Cath and Sarah delight in sharing what they loved about Booker Prize winner Samantha Harvey’s short novel, “Orbital” + Cath then settles into a cosy chat to author Melanie Cheng. She’s created a delicate and wise novella in which a family’s grief is articulated and haltingly addressed with the adoption of a pet rabbit. + Michaela enjoys revisiting Margaret Atwood’s enigmatic classic “Alias Grace” with Flinders University Associate Professors, Kylie Cardell and Lisa Bennett. Guests Melanie Cheng, General Practitioner and author of “The Burrow”, “Room for a Stranger” and “Australia Day” Lisa Bennett is Associate Professor of Creative Writing and English at Flinders University. She’s the author of “Viking Women: Life and Lore”. The follow-up volume, “Viking Women: Myth and Magic” is due out this year. Kylie Cardell is Associate Professor of Creative Writing and English at Flinders University. She’s the author of “Dear World: Contemporary Uses of the Diary” and Editor (with Kate Douglas) of “Telling Tales: Autobiography of Childhood and Youth” and she is the essays Editor for the Australian scholarly journal, “Life Writing”.   INSTAGRAM @lisalhannett @kyliesays @text_publishing

Catherine McKinnon’s tense but tender tale, “To Sing of War”, immerses the reader in the lives of three characters strung across the globe during the dying days of World War II …as the days tick towards the detonation of the first nuclear weapon on Hiroshima. + Poet Ken Bolton makes a good case for why British writer Beryl Bainbridge should not be forgotten. + ABC Broadcaster and poet Mike Ladd shares what’s in his tsundoku. Guests Catherine McKinnon, author of “To Sing of War” and the Miles Franklin Award shortlisted “Storyland” Ken Bolton, Australian poet whose most recent collection is titled “Salute” Our Random Reader is ABC broadcaster and poet Mike Ladd Other books that get a mention Catherine McKinnon mentions “The Regeneration Trilogy” by Pat Barker, “Cloud Cukooland” by Anthony Doerr. Ken Bolton mentions Beryl Bainbridge’s books, “An Awfully Big Adventure”, “Injury Time”, “Master Georgie”, “The Birthday Boys”, “Watson’s Apology”, “According to Queeney” and “A Quiet Life”. Mike Ladd mentions “The story of Wy-lah, the cockatoo” by Leslie Rees, “Catch-22” by Joseph Heller, “Selected Poems’ by Elizabeth Bishop, “The Years” by Annie Ernaux, “The Pole and Other Stories” by John Coetzee and “Salt Creek” by Lucy Treloar. INSTAGRAM @cathmckinnonauthor @harpercollinsaustralia

Michaela talks to one of her favourite writers, Robbie Arnott, about “Dusk”; a beautiful and beguiling tale of siblings, so down on their luck they embark on an impossible quest to slay a puma in the Tasmanian highlands and claim a life-changing bounty. Sarah chats to stand-out millennial Hannah Ferguson about her second book, “Taboo: Conversations we never had about sex, body image, work and relationships” Then, the Tsundoku gang gets together to discuss their favourite books of 2024 and the book they’d most like to find in their Christmas stocking. Guests Robbie Arnott, author of “Dusk” Hannah Ferguson, author of “Taboo: Conversations we never had about sex, body image, work and relationships” Other books that get a mention Robbie Arnott also mentions “Creation Lake” by Rachel Kushner, “The Sound of Waves” by Yukio Mishima, “Deep Water; The world in the ocean” by James Bradley, “Old School” by Tobias Wolff and “The Hobbit” by JRR Tolkien Cath mentions “The Red Children”, “The White Children”, “My Driver” and "My Cleaner” by Maggie Gee and Belinda Bauer’s books “Snap”, “Exit”  and “The Impossible Thing” Annie mentions  “The Sea of Tranquility” by Emily St John Mandel,“The Beesting” by Paul Murray, “Caledonian Roads” by Andrew O’Hagan and the Robert Harris books, “Precipice”, “Pompeii” and “Fatherland” Sarah mentions “Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow” by Gabrielle Zevin, “All Fours” by Miranda July, “The Shadow of the Wind” by Carlos Ruiz Zafon and “Stone Yard Devotional” by Charlotte Wood Michaela mentions “Other Houses” by Paddy O'Reilly and “Orbital” by Samantha Harvey INSTAGRAM @robbie_gc_arnott @macmillanaus @hannahferguson_ @affirmpress

