Melissa Lucashenko writes about big ideas and brutal experiences, but she does so with grace, with generosity and – maybe above all else – a rich sense of humour.




In this episode, from Schwartz Media’s podcast Read This, Michael sits down with Melissa for a conversation about her new book, Edenglassie, and they discuss history, eccentric characters, and why writing a love story is a revolutionary act.




Reading list:

Hard Yards, Melissa Lucashenko, 1999

Too Flash, Melissa Lucashenko, 2002

Mullumbimby, Melissa Lucashenko, 2013

Too Much Lip, Melissa Lucashenko, 2018

Edenglassie, Melissa Lucashenko, 2023




The Fortunes of Richard Mahony, Henry Handel Richardson, 1925

For the Term of His Natural Life, Marcus Clarke, 1874

The Secret Hours, Mick Herron, 2023

Gunflower, Laura Jean McKay, 2023




You can find these books and all the others we mentioned at your favourite independent book store. Or if you want to listen to them as audiobooks, you can head to the Read This reading room on Apple Books.




Socials: Stay in touch with Read This on Instagram and Twitter

Guest: Melissa Lucashenko

Melissa Lucashenko writes about big ideas and brutal experiences, but she does so with grace, with generosity and – maybe above all else – a rich sense of humour. In this episode, from Schwartz Media’s podcast Read This, Michael sits down with Melissa for a conversation about her new book, Edenglassie, and they discuss history, eccentric characters, and why writing a love story is a revolutionary act. Reading list:Hard Yards, Melissa Lucashenko, 1999Too Flash, Melissa Lucashenko, 2002Mullumbimby, Melissa Lucashenko, 2013Too Much Lip, Melissa Lucashenko, 2018Edenglassie, Melissa Lucashenko, 2023 The Fortunes of Richard Mahony, Henry Handel Richardson, 1925For the Term of His Natural Life, Marcus Clarke, 1874The Secret Hours, Mick Herron, 2023Gunflower, Laura Jean McKay, 2023 You can find these books and all the others we mentioned at your favourite independent book store. Or if you want to listen to them as audiobooks, you can head to the Read This reading room on<a href="http://apple.co/readthis"> Apple Books</a>. Socials: Stay in touch with Read This on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/themonthlymagazine/?hl=en">Instagram</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/THEMONTHLY">Twitter</a>Guest: Melissa Lucashenko

An independent daily news show. We feature the country’s best reporters, covering the news as it affects Australia. This is news with narrative, every weekday.

An independent daily news show. We feature the country&rsquo;s best reporters, covering the news as it affects Australia. This is news with narrative, every weekday.

A daily news show from the publisher of The Monthly and The Saturday Paper.

A daily news show from the publisher of The Monthly and The Saturday Paper. Hear from the country’s best reporters, covering the news as it affects Australia. This is news with narrative, every weekday.

Read This: Melissa Lucashenko is the Poet Laureate of Ratbags

After decades of spectacular growth built on property and heavy industry, China has tried to chart a new path – one driven by electric vehicles, green technology and AI. 

But as those bets begin to falter, there are questions about whether China has reached its peak, with stubborn problems like high youth unemployment and an ageing population seemingly intractable.

So as the new year begins, what is Xi Jinping’s plan to course correct? And if he can’t pull it off, what does that mean for Australia?

Today, essayist, translator and author of eleven books on China, Linda Jaivin, on what’s next for one of the world's great superpowers.

 

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

 

Socials:Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Essayist, translator and author of eleven books on China, Linda Jaivin

Photo: REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov/Pool

After decades of spectacular growth built on property and heavy industry, China has tried to chart a new path &ndash; one driven by electric vehicles, green technology and AI.&nbsp;
But as those bets begin to falter, there are questions about whether China has reached its peak, with stubborn problems like high youth unemployment and an ageing population seemingly intractable.
So as the new year begins, what is Xi Jinping&rsquo;s plan to course correct? And if he can&rsquo;t pull it off, what does that mean for Australia?
Today, essayist, translator and author of eleven books on China, Linda Jaivin, on what&rsquo;s next for one of the world's great superpowers.
&nbsp;
If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at <a href="http://7ampodcast.com.au/support">7ampodcast.com.au/support</a>.
&nbsp;
Socials: Stay in touch with us on <a href="http://www.instagram.com/7ampodcast">Instagram</a>
Guest: Essayist, translator and author of eleven books on China, Linda Jaivin
Photo:&nbsp;REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov/Pool

Has China peaked?

