Cirrus@Austlit

'Just days before COVID-19 sent us all home, Josephine Taylor and Catherine Noske jumped into the studio with Fremantle Press for an episode of Love To Read Local Radio. The two friends are best known in Western Australia’s literary community as editors of the journal Westerly and as academics and mentors, but this episode provided an opportunity to celebrate the release of Catherine’s debut book The Salt Madonna and to foreground Josephine’s forthcoming novel Eye of a Rook.' (Introduction)

'What do you get when you put two criminal masterminds together? David Whish-Wilson and Pol Koutsakis talking books! In this fascinating episode, the pair discuss the hero – or antihero – in Pol’s two books, Athenian Blues and Baby Blue. Stratos Gazis, an ‘ethical hitman’, has a moral code that controls his choices and leads to intrigue. David’s PI Frank Swann is in a similar boat, falling into the thick of criminal dealings when all he wants is a simple, happy life as a family man.

'The authors discuss how the prevailing sense of place in their novels is an integral part of their writing – Athens during the financial crisis for Pol, and Perth, Western Australia, for David. Then they go international to discuss their experiences of working with European publishing houses. Pol shares the intricacies of translating his own work into English and David talks about the German translation of one of his books.' (Production summary)

'In this fascinating podcast, poet and academic Bron Bateman interviews fellow poets Caitlin Maling and Reneé Pettitt-Schipp about the unexpected parallels between their recent collections, which are both tied to their fathers and to the ocean.

'Reneé’s debut collection, The Sky Runs Right Through Us, won the WA Premier's Book Award for an Emerging Writer, and recalls her turbulent time spent on the Cocos Islands during her work with asylum seekers. She talks about how being surrounded by the constant flow of the tide created an environment where she felt stuck in a state of flux – and resented the violent space that the ocean became.

'In contrast, Caitlin talks about how the ocean is a place of comfort for her, as her childhood was spent either surfing with her dad, or fishing with her stepdad. In her writing, and in particular in her collection Fish Song, the ocean underscores the stories she tells as a stable constant in her life.

'The poets discuss how, although each has a different way of articulating their experience, their stories of humanity, of love and loss, are the crucial secret to having their poetry universally understood.' (Production summary)

'Sara Foster and Alexander Thorpe have never met, but this podcast feels like the meeting of kindred spirits. From the classic mysteries of Agatha Christie and Josephine Tey to the police procedurals of Val McDermid and the atmospheric psychological thrillers of Nicci French, their discussion of their favourite books is a masterclass in international crime reads.' (Production summary)

'It has been an amazing two months of Love to Read Local Radio, and today’s episode is no different. We’ve brought together Madelaine Dickie (Red Can Origami), Helen Milroy (Backyard Birds) and Brenton E. McKenna (Ubby’s Underdogs Series) to discuss why they love to tell stories.

'Helen says she’s always loved storytelling and would write in transit during her day job as a children’s psychiatrist. She was always fascinated by stories growing up, and she attributes this to her Indigenous background, where storytelling was always important. ‘Storytelling is a unique way to understanding your place in the world and understanding the world.’ In her work with children, she noticed that many were struggling with the negative associations placed on them and wanted to change that by showcasing the emotional gifts of children as something positive.

'Brenton recounts how he struggled with reading as a kid and how falling in love with comic books changed the way he saw reading. The Ubby’s Underdogs books are graphic novels inspired by the ghost stories he grew up with, and the life of his grandmother and her thirteen siblings. He says that a female superhero is rare, let alone an Indigenous one, and he had to fight for Ubby’s voice to be heard.' (Production summary)

'A.J. Betts had the idea for Hive eight years before she commenced writing it and 13 years before it was released. In between, she published three books, won an Emmy Award and did a PhD in the topic of wonder. A.J. said the idea for Hive came to her while she was on the Graham Farmer Freeway in Perth: ‘The traffic was really slow and I noticed the drip in the tunnel and I thought, that’s weird … In what situation would a drip be a problem or a danger?’

'By contrast, Holden Sheppard wrote the first draft of Invisible Boys in two months and within six months had completed and polished a third draft ready for submission into the City of Fremantle Hungerford Award, which he won. Holden said his novel was a tribute to his home town, Geraldton, and he was careful not to write it like a tourist ad, but rather to portray it as he saw it, focusing on its urban landscape rather than its typical portrayal of stunning nature.

'The road to publication might have varied, but both authors agree the success of their books has created a conundrum. How do you juggle day jobs and book promotion while nurturing ideas and writing?

'Holden says, as a debut writer, he feels he can’t say no to anything because he’s afraid that he may never get the same opportunities again, but A.J., with five book tours under her belt, says at some point writers have to get back to what the point is – writing. She says, ‘Writing or presenting and doing interviews all takes from the same basket of energy and it really is one or the other … There are seasons where you are either in promotion or in writing.’' (Production summary)

'What happens when you conference call with four talented Western Australian writers who are equally committed to short fiction as to long? Loads! Hosted by Susan Midalia, this episode of Love to Read Local Radio will give you a wonderful insight into where the urge to write comes from – those turning points in life which compel writers to put words on the page.

'Susan is joined by Emily Paull (Well-behaved Women), Bindy Pritchard (Fabulous Lives) and Donna Mazza (Fauna) to discuss the experience of writing short stories as opposed to that of writing full-length novels. To an outsider, both formats sound terrifying and time-consuming in their own highly specific ways. What you may not know about short stories is they sometimes take longer than novels to write and they are easier to get early feedback on, but that writers may ultimately find short story readers less forgiving than the readers of novels. Add to this a raft of great reading recommendations which range from Randolph Stow to Carol Millner and from Jon Doust to Craig Silvey, and we can guarantee you a taller than usual TBR pile.' (Production summary)

'In Rebecca Higgie’s penultimate episode as host of the Fremantle Press Podcast, we’re talking crime. Veteran crime writer Dave Warner joins the podcast to talk about his fifth book, Over My Dead Body, while new kid on the block Alexander Thorpe discusses his historical cosy crime debut, Death Leaves the Station.'