Markus Zusak uses words like “challenging” and “ complex” to describe his three dogs, Reuben, Archie and Frosty. In this interview Zusak recounts the joy of remembering his hounds in all their unvarnished glory for this, his first memoir. Also, the challenge of recording his own audio books, the old favourites he likes to read and re-read “forensically”, and which of his favourite books piqued Archie’s literary tastebuds! + Our beloved reviewers of literary classics, Kylie Cardell and Lisa Bennett, return to reassess Louisa May Alcott’s “Little Women”. Kylie has read it many times and Lisa for the first time this year. The tale has obviously endured in our popular culture, movies and vernacular but is it still a “good read”? Guests: Markus Zusak, author of “Three Wild Dogs and the Truth”. Also “The Book Thief”, “Bridge of Clay”, “The Messenger” and the young adult trilogy “The Underdog”, “Fighting Ruben Wolfe” and “When Dogs Cry”. Associate Professor Kylie Cardell teaches and researches life narrative with the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, Flinders University. Associate Professor Lisa Bennett teaches undergraduate and Honours classes in Creative Writing and English, Flinders University. Maddie recounts the books she first fell for as a teenager, her passion for Margaret Atwood’s dystopian creations and a series that explores indigenous knowledge. Other books that get a mention: Annie mentions “Butter” by Asako Yuzuki and “All Fours” by Miranda July. Michaela mentions “Want; Sexual fantasies by anonymous” edited by Gillian Anderson. Markus mentions “Demon Copperhead” by Barbara Kingsolver, “All the Pretty Horses” written by Cormac McCarthy and narrated by Brad Pitt, “Cairo” by Chris Womersley, “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape” by Peter Hedges, “The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay” by Michael Chabon and “Barbarian Days; A surfing life” by William Finnegan Maddie mentions young adult author Margaret Clark, “Puberty Blues” by Gabrielle Carey and Kathy Lette, “The Handmaid’s Tale”, “Oryx & Crake”, “The Year of the Flood” and “MaddAddam” by Margaret Atwood, the six-part “First Knowledges” series, in particular “Astronomy” edited by Margo Neale. INSTAGRAM @markuszusak @macmillanaus @kyliesays @lisahannett ReplyForwardAdd reaction

Sean Williams, author of 5 million words, is famous for his hugely successful forays into the worlds of Star Wars, Dr Who, the Marvel Universe, but did you know he also writes ghost stories for young readers? ”Honour Among Ghosts” and “Her Perilous Mansion” are exciting, mysterious, witty and clever reads, officially for 8-12 year olds, but really for anyone who enjoys a rollicking adventure. + It’s a case of “Art vs Mother’ in two “gloriously unhinged…yet deeply philosophical” novels celebrated by our special guest Associate Professor Kylie Cardell. In “Nightbitch” Rachel Yoder’s protagonist unleashes her inner canine to navigate the new imperatives of motherhood. In “All Fours” Miranda July’s heroine, also at a hormonal crossroad, finds a space to explore who she is and what she will make of her changing reality. Guests Sean Williams, author of “Her Perilous Mansion” and “Honour Among Ghosts”. He’s the NYTimes Bestselling author of 50 books and over 120 short stories. Associate Professor Kylie Cardell teaches and researches life narrative with the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, Flinders University. She's the author of “Dear World: Contemporary Uses of the Diary” and Editor (with Kate Douglas) of “Telling Tales: Autobiography of Childhood and Youth”. She’s also the essays Editor for the Australian scholarly journal, “Life Writing”. Other books that get a mention: Sarah mentions “Shantaram” by Gregory David Roberts. Michaela mentions “Three Wild Dogs and the Truth” by Markus Zusak and Robbie Arnott’s books, “Dusk” and “Limberlost” Sean mentions author Georgette Heyer, his own books “Ink” and “Impossible Music” and the series he co-wrote with Garth Nix, “Troubletwisters” Nikki mentions Hilary Mantel’s books “Wolf Hall” and “Bring up the Bodies” and Anne Patchett’s books “Tom Lake”, “The Dutch House”, “These Precious Days”, “Commonwealth” and “Bel Canto”. She also mentions “Shoe Dog” by Nike’s founder, Phil Knight. INSTAGRAM @allenandunwin @penguinrandomhouse @aucklanduniversitypress @adelaidesean @raijoy @mirandajuly

As Mills and Boon Australia celebrates 50 years of taking readers on journeys of love and lust, Annie speaks with Barbara Hannay about her latest novel, "The Wife's Secret", and Michaela discusses medical romance with Amy Andrews, author of "The Outback Doctor's Surprise Bride".  Guests : Barbara Hannay, author of "The Wife’s Secret" Amy Andrews, author of "The Outback Doctor's Surprise Bride" and co-founder of the "How to Write Academy" (www.howtowriteacademy.teachable.com) Barbara’s recommendations: "Seven Little Australians" by Ethel Turner Amy’s recommendations: "Working Class Boy" and "Working Class Man" by Jimmy Barnes "In Pieces" by Sally Fields  Annie’s recommendations:  "Yellowface" by Rebecca F. Kuang "James" by Percival Everett Michaela’s recommendation: "Other Houses" by Paddy O’Reilly

 Amy Stewart paints a powerful portrait of the human passion for plants in “The Tree Collectors” with fifty different tales of people who, for one fascinating reason or another, devote their life to trees. The book is illustrated with Amy’s vibrant watercolours of the trees and their idiosyncratic owners. Compared in his heyday to Brett Whitely, painter, printmaker, teacher, writer and ornithologist Don Binney (1940–2012) was an artistic icon in New Zealand in the 1960s. His unmistakable, stylised depictions of birds and the Te Henga coastline are imprinted upon the psyche of that nation. Don Binney was a mercurial, eccentric  and often abrasive character whose early brief fame defined his life. In “Don Binney: Flight Path” award-winning author and curator Gregory O’Brien follows the painter from the wild coast of New Zealand through Latin America and Europe, using his letters, journals, and distinctive bird paintings to take us inside Don Binney’s world. Guests Amy Stewart, NYT best-selling author of “The Tree Collectors; Tales of arboreal obsession”, “The Drunken Botanist; The Plants that Create the World’s Great Drinks” and “Wicked Plants; The Weed That Killed Lincoln's Mother & Other Botanical Atrocities”. Greg O’Brien: Wellington-based poet, painter and curator who has written books on art for young people as well as several other books on artists including Ralph Hotere and Pat Hanly, and co-edited several poetry anthologies besides his solo poetry collections. His most recent book of poems is “House and Contents”, Auckland University Press. Other books that get a mention Cath mentions “An Uneasy Inheritance; My family and other radicals” by Polly Toynbee and Shankari Chandran’s new novel “Safe Haven”. Michaela mentiones “The God of No Good” by Sita Walker. INSTAGRAM @amystewart @text_publishing @aucklanduniversitypress

A story that is difficult to pin down to a narrative, playwright Finegan Kruckemeyer’s debut novel explores arrivals and departures, time and space, through the experiences of a curious cast of characters.  + Annie Warburton explores why we read the works of old writers, dissecting the work of Nancy Mitford in the context of her era and the happenings in the world around her.  Guests: Finnegan Kruckemeyer, playwright whose works have been performed on six continents in 12 languages.  Annie Warburton, former ABC Broadcaster and reading addict.  Danny, our Random Reader Danny mentions the following books: “The Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy” by Douglas Adams Author: Ruth Parks “1984” by George Orwell “The Mayor of Casterbridge” by Thomas Hardy “Les Miserables” by Victor Hugo “Shantaram” by Gregory David Roberts “The Life Of Pi” by Yann Martel “The White Tiger” by Aravind Adiga Author: George Monbiot “Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind” by Yuval Noah Harari “The Dawn of Everything” by David Graeber “Entangled Life” by Merlin Sheldrake “The Well Gardened Mind” by Sue Stuart-Smith “The Secret Life of Trees” by Colin Tudge “The Argonauts” by Maggie Nelson “My Gita” by Devdutt Pattanaik INSTAGRAM @textpublishing

Cath carries this episode with two great chats; the first with author Sophie Cunningham and the other with self-professed “book snob”, Ron Hoenig. = Ostensibly a novel about Alice, a woman who’s spent the last 20 years writing the biography of Virginia Woolf’s husband, Leonard, “This Devastating Fever” is an insightful, moving and witty tale of what it’s like to live through a time that feels like the end of days, and how we can find comfort and answers in the past.​ + Meet Ron Hoenig, member of The Jewish Men’s Book Club where weighty tomes such as “The Book of Jacob” by Olga Tokarczuk (all 1,000 pages of it) are discussed. Guests Sophie Cunningham, author of “This Devastating Fever” and six other books including “Geography” (2004) and “Bird” (2008) Ron Hoenig, enthusiastic member of the Jewish Men’s Book Club. Ron mentions “Anti-Judaism”by David Nirenberg, “Not In God’s Name: Con­fronting Reli­gious Violence”by Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks and “The Book of Jacob”, a novel by Olga Tokarczuk. Other books that get a mention Annie mentions “Kings in Grass Castles” by Mary Durack INSTAGRAM @ultimopress

Peeling back the veneer of the New York art scene, Bri Lee takes readers into the background world that fuels the industry. ‘The Work’ follows the lives of two protagonists from vastly different backgrounds: gallery owner, Lally, and antiquities dealer, Patrick, as they each follow a path to success, but at what cost?  + Victoria Purman takes readers back to the golden years of radio broadcasting in post-war Australia, to the post war world when women were no longer content to sit in the background, instead stepping forward to write radio plays that held a nation captive. 

When a car veers off the road with devastating consequences, the small wheatbelt town of Garringarup is left reeling, but no one's worlds are more shattered than those of Hannah and Freya, the partners of the passengers. On a day when wedding bells should have been ringing, their lives are torn apart by the web of lies the accident has exposed. Think Jodi Picoult meets Liane Moriarty and you have an idea of the fast-paced, page turning ethical dilemmas explored by Fiona Lowe in “The Accident”. + Dumped by her husband of twenty-five years, Jo Peck—smart, successful and sixty—is totally floored. She’s hurt, angry and devastated…but not for long! In this candid memoir Jo discovers the comfort and support of friends, newly forged connections with extended family, good therapy…and internet dating! Annie loved Jo’s raunchy rediscovery of self because, as Jo explained, “The unvarnished truth is very compelling”. Guests Fiona Lowe, author of 37 books. Her latest is “The Accident” Jo Peck author of “Suddenly Single at Sixty” Our random reader is Sameer Other books that get a mention Samir mentions “Master of the Game” by Sidney Sheldon, “Le Miserables” by Victor Hugo, “Cultural Heritage of India” six volumes gathered under the guidance of the Ramakrishna Institute of Culture. Sarah mentions “The Animals in that Country” by Laura Jean McKay.Annie mentions “Long Island” by Colm Toibin. He is the author of 7 books, including “Brooklyn”. INSTAGRAM @fionaloweaustralianauthor @text_publishing @goyougoodthing57 @harpercollinsaustralia

The outwardly comfortable life of mother and wife, Winona Dalloway, has dark currents running beneath. "Thunderhead" is her interior monologue as she navigates the everyday acts of collecting the children from school, shopping and preparing for a dinner party when in fact she is a woman in peril. A homage to Virginia Woolf’s "Mrs Dalloway", "Thunderhead" is a reminder of the terror that can lurk unseen in the lives of others. + Bet Schenk brings a poet’s pared-down style and awareness of the power of language to this story set in a small country town where the local teen hero is actually anything but - and his brother knows the truth. "The Most Famous Boy in Town" is billed as teen fiction but it’s a story for all ages. + Our regular leading literary light Kylie Cardell reviews "Lioness" by Emily Perkins, winner of the 2024 New Zealand Ockham Book Awards. Guests Miranda Darling, author and poet Bel Schenk, author and poet Kylie Cardell, Associate Professor , English and Creative Writing, Flinders University INSTAGRAM @mirandadarling13 @belschenk @kyliecardell @scribepub Spineless Wonders Press https://shortaustralianstories.com.au/

In a move away from investigative journalism and her previous deep diving non-fiction titles, Louise Milligan delves into crime fiction with debut novel, Pheasants Nest. It tells the story of Kate Delaney, a journalist who finds herself bound and gagged and being driven somewhere by a strange man. As someone haunted by the crimes she has had to report on, Kate knows her chances of survival are slight. Guest: Louise Milligan INSTAGRAM @milliganreports

Miles Franklin Award winner, Shankari Chandran takes Cath to Cinnamon Gardens, an aged care home established by Tamil refugees and now run by their daughter. It’s run with love and dignity and has become an oasis for its culturally diverse residents…but the tensions of past wars and the prejudices of present day Australia which have long remained at a simmer ultimately boil over. + Associate Professor Lisa Bennett shares her passion for stories soaked in mist and old magic with “Storyland”; a masterful, unique and utterly compelling illustrated mythology of Britain. Be transported to a time when England was considered the furthest outpost on any map and half remembered characters such as Brutus, Albina, Scota and Bladud roamed the earth …and our imaginations. Guests Shankari Chandran, author of “Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens” which won the 2023 Miles Franklin Award. She’s also the author of “Song of the Sun God” and “The Barrier”. Associate Professor Lisa Bennett, from the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences at Flinders University discusses “Storyland; A new mythology of Britain” by Amy Jeffs. Other books that get a mention “Wild; Tales from Early Medieval Britain” by Amy Jeffs, “The Shadow of the Wind” by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, “The Thursday Murder Club” by Richard Osman and “Pheasant’s Nest” by Louise Milligan. INSTAGRAM @Ultimopress @Hachetteaus @lisalhannett @amyjeffs_author

Poetry seems a solitary pursuit but not for well known Australian poets Peter Bakowski and Ken Bolton - they recently released two new collections ‘On Luck Street’ and ‘Waldo’s Game’ in which they have collaborated from afar, co-telling stories using a ’call and respond’ writing technique. And former ABC Radio National broadcaster Mike Ladd has made a career as a poet and also helped put poetry on the map with the long running radio program ‘Poetica’. He makes the case for why poetry should matter to us all.  Guests:  Peter Bakowski Ken Bolton  Mike Ladd Annie mentions the poems ‘Funeral Blues’ by WH Auden and ‘The Second Coming’ by WB Yeats Peter and Ken read selections from ‘On Luck Street” and ‘Waldo’s Game’ Mike Ladd reads “The End and the Beginning” by Polish poet Wisława Szymborska and his own recently penned poem ‘Prove That You’re a Human’ .