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/2fb3740d-3436-44af-8cc0-a91900716aa5/clips/b85d3fbc-21f8-489f-a315-b3b000733fb1/transcript

Like so many of us, Chloe Hooper spent 2025 obsessing over the triple murder trial of Erin Patterson.

It was different to the crimes she’s written about before, in her books The Arsonist and The Tall Man, which was about a death in custody.

For Chloe, it was the domesticity of the mushroom killings, the family dynamic, that drew her in.

But why did this story captivate the country at-large? And what does it say about us, particularly about women, that we are drawn to true crime?

These were some of the questions that drove Chloe, and her friends and colleagues, the writers Helen Garner and Sarah Krasnostein, as they began traveling to the town of Morwell to watch Erin Patterson’s trial.

What followed is The Mushroom Tapes: Conversations on a Triple Murder – a book that wrestles with ideas about power, money, marriage and murder.

Today, Chloe Hooper on what our collective fascination with Erin Patterson tells us about who we are as a country in 2025.

 

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

 

Socials:Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Writer and co-author of The Mushroom Tapes: Conversations on a Triple Murder Chloe Hooper

Photo: AAP Image/Anita Lester

Like so many of us, Chloe Hooper spent 2025 obsessing over the triple murder trial of Erin Patterson.
It was different to the crimes she&rsquo;s written about before, in her books The Arsonist and The Tall Man, which was about a death in custody.
For Chloe, it was the domesticity of the mushroom killings, the family dynamic, that drew her in.
But why did this story captivate the country at-large? And what does it say about us, particularly about women, that we are drawn to true crime?
These were some of the questions that drove Chloe, and her friends and colleagues, the writers Helen Garner and Sarah Krasnostein, as they began traveling to the town of Morwell to watch Erin Patterson&rsquo;s trial.
What followed is The Mushroom Tapes: Conversations on a Triple Murder &ndash; a book that wrestles with ideas about power, money, marriage and murder.
Today, Chloe Hooper on what our collective fascination with Erin Patterson tells us about who we are as a country in 2025.
&nbsp;
If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at <a href="http://7ampodcast.com.au/support">7ampodcast.com.au/support</a>.
&nbsp;
Socials: Stay in touch with us on <a href="http://www.instagram.com/7ampodcast">Instagram</a>
Guest: Writer and co-author of The Mushroom Tapes: Conversations on a Triple Murder Chloe Hooper
Photo:&nbsp;AAP Image/Anita Lester

Why did Erin Patterson captivate the country?

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/2fb3740d-3436-44af-8cc0-a91900716aa5/clips/fe817ed2-4206-4115-8866-b3ae00764813/transcript

One of the big stories of the 2025 election campaign was the wipeout of the Australian Greens. 

In a stunning defeat, they lost three out of their four lower house MPs, including their leader Adam Bandt.

It left the party with big questions, about why they weren’t growing at a time when young people are more progressive than ever.

Now, more than six months out from the election, and under the leadership of Larissa Waters, they are beginning to show some signs of where the party wants to go next. 

Today, Crikey columnist Rachel Withers, on whether the Greens can claw back support, or if they’ve taken the wrong message from their defeat.

 

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

 

Socials:Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest:Crikey columnist Rachel Withers 

Photo: AAP Image/Mick Tsikas

One of the big stories of the 2025 election campaign was the wipeout of the Australian Greens.&nbsp;
In a stunning defeat, they lost three out of their four lower house MPs, including their leader Adam Bandt.
It left the party with big questions, about why they weren&rsquo;t growing at a time when young people are more progressive than ever.
Now, more than six months out from the election, and under the leadership of Larissa Waters, they are beginning to show some signs of where the party wants to go next.&nbsp;
Today,&nbsp;Crikey columnist Rachel Withers, on whether the Greens can claw back support, or if they&rsquo;ve taken the wrong message from their defeat.
&nbsp;
If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at&nbsp;<a href="http://7ampodcast.com.au/support">7ampodcast.com.au/support</a>.
&nbsp;
Socials: Stay in touch with us on <a href="http://www.instagram.com/7ampodcast">Instagram</a>
Guest: Crikey columnist Rachel Withers&nbsp;
Photo:&nbsp;AAP Image/Mick Tsikas

What happened to The Greens this year?

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/2fb3740d-3436-44af-8cc0-a91900716aa5/clips/5f4e1a59-8724-4962-af2d-b3b60064ccc3/transcript

Read This: Melissa Lucashenko is the Poet Laureate of Ratbags

In 1 playlist(s)

7am

Social links

Follow podcast

Recent clips