Interviews

Interview: Elizabeth Kuiper talks Little Stones, Zimbabwe, representation and creative journeys

Earlier this month saw the publication of Elizabeth Kuiper’s debut novel Little Stones. The novel, which draws upon Kuiper’s own childhood experiences, follows the story of Hannah, a young white Zimbabwean as she navigates everyday life in a country under the control of Robert Mugabe.  Following the novel’s release we sat down with Elizabeth to…

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Interview: Ben Okri talks The Freedom Artist and literary festivals

Whilst he was in the country for both Perth Writers Week and Adelaide Writers’ Week, I had the chance to sit down with author, poet and Man Booker Prize winning novelist Ben Okri to chat about his new novel The Freedom Artist. Set in a world uncomfortably like our own, The Freedom Artist is a…

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Interview: Highway Bodies author Alison Evans talks representation, non-binary teens, and a very Aussie apocalypse

Highway Bodies, the second novel from author Alison Evans, hit bookstore shelves earlier this month. AU Reviewer Jodie had the chance to chat to the writer about their latest work, a unique slice of Aussie YA fiction, which pits a diverse group of teens against seemingly impossible, zombie-riddled odds. First, can you tell us a…

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Interview: Festival Director Nikki Anderson talks ahead of the Feminist Writers Festival in Sydney

Next month, some of Australia’s leading feminist writers and thinkers will be heading to Sydney for the Feminist Writers Festival. Held in conjunction with the UTS Centre for Social Justice and Incusion, it will be the first time the festival has been held in Sydney. Over three days, thirteen sessions, and featuring over forty speakers,…

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Interview: Stuart Coupe on recording 200+ hours of interviews with Roadies for his book’s ultimate, AAA pass

Stuart Coupe is part of the (black t-shirt) fabric of Australia’s music industry. In a career spanning four decades, he has worked as an author, journalist, promoter, artist manager, publicist and broadcaster. Coupe has written several books about Australian music. His latest one, Roadies, features stories from the hard-working men and women who toil behind-the-scenes…

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Interview: Matt Haig talks mental health, genre hopping and Notes on a Nervous Planet

Earlier this month, bestselling author Matt Haig was in Australia for the Byron Bay and Bendigo Writers Festivals. Whilst he was in the county we caught up with him to discuss his new non-fiction release Notes on a Nervous Planet, how he manages to juggle so many diverse projects, and whether there are any updates on the…

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Interview: Author Helen Scheuerer talks Reign of Mist, self-publishing, and bookish bromances

Reign of Mist, the second in Sydney based author Helen Scheuerer’s Oremere Chronicles, is set for release next month. Ahead of Bleak and Henri’s return, Helen chatted to Jodie about her self-publishing journey and what readers can expect from the next installment of the YA fantasy series. What can you tell us about Reign of…

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Interview: Zoya Patel on personal culture clashes, Edinburgh cafes, and her debut memoir, No Country Woman

Writer, editor and Feminartsy founder Zoya Patel is just a few days away from releasing her debut essay collection, No Country Woman. Ahead of the book’s launch, Jodie chatted to Zoya about what inspired her to put pen to paper and explore her experiences as a Fijian-Indian-Australian. Could you tell us a little about No…

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Interview: Michael Mohammed Ahmad on his new novel The Lebs and the inspiration behind it

The Lebs is the confronting and compelling new novel from award-winning novelist, editor, and community arts worker Michael Mohammed Ahmad. Following the release of the novel last week we caught up with Michael to discover more about the novel, the inspirations behind it, and his take on the state of diversity in Australian literature. Mohammed’s essays…

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Interview: Benjamin Law talks Boundless Festival, Australian Lit, Agony Aunts and Plebiscites

On Saturday 28th October the Bankstown Arts Centre is to play host to Boundless, a new literary festival bringing together Indigenous and culturally diverse Australian authors, both emerging and established, with readers to help celebrate the changing face of Australian literature. Presented by the NSW Writers’ Centre and Bankstown Arts Centre, Boundless, is a free…

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Interview: Inua Ellams talks about his play An Evening With An Immigrant, poetry and the power of art

Inua Ellams, is a Nigerian-born, award-winning poet, playwright, performer and the founder of The Midnight Run. He has published four books of poetry, including his most recent publication #Afterhours. His plays have toured internationally, and have been performed at England’s The National Theatre, the Edinburgh International Theatre Festival, and at the Perth International Arts Festival earlier this…

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Edie Wright of Magabala Books discusses bringing Indigenous stories into the classroom

Earlier this year it was announced that remote publishing house Magabala Books had teamed up with the Copyright Agency and the Australian Literacy Educators Association to devise a series of specially created teaching resources for 15 Indigenous stories, which will be made available to teachers via the Reading Australia website. The resources were devised and…

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Brian Jay Jones talks Star Wars, George Lucas and the art of the biography

You might have noticed that the world has gone a little bit Star Wars crazy these last couple of months. There’s been novels, movies – just released – memoirs by stars, and now a biography of the creator, the man behind it all – George Lucas. George Lucas: A Life is the new biography from…

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Sydney artist Mulga talks about his new children’s book Mulga’s Magical Musical Creatures

Ahead of the release of his new children’s book Mulga’s Magical Musical Creatures we sat down with Sydney-based street artist, illustrator and poet Mulga (Joel Moore) to find out a little bit more about the new book, how he created those illustrations, and just what makes the perfect children’s book. What was the initial inspiration behind…

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