Molly Schmidt’s "Salt River Road" is a searing account of grief and redemption set in the big sky/small town landscape of south-west WA. Racism, poverty and politics are part of life in country Western Australia in the 1970’s. Yet, for the Tetley family all that matters is they have lost their beloved mother Elena. They're falling apart and are in danger of losing the farm that is their livelihood. Through the eyes of teenage siblings Rose and Frank the reader experiences the dangerously deep grief of losing a parent. Then comes a slow redemption through their connection with two local Noongar elders, and a reconciliation with events from the past. Guest: Molly Schmidt, author and recipient of the 2022 City of Fremantle Hungerford Award INSTAGRAM @molly.elizabeth.schmidt @fremantlepress

Three writers walk into a room...and somehow manage to work together. Not these three writers, necessarily. But in theory, that's how collaboration works. Welcome to the final Word Docs of the season, where Sean, Alex and Amy are in fizzy spirits thanks to acute cases of over-caffeination (or in Sean's case, too much hot chocolate). What's the secret to a good collaboration? Talk talk talk. Pizza. Precious puppet masks. And the supreme act of Veto. Unfortunately, none of the Word Docs have veto power, so there will be tangents, including a charming little story about Alex the Ungovernable Daisy, a call for spam recipes, and a trip down memory lane to when Pizza Hut was an actual restaurant. Those were the days. But these are also days and we're serving them up with a steaming hot spam pizza of knowledge.  Seriously, we really do talk about collaboration. And a lot of it is very useful stuff. Besides, you'll miss us next week, so why not put up with us this week? Spam for all! #Word Docs #writing #WritingPodcast #AmWriting #WritingLife #FlindersCreative Writing #FlindersCreativeArts #FlindersCreativeWriting #CreativeWriting #SeanWilliams #AmyTMatthews #AmyBarry #AlexVickeryHowe #AssemblageCentreForCreativeArts #SpamSpamSpamSpam #Collaboration #ShaneDix #GarthNix #PizzaHut #WellMissYou #WeKnowYoullMissUsToo #HappyWriting

Sean tests Alex and Amy's knowledge of action and pacing this week (ding ding ding!). What are the pitfalls of pacing an action sequence? We've got all the answers - get your fast bits right and your slow bits even righter. Is righter a word? It is now! Get some classic Word Docs wisdom about character, theme, and how to control the story. There may also be a lot of references to John Wick and some random sportsball chatter that contains no wisdom at all. But stick with it until the reversal, when all will snap into focus. (Don't hold us to that). #Word Docs #writing #WritingPodcast #AmWriting #WritingLife #FlindersCreative Writing #FlindersCreativeArts #FlindersCreativeWriting #CreativeWriting #SeanWilliams #AmyTMatthews #AmyBarry #AlexVickeryHowe #AssemblageCentreForCreativeArts #ActionScenes #Pacing #JohnWick #AmericanPsycho #ShaneDix #StarWars #TheWookieEdition #CatrionaWard #LastHouseOnNeedlesStreet #SimoneStJames #InsertActionFilm Here #TriplePenis #ThanksAlex #TheSlugInTheSky #FixItInPost #AmyGame #HappyWriting

Celia appears to have it all and her life is running like clockwork - and so it should because she has it planned down to the very last minute - but then along comes a challenge that could be her undoing! Celia is thrust into a process equal parts amusing and heartbreaking as she shakily charts a new path. + From falling for the boy next door to romancing a minotaur - occupational therapist turned  successful romance novelist Davina Stone talks us through the many forms that modern romance takes. The only proviso is, no matter how serious the story, the ending must be happy! Guests Emma Young, author of “The Disorganisation of Celia Stone”. Her debut novel was “The Last Bookshop”. Davina Stone, author of ‘The Felix Factor’, the sixth novel in her series The Laws of Love . She also writes monster romance under the name Lilith Stone  Other books that get a mention Emma loves the diary format and she recalls the young adult books that first inspired her: The Adrian Mole series by Sue Townsend, “So Much to Tell You” by John Marsden, “I Capture the Castle” by Dodie Smith and “Bridget Jones’ Diary” by Helen Fielding. Emma is donating half her royalties to Beyond Zero Emissions (www.bze.org.au). Michaela mentions “The Tao of Pooh” by Benjamin Hoff Annie mentions “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff…and “it’s all small stuff” by Richard Carlson Davina mentions Romance Writers of Australia, a community of over 700 aspiring, emerging, and established indie and traditionally published romance authors. INSTAGRAