becomes threatened, the sisters are forced to confront their problems and recalibrate their hopes for the future.”
Listen to Episode 5
Episode 6
Kirsty Murray on the ASA and the Copyright Agency
Kirsty Murray is a multi-award-winning author of more than 20 books for children and young adults. Based in Melbourne, she is passionate about Australian stories. Her work is published internationally and includes eleven novels as well as non-fiction, junior fiction, historical fiction, speculative fiction and picture books.
Kirsty is also a Director on the board of the Australian Society of Authors and the Copyright Agency. It is this important work which provides the chief topic for a lively and wide-ranging conversation with Writing WA Chair Lesley Reece AM.
Listen to Episode 6
Episode 7
Michelle Johnston on Tiny Uncertain Miracles
Michelle Johnston is both an emergency physician and an author, and on good days it is difficult to tell the difference. Her first novel, Dustfall, was published by UWA Publishing in February 2018 and shortlisted for the MUD Literary Prize for a debut novel in 2019. Her second novel, Tiny Uncertain Miracles, was published in 2022 by Harper Collins to critical acclaim. She speaks and holds workshops, for both doctors and normal people, about marrying critical care and creativity, and is occupied searching for the beauty and awe in an often-brutal reality.
This episode is hosted by Writing WA’s Laurie Steed.
Listen to Episode 7
Episode 8
Author Kirsty Murray & illustrator Karen Blair in conversation with Lesley Reece
Kirsty Murray is a multi-award-winning author of more than 20 books for children and young adults. Her works include eleven novels as well as non-fiction, junior fiction, historical fiction, speculative fiction and picture books. Kirsty is an ambassador and advocate for many reading and writing initiatives and has been a writer-in-residence in schools and universities around the world. She loves books, libraries, bookshops, readers, writers, puddles, puppies, and stories – especially stories about kids.
Karen Blair grew up in Perth and enjoyed a childhood of drawing, playing at the river, jumping on the trampoline and dressing up. She has always loved drawing and creating characters. She loves illustrating children and animals enjoying time in the outdoors. Karen lives in Fremantle, Western Australia.
This episode is hosted by Chair, Lesley Reece AM.
Listen to Episode 8
Episode 9
Manveen Kohli on her poetry collection We Need To Talk
Manveen Kaur Kohli is a British-Indian currently residing in Perth. Manveen has performed her poetry at various events including, Neon Readings, Perth Poetry Festival, and Woman Scream. She was a finalist in the Australian Poetry Slam (APS) state finals in 2020 and 2021. Manveen’s debut poetry collection, We need to talk was released in 2023.
In this wide-ranging interview, she talks to author Laurie Steed.
Listen to Episode 9
Episode 10
The Literature Centre’s Natalya Hawrylak on children’s literature and education
In this episode of Writing WA’s dedicated podcast, our Chair Lesley Reece AM talks to The Literature Centre’s Senior Education Officer Natalya Hawrylak. The pair talk about Natayla’s involvement in workshops and in-conversations all over WA as the “literary Mary Poppins”, working with memorable authors, children’s literature and education, and creative writing.
Listen to Episode 10
Episode 11
Critical Conversations: Classical Music with Bourby Webster & Will Yeoman
Arts criticism is an art in itself. Join classical music critics Bourby Webster (Seesaw) & Will Yeoman (Gramophone, Limelight) for this first in-conversation in our new series focusing on arts criticism in WA and beyond.
Recorded live at the State Library of Western Australia on 7 June 2023.
Listen to Episode 11
Episode 12
Kez Wickham St George on her new novel, Jigsaw
A widely travelled artist, author and former tourism teacher, Kez Wickham St George published a motivational work training manual for New Zealand in 2003 and in 2008 wrote and published a children’s book, The Stone Birds, for a community in Northern Queensland. Her illustrated children’s story have all been translated into Italian, Spanish and German. St George’s adult books are primarily written for the romance thriller market. Based in Rockingham, south-west of Perth, Western Australia, she also tutors in ebook publishing and creative writing for children and adults. This episode is hosted by Will Yeoman.
Listen to Episode 12
Episode 13
Tineke Van der Eecken on the poetry of art & the art of poetry
Episode 14
Critical Conversations: Terri-ann White & Will Yeoman
In mid-2021, Terri-ann White launched a small imprint, Upswell, to continue her adventures in publishing. All of her working life has been arranged around books and ideas: as a bookseller, writer, publisher and organiser of public events involving literature and writing. After 14 years of shaping a list as publisher at UWA Publishing, she is delighted to be building this new venture of Upswell. Join Terri-ann in conversation with Writing WA CEO Will Yeoman as they discuss not just the often difficult path to publication but the unvarnished truth of what comes next.
Recorded live at the State Library of WA on Wednesday 12 July 2023.
Episode 15
Charlotte Kemp on parenting, anxiety & her first book Mummy Will Be Ok.
As a local Perth resident and a mother of two boys, mental health has always been an important aspect of Charlotte Kemp’s life. It has defined who she is as person both in positive and negative ways.
As Charlotte writes: “I currently suffer with multiple mental health disorders including general anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder and disruptive mood dysregulation disorder (DMDD).
“With these mental health issues I found it hard to describe to my boys why Mummy was having a hard time or maybe not in the best mood. As both my boys are true lovers of books, I started to search for a children’s book to explain to them both my behaviour and actions when my anxiety is good or bad. After months of finding only adult content around this topic, I decided I write my own children’s book. This is where my first book, Mummy will be ok started.”
Episode 16
Glen Phillips on poetry & painting
Professor Glen Phillips is a remarkably prolific West Australian poet and painter with over 50 books now published and a career spanning many decades. Here, he talks to Writing WA’s Will Yeoman about his rural upbringing, his teaching career and the many and varied influences on his work.
Episode 17
Author AJ Betts on One Song & many novels
A.J. Betts is a Fremantle-based author, speaker, teacher, columnist and cyclist. Her latest work is a fun realistic novel called One Song, about a teenage band trying to record a song to enter into the prestigious Triple J Unearthed High competition.
Her earlier books include the two-book speculative fiction series comprising Hive and Rogue (Pan Macmillan 2018, 2019) and Zac & Mia (Text Publishing 2013), which is available in 14 countries and was made into an Emmy Award-winning Hollywood television series in 2017/2018.
Wavelength and Shutterspeed were published by Fremantle Press in 2010 and 2008. In 2019, A.J. was awarded a PhD on the topic of wonder (Edith Cowan University), and won the inaugural Western Australian Premier’s Fellowship. A J. is originally from Queensland but has lived in Western Australia since 2004.
Hosted by Writing WA Chair Lesley Reece AM.
Episode 18
Helen Hagemann & The Five Lives of Ms Bennett
Will Yeoman and our next guest Helen Hagemann discuss self-publishing her novel The Five Lives of Ms Bennett, writing residencies and the rise of AI.
Helen Hagemann has poetry and prose published in major Australian literary journals, including Westerly, Southerly, Cordite, and internationally in a Chinese Publication, … Hymn, Ashbery Mode (Tinfish, Hawaii 2019) and her latest poetry can be found in Phillip Hall’s Burrow 2021).
In 2004, she won an ASA poetry mentorship studying with NSW poet, Jean Kent. In 2008, she won a Macquarie /Varuna Longlines Poetry Scholarship with her manuscript Evangelyne & Other Poems published in 2009 in the Australian Poetry Centre’s New Poet Series (Melbourne). In 2013, of Arc & Shadow was published by Sunline Press, Cottesloe WA. Helen holds a Masters in Writing from Edith Cowan University, writes reviews and has been accepted into writing residencies throughout the world. She is currently working on a children’s collection of poetry titled Miniscule, a prose poetry collection /cross media platform on Instagram titled Bounty. Helen’s debut novel, The Last Asbestos Town, was published in May 2020 by Adelaide Books, New York USA. and her second novel The Ozone Café was published in December 2021, also by Adelaide Books. Her new novel is The Five Lives of Ms Bennett. Her books can be found on Amazon.
Episode 19
Kris Williams on the Children’s Book Council of Australia (WA Branch)
Kris Williams is President of the WA Branch of the Children’s Book Council of Australia. On this occasion, Kris is in conversation with Writing WA’s chair, Lesley Reece. Kris and Lesley have known each other for many years, and both have extensive experience in advocating for children’s literature. A must-listen, therefore, for anyone interested in children’s literature and book illustration.
Episode 20
Peter Dowding on Secret Agent, Unsung Hero
Young Australian teacher Bruce Dowding arrived in Paris in 1938, planning only to improve his understanding of French language and culture. Peter Dowding and Ken Spillman’s new book Secret Agent, Unsung Hero draws on decades of research to reveal, for the first time, his coming of age as a leader in escape and evasion during World War II. Dowding helped exfiltrate hundreds of Allied servicemen from occupied France and paid the ultimate price. He was beheaded by the Nazis just after his 29th birthday in 1943.
Peter Dowding is the nephew of Bruce Dowding. He is a prominent Australian lawyer and a former Western Australian Premier. Ken Spillman holds a PhD in history and is a prolific Australian author. His work spans many genres.
Episode 21
Laurie Steed on his new memoir Love, Dad
Laurie Steed talks to Will Yeoman about Laurie’s new memoir Love, Dad, which explores what it means to be a father in the twenty-first century and is a must-read for all anxious parents, sons and writers!
Episode 22
Jenny Simpson & AWESOME Festival 2023
The AWESOME International Arts Festival for Bright Young Things (the AWESOME Festival) is presented annually in the Perth Cultural Centre. This year, it runs from Tuesday 26 to Saturday 30 September.
AWESOME CEO Jenny Simpson tells Writing WA’s Will Yeoman why the Festival’s literature program is just as AWESOME as everything else the Festival showcases, such as theatre, creative workshops, ballet, music, exhibitions and a whole range of free activities!
AWESOME is committed to presenting high-quality, layered programming for children aged 0 – 12 and their families.
Episode 23
Poet Emily Bridget Taylor on her debut collection, Remedy
Emily Bridget Taylor is a poet, artist, writer, and teacher from Whadjuk Noongar country (Perth, Western Australia).
In 2021, Emily began sharing her poetry on Instagram for the first time. What followed was a surprising, magical journey in which her words and images took flight in all different corners of the world, connecting specifically with women. It inspired her to keep creating and sharing her work, and lead to her writing love notes about the creative life alongside her poems, as another online offering.
Soon after this, Emily won a position in the Four Centres Emerging Writers Program 2022-2023, working with Katharine Susannah Prichard Writing Centre and Fremantle Press to develop her first full collection of poetry.
In 2022, Remedy, her debut poetry collection, was released. Remedy tells a poignant tale of love, loss, and redemption, and features stunning illustrations by Perth designer Claire Daley.
Hosted by Will Yeoman.
Episode 24
Gemma Nisbet on The Things We Live With
A former staff travel writer and current books columnist for The West Australian, Gemma Nisbet teaches travel writing at Curtin University and recently completed a PhD in Creative Writing at UWA. Her first book, The Things We Live With, is published by Upswell. Here, she is in conversation with Writing WA’s Will Yeoman.
Listen to Episode 24
Episode 25
Poet Lisa Collyer on her debut collection, How to Order Eggs Sunny Side Up
Lisa Collyer is a poet and educator living and working in Boorloo (Perth). She writes poetry about women’s bodies like the jagged edge of a can opened-up. She has been published in Westerly, Cordite, Rabbit, Australian Poetry Anthology and more. She was an Inspire writer-in-residence with The National Trust of WA and was short-listed for The Dorothy Hewett Award for her unpublished manuscript. Her debut collection, How to Order Eggs Sunny Side Up, was recently published by Life Before Man, the poetry imprint of Gazebo Books. Lisa talks to Writing WA’s Will Yeoman.
Listen to Episode 25
Episode 26
Anthea Hodgson on her latest novel, The War Nurses
In 1941, country girls Minnie Hodgson and Margot McNee set sail from Perth, Australia, for Singapore in search of adventure, full of excitement and keen to do their part working as nurses to the fallen soldiers in a time of war. What they encounter is an army of new friends and the terrors of a city under siege.
When the Japanese attack and Singapore falls, they are forced to flee aboard the Vyner Brooke. The ship is bombed, resulting in utter devastation. Separated in the mayhem, one group of nurses find themselves in prisoner-of-war camps for the duration of the war, surviving on their wits, with humour, dignity, loyalty and determination. But another group of young Australian nurses – the girls on the beach – are washed ashore on Bangka Island, where they will meet a fate that must never be forgotten.
Inspired by the author’s own family story, The War Nurses is an unforgettable novel of enduring friendship and boundless courage, based on the shocking true events of the Bangka Island Massacre. It is both a riveting tale and an important tribute to our brave nurses who sacrificed so much during World War II.
Anthea Hodgson is in conversation with Writing WA’s Will Yeoman.
Listen to Episode 26
Episode 27
Simon Miraudo on the history of film censorship in Australia
BLASPHEMY AND HORROR! SAUCY SWEDES! LUKE SKYWALKER’S CHARRED AUNT & UNCLE!
Australia has censored it all.
Did you know Aussie audiences were originally denied bona fide classics The Night of the Hunter, Breathless and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (to name just a few out of literal hundreds), or that Australians initially saw a watered-down version of Star Wars in cinemas?
Simon Miraudo’s Book of the Banned is a rigorous, rollicking, riotous and righteously-furious jaunt through film history that reveals the shocking stories behind Australia’s classification system and how your favourite movies have been snipped down under, featuring interviews with Margaret Pomeranz, David Stratton, a bunch of ‘banned’ filmmakers and even their censors.
Like any good story, there are heroes, anti-heroes, unexpected criminals and downright dastardly villains, though they’re not always whom you’d expect. But by discussing the movies, scenes and lines of dialogue deemed too extreme for Aussie eyes and ears, we can see how far we’ve come in Australia… and how far we have to go.
Simon Miraudo is in conversation with Writing WA’s Will Yeoman.
Listen to Episode 27
Episode 28
Poet Rose van Son on nature, art & and the natural art of poetry
Rose van Son is an acclaimed prize-winning poet with numerous poetry collections to her name. But she is also a person of deep culture, who draws inspiration for her work from music, art, photography, sculpture, nature, history and, of course, language itself. Here, she sits down with Writing WA CEO Will Yeoman at the State Library of WA to discuss just some aspects of her multifaceted approach to the art and craft of poetry.
Listen to Episode 28
Episode 29
Alan Fyfe on his novel T and the poetic life
Alan Fyfe is originally from Mandurah, Australia, the unceded country of the Binjareb Nation, whose verse and prose can be found in Westerly, Overland, Australian Poetry Journal, and Cottonmouth. He was an inaugural editor of UWA creative writing journal, Trove, and a prose editor for American web journal, Unlikely Stories. He is a winner of the Karl Popper Philosophy Award, was shortlisted for the Judith Wright Poetry Prize, commended in the Tom Collins Poetry Prize, and has been selected as a WA Poets’ Inc Emerging Poet for 2022/23. In manuscript form, T has received shortlistings for both the T.A.G Hungerford Prize (Australia) and the Chaffinch Press Aware Prize (Ireland). Alan is currently a PhD candidate at the University of Western Australia, where he is writing a novel in chiastic structure.
Alan is in conversation with Writing WA CEO Will Yeoman.
Listen to Episode 29
Episode 30
Ian Reid on his new poetry collection, Breaking the Surface
Breaking the Surface celebrates West Australian novelist and poet Ian Reid’s return to the genre of poetry after a decade-long deviation into fiction, which included five novels along with numerous short stories.
Earlier versions of a few of the poems appeared in previous books but most are recent, published during the last couple of years in a wide range of Australian and international journals and anthologies. Several have been finalists in prize competitions, winning awards or receiving commendations or short-listings. Ian is in conversation with Writing WA’s Will Yeoman.
Episode 31
Natalie Damjanovich-Napoleon: If There Is a Butterfly That Drinks Tears
If There Is a Butterfly That Drinks Tears is the second full-length collection from award-winning poet Natalie Damjanovich-Napoleon.
Exploring one the most personal and politically charged experiences in many women’s lives — motherhood — this collection of poems was born within the vortex of America’s changing social landscape as Obama’s message of inclusion gave way to a wave of Trump emboldened exclusion.
Using various poetic styles ranging from the avant-garde techniques of erasure and cut-up poetry to re- working of traditional forms such as the ghazal, pantoum and sestina, the work encourages the reader to venture beyond the clichés of motherhood to not only explore its intimacy and beauty, but its deep and abiding contradictions.
Exploring subject matter such as the choices we make to become mothers or not, the contents of a little boy’s pockets on wash day, fractured hearts, broken tea cups, and the destruction of a butterfly chrysalis by a toddler joyfully oblivious to consequence, If There Is a Butterfly That Drinks Tears is an unvarnished and revealing recounting of one woman’s journey through motherhood.
Hosted by Writing WA’s Will Yeoman.
Episode 32
Rhuwina Griffiths on Life Writing
Rhuwina Griffiths is a Perth-based ghost-writer who writes life stories and memoirs. She also teaches life story writing either one-on-one or in small groups. She runs in-person and online training courses and is an accredited Guided Autobiography facilitator. She is passionate about helping people write about their life’s journey. If your birth certificate says you were born and your death certificate says you’ve died, it is your life writing that says how you’ve lived. Rhuwina is in conversation with Writing WA’s Will Yeoman.
Episode 33
Katharine Susannah Prichard Writers’ Centre
This week on Podstreet we chat with KSP’s Chair Kate Driver & Coordinator Sofija Stevanovic about the history and activities of this this beautiful writers’ centre in the Perth Hills. Hosted by Will Yeoman.
Episode 34
Louise Helfgott on Thistledown Seed
Louise Helfgott is an award-winning writer with a PhD in Creative Writing from Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Western Australia. She has had an extensive body of work published and plays produced.
Interweaving fiction and memoir in multiple threads, Thistledown Seed (Brandl & Schlesinger) follows the displacement and violence of the Holocaust for a Polish family who subsequently settle in Western Australia. In this deeply moving account, Louise Helfgott explores another side of her family’s tragic past made famous in the Oscar-winning movie, Shine. The floating thistledown seed is like the diaspora of the Jewish people who were scattered around the world as a result of the Holocaust.
Louise is in conversation with Writing WA CEO Will Yeoman.
Episode 35
Penny Thomas on Travel Writing
Penny Thomas is a travel writer, photographer & podcast producer with Seven West Media, The West Australian & West Travel Club. She talks to Writing WA CEO & freelance travel writer Will Yeoman about the art and craft of, surprise surprise, travel writing.
Episode 36
Mogens Johansen on the transition from photography to writing
Join Writing WA CEO Will Yeoman and Mogens Johansen as they discuss how Mogens became a travel writer after several decades working as a press photographer.
Episode 37
Andrew O’Connell on Eventyr: 12 Tales of Dread and Horror
Perth writer, playwright & director Andrew O’Connell’s Eventyr series of books takes a dark turn in this new and fourth collection, opening the box on human experiences we normally prefer to shun: fear, disgust, terror, and the uncanny. These stories ask: What if nothing is as it seems and life as we know it is only ever moments away from descending into chaos? Andrew is in conversation with Writing WA’s CEO Will Yeoman.
Episode 38
Children’s book author Tracey Dembo
Tracey Dembo is a children’s author who is passionate about encouraging big questions, daring dreams and wild imaginations. She believes in the power of good stories, well-timed jokes and freshly baked cakes.
Tracey lives in sunny Perth – on Whadjuk Noongar Boodjar – where there are many excellent beaches. When she is not writing or sitting on a beach (or writing while sitting on a beach) she likes to spend time with her family and friends. Tracey loves that her official job as an author involves inventing lots of mischief and nonsense. In her other life as a lawyer and a community-based director, she does not do that. Ever.
Tracey is in conversation with Writing WA’s Laurie Steed.
Episode 39
Dr Bruce Powell on the (new) writing life
Dr Bruce Powell was Australia’s longest-serving State Director of Organ and Tissue Donation, a highly experienced Anaesthetist, and Head of Department in Intensive Care Unit at Rockingham Hospital, Western Australia.
In 2018, Bruce’s medical career was ended by a terrible cycling accident. Luck was with him that day and despite his multiple injuries, he survived. Major brain trauma, along with shattered chest, hands, spine and jaw, has ended his working life and remains a daily challenge.
Bruce feels that he has been gifted precious time to explore a broad range of exciting, stimulating topics. And especially to focus on his writing. In this episode of Podstreet, Bruce talks to Writing WA’s Will Yeoman about the joys and challenges of becoming a writer following a life-changing accident.
Episode 40
Sasha Wasley on Snapshots from Home
Sasha Wasley is a prolific novelist from Perth. But her family has strong connections to York, in WA’s Avon Valley. And it’s here where not only is Sasha’s latest novel Snapshots from Home set, but where she’ll be conducting a literary walking tour as part of York Festival and York Regional Writers Weekend (April 12-14). Here, she talks to Writing WA CEO Will Yeoman about the stories behind the book and her favourite York locations.
Episode 41
Danielle Linder & the Red Dragon Trilogy
Western Australian-based writer Danielle Linder’s gripping (and often very funny!) third book in the Red Dragon trilogy, In Seaglass, is now available. She talks to Writing WA CEO Will Yeoman about writing urban fantasy and the transformative nature of role playing.
Episode 42
Michael Trant: from the paddock to the page
Michael Trant talks to Writing WA CEO Will Yeoman about his latest novel, No Trace, and the forthcoming York Regional Writers Weekend (13-14 April, 2024).
Episode 43
John Kinsella Live at Mattie Furphy House
John Kinsella discusses ghosts, memory, the West Australian Wheatbelt & the recently released third volume of his Collected Poems in this conversation between John and Writing WA’s CEO Will Yeoman took place before a live audience at Mattie Furphy House, Swanbourne, on 18 April 2024. Special thanks to the Fellowship of Australian Writers (WA) for their permission to record the event and make it available to the public. (Picture Credit: Tracy Ryan)
Episode 44
Stephen Scourfield & Will Yeoman at New Norcia
This in-depth conversation was captured in front of a live audience during a recent photography and writing workshop weekend at New Norcia, Australia’s only monastic town, about 130km north of Perth. Stephen is a novelist, spoken word performer and Travel Editor at The West Australian. Will is CEO at Writing WA.
Episode 45
WA Premier’s Book Awards Special: Jill Griffiths
WA author and journalist Jill Griffiths talks to Writing WA’s Laurie Steed about her shortlisted book, What’s for Dinner? The pair talk about modern agriculture, consumer responsibilities and being kinder to the planet.
Episode 46
Print Interview: WA author Stephen Daisley on his WA Premier’s Book of the Year shortlisted novel, A Better Place
Writing WA’s Laurie Steed talks to Stephen Daisley about nature, war, masculinity and more in this special print interview of Podstreet.
Episode 47
WA Premier’s Book Awards Special: Viki Cramer
In the third in our series of interviews with WA Premier’s Prize for Book of the Year shortlisted authors, Laurie Steed talks to Viki Cramer about her book, The Memory of Trees.
Episode 48
Special Edition Podstreet: Love To Read Local Fictional Flashbacks Winners!
Sponsored by Raine Square, this year’s Love to Read Local Week flash fiction competition, Fictional Flashbacks, had an enormous response. Will Yeoman interviews the winners, whose stories you can view on the Literary Map of WA.
Episode 49
Chair of PEN International’s Writers in Prison Committee, Ma Thida
For this special episode of Podstreet, Writing WA’s Laurie Steed speaks with award-winning dissident writer and human rights activist from Myanmar, Ma Thida.
Ma Thida is an award-winning dissident writer and human rights activist from Myanmar. She spent six years in prison in the 1990s, which she wrote about in her acclaimed memoir, Prisoner of Conscience: My Steps through Insein. In the book she details her use of vipassana meditation to get her through the untold hardships of jail.
Ma Thida has published more than a dozen books as well as short stories and she has worked as an editor and a surgeon. She was awarded the PEN/Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write Award and the Reebok Human Rights Award and is currently the chair of PEN International’s Writers in Prison Committee.
Episode 50
The Marvel-ous Amanda Bridgeman
Writing WA’s Laurie Steed meets the protean award-winning novelist and screenwriter, Amanda Bridgeman.
West Australian author Amanda Bridgeman is a two-time Scribe Award winner, a two-time Tin Duck Award winner, an Aurealis and Ditmar Awards finalist, and author of several novels and short stories. She is also a screenwriter. Her original fiction includes the sci-fi crime thriller The Subjugate, which is being developed for TV by Anonymous Content (True Detective) and Aquarius Films (Lion). Amanda’s media tie-in fiction includes that written for Marvel (X-Men), Black Library (Warhammer 40k), and Z-Man Games (Pandemic).
Listen to Episode 50
Episode 51
Baran Rostamian on her debut poetry collection, Woven Frays
Baran Rostamian talks to Will Yeoman about her writing process and what it means to be a poet in today’s world.
Baran Rostamian is a poet and writer based in Perth, Western Australia. As the child of first-generation immigrants, Baran was born in Esfahan, Iran, and first attended kindergarten unable to speak English. The subject swiftly became her favourite. In her spare time, Baran repurposes junk into accessories. You can follow her on Instagram @baran.writes & @trashy.com.au.
Baran’s debut poetry collection Woven Frays is published by Red River in partnership with Centre for Stories.
Listen to Episode 51
Episode 52
Author/Illustrator Chloe Stephens on sloths & talking hands
Laurie Steed meets West Australian author and illustrator Chloe Stephens, whose books promote mental developmental growth and Auslan education.
Chloe Stephens is local to Western Australia. She is a mother, a creative queen and an energy ball. Her first book Where Does Sloth Belong? Originated from a story she would tell her daughter at bedtime. Both of them love sloths a lot and this story helped her daughter be resilient while she was still finding her place in the world.
During this time Chloe studied Australian Sign Language. Realising there were not many Auslan books which included a story and signs (normally just a sign per page) Chloe’s goal was to fill this gap in the market. Thus, she created My Talking Hands to educate and encourage Auslan and understanding of the Deaf community.
Chloe has now published four books in total. Her goal is to advocate for positive mental developmental growth not just for children but their families too. She wants to shine light on one of Australia’s native languages, Auslan, while having fun along the way.
Listen to Episode 52
Episode 53
Chenée Marrapodi and dancing on and off the page
This week on Podstreet, Laurie Steed talks to versatile writer, journalist and podcaster, Chenée Marrapodi.
Chenée Marrapodi is an Australian writer, journalist and podcaster. She has worked in media for many years, currently for Channel Nine News, and formerly as a reporter for Channel Seven’s Today Tonight, as well as online news and radio. Chenée’s love of words is rivalled only by her love of dance. Her books, One Wrong Turn and Breaking Pointe, are the perfect combination of the two.
Listen to Episode 53
Episode 54
Travel Destinations for Bookworms
This week, Will Yeoman joins West Travel Club team members Stephen Scourfield and Megan French on The Pod Well Travelled for a Podstreet with a difference …
As travel writers Stephen Scourfield and Megan French wander gracefully through literary landscapes, Will Yeoman stumbles from one vague memory to another as he tries to recapture the magic and mystery of some of his favourite cultural travel destinations. With thanks to presenter Megan French and producer Penny Thomas (The Pod Well Travelled).
Listen to Episode 54
Episode 55
Sian Baker & Margaret River Readers & Writers Festival
Writing WA’s Laurie Steed recently caught up with Sian Baker, Artistic Director of one of this country’s great writers’ festivals.
Sian fell in love with the Margaret River region on her first visit many years ago and is now proud to call the region home. She has worked extensively in the festival space creating, programming and producing highly successful festivals and has run marketing and communications companies in both the UK and Australia. She is passionate about creating events that give audiences positive lasting experiences and that deliver real impact and support for local communities.
Listen to Episode 55
Episode 56
An interview with new Stella Chair, Megan McCracken
Writing WA’s Partnerships & Developoment Manager Laurie Steed was excited to catch up recently with West Australian-based Stella Chair, Megan McCracken.
Stella is a major voice for gender equality and cultural change in Australian literature. Founded in 2012, the organisation’s flagship program is the annual Stella Prize – a major literary award celebrating Australian women’s writing. Stella also delivers a suite of year-round initiatives which actively champion Australian women writers, tackle gender bias in the literary sector, and connect outstanding books with readers.
Writing WA is Western Australia’s peak body for the writing sector.
Episode 57
A conversation with Raf Gonzalez
As a companion piece to our review of Raf’s debut collection Viciously Poetic, Will Yeoman talks to the Perth poet about art, anime and Aztecs.
Raf Gonzalez is a Latino multi-disciplinary artist; born and raised in Perth, he comes from a family of migrants who moved from El Salvador to Western Australia during the Salvadoran Civil War. Raf is a proud Aspie whose work highlights often-marginalized diverse identities, raising them from supporting character to protagonist, and giving them the agency they often aren’t afforded. Raf has been supported by DADAA and the Centre for Stories with his writing.
Raf talks to Writing WA CEO Will Yeoman at the State Library of WA.
Episode 58
Class, brass & bias with writer Jen Bowden
In this week’s episode, host Laurie Steed covers a lot of ground with Jen, from her early days growing up in County Durham, England, to her academic journey at Edinburgh University and City University in London. Laurie and Jen chat about her move to Western Australia in 2017 and her experiences working in the local publishing industry, including her time at Fremantle Press. Jen shares her insights on the importance of smaller independent publishers for debut writers, her passion for playing the cornet in brass bands, and her PhD research on biases against Northern writers in the UK book industry. They also touch on the differences between the literary communities in Perth and Brisbane, and Jen offers some great advice for emerging writers on the importance of networking and building connections within the writing community.
Episode 59
A creative conversation with Clare Travis
This week, Laurie Steed talks to creativity coach Clare Travis about career & mindset coaching for creative practitioners such as writers.
Clare Travis has been supporting creative practitioners through coaching and workshops to achieve fulfilling and sustainable careers in the arts since 2019. The qualities and skills she brings to her coaching practice include compassion, a non-judgemental approach, and a deep interest in people and what makes us tick. She possesses a keen ability to listen deeply, help clients draw out new insights and celebrate successes. She is also an accomplished workshop facilitator and public speaker, and her qualifications include a BA(Hons), GradCertBusAdmin and Certificate of Professional Coaching, accredited by the International Coaching Federation.
Episode 60
A. G. Charlton & Taking Flight: Tomes of Ascension
This week, Writing WA’s Will Yeoman enters the realms of fantasy with debut West Australian author and veteran Dungeon Master Andrew Charlton.
Episode 61
Simon Harding & a novel way to connect writers with readers
Fabel is a not-for-profit, blockchain-based marketplace for stories that balances the needs of both writers and readers. Will Yeoman speaks with its CEO, Simon Harding.
Episode 62
Children’s book author-illustrator Kylie Howarth on being part-fish & living the dream
This week on Writing WA’s official podcast, Laurie Steed talks to award-winning author & illustrator Kylie Howarth.
Episode 63
Author Joanne Morrell on publishing, podcasting, travelling and her debut novel
This week on Podstreet, Will Yeoman talks to Joanne Morrell about what being a hybrid author means (hint: it’s nothing to do with hybrid publishing). Jo’s debut novel, written under the name of Zara Ellen, is The Writer, The Hairdresser, and The Nurse.
Episode 64
The Perspicacious Per Henningsgaard
This week on Podstreet, Will Yeoman catches up with Curtin University’s Dr Per Henningsgaard to talk about Per’s lifelong obsession with books and publishing.
Episode 65
Shelley Timms & the Beauty of Horror
This week on Podstreet, Laurie Steed chats with emerging writer & current Writing WA intern, Shelley Timms.
Shelley Timms is an emerging writer from Perth, Western Australia, with a focus on thriller, crime, and horror. She was on the judging panel for the Aurealis Awards Horror Short Story category in 2023 and has been published by Nightmare Fuel magazine and KSP Writer’s Centre. Her flash fiction piece ‘Seat 7A’ was shortlisted for the Love to Read Local Week Fictional Flashbacks Competition and can be found on the Love to Read Local Literary Map of WA.
Episode 66
A Visit to the New & Improved Beaufort Street Books
Writing WA’s Laurie Steed catches up with bookseller and storeowner Jane Seaton at the magnificent new home of Beaufort Street Books in Mt Lawley.
Episode 67
Bernice Barry: from history to fiction
This week, Writing WA’s Professional Development Manager speaks with WA author Bernice Barry about her debut novel, Sarah Evans.
Episode 68
Suzanne Ingelbrecht & the story of a strange children’s book trilogy
This week on Podstreet, Will Yeoman speaks with West Australian playwright & children’s author Suzanne Ingelbrecht about her Tumblagooda trilogy.
Episode 69
Fionna Cosgrove on writing compelling fiction for middle-grade readers
Writing WA CEO Will Yeoman meets the author of the Twisted Trails series and Sadie & the Secret of the Swamp, Fionna Cosgrove.
Episode 70
Josh Kemp & embarking on a life of (fictional) crime
WA gothic fiction author Josh Kemp catches up with Writing WA intern Shelley Timms for a wide-ranging discussion on the art of fiction and the gothic qualities of the West Australian outback.
Episode 71
Amanda Niehaus on science, creativity & making the most of the time we have
For this special episode of Writing WA’s Podstreet, Laurie Steed talks to Dr Amanda Niehaus, a biologist & the author of The Breeding Season.
Episode 72
Katrina Kell on academic nudes & truth telling
Writing WA Chair Lesley Reece AM talks to a remarkable West Australian author with more than one remarkable story to tell.
Episode 73
Telling Stories with PRIDE
This week on Podstreet, some of the Stories with Pride Top 8 authors read their short but powerful stories.
Episode 74
The unique highs and lows of navigating a different neurotype
This week on Podstreet, Shannon Britza has a delightfully neurodivergent discourse with Sofija Stevanovic in honour of ADHD Awareness Month.
Episode 75
Jessica Mudditt: writing & publishing with passion
This week, Writing WA CEO catches up with author and publisher Jessica Mudditt to talk self-publishing, journalism, and writing your dream.
Episode 76
Howard Gray on the Houtman Abrolhos Islands
This week on Writing WA’s dedicated podcast, host Will Yeoman talks to self-described “Abrolhogist” Howard Gray about his latest book, Abrolhos: Keep Your Eyes Open.
Episode 77
Rachael Johns & The Bad Bridesmaid
This week, host Will Yeoman talks to bestselling Australian author Rachael Johns about her latest novel and second foray into the romcom genre.
QUANTUM WORDS FESTIVAL PERTH
Anthony James in conversation with Jo Chandler
During the 2019 Quantum Words Perth Festival, local facilitator, writer & podcaster Anthony James spoke with award-winning journalist Jo Chandler. Jo has grappled with media and climate disruption on the front line, and shares powerful thoughts on the stories that need to be told, and how we can continue to tell them. Their conversation is available to listen to on Anthony’s The RegenNarration website.
Recorded Live at Quantum Words Perth: The Ocean
The ocean is the backdrop to many Australian childhoods. In this conversation, which took place at the Quantum Words Perth festival of science writing, Nov 2019, marine biologist Paul E. Hardisty, historian Joy McCann, and poet Caitlin Maling talk to David Whish-Wilson about our knowledge of and emotional connection to the ocean.
Recorded Live at Quantum Words Perth: Gun Barrels and Blood Stains
This conversation was recorded at the Quantum Words Perth festival in November 2019. Speakers include forensic scientist and author Lynne Milne, and crime writers Ron Elliott and Felicity Young. The session is chaired by David Whish-Wilson.
Quantum Words Perth: Alternative Facts – writing about science in a post-truth world
This session was recorded at the Quantum Words Perth festival in November 2019. Speakers include former WA State Scientist and neuroscientist Lyn Beazley AO, leading climate scientist Joelle Gergis, and Walkley Award-winning journalist Jo Chandler. The conversation is chaired by Quantum Words Perth co-director, Jane McCredie.
Science Friction with Natasha Mitchell, ABC Radio National, Australian Broadcasting Corporation: Thinking Outside the Square
Three acclaimed artists & performers pushing at the boundaries of the imagination and the possibilities of science – NYC rapper Baba Brinkman, Melbourne poet Alicia Sometimes, Perth biological artist Oron Catts – join Natasha Mitchell at the Quantum Words Perth Festival.
A Whole Lot of Poo! – featured on Science Friction with Natasha Mitchell, ABC Radio National
Kids love it. Comedians make us laugh about it. Adults hide from talking about it. Freud had a field day with it. Doctors diagnose it. Surgeons help us keep it flowing. Join Natasha and guests – children’s author & illustrator James Foley of S.Tinker Inc kid’s series acclaim, colorectal surgeon & author of The Happy Bowel, Michael Levitt, and psychologist and author of The Psychology of the Bathroom, Nick Haslam – talking all matters faecal & flatulence at the 2019 Quantum Words Perth festival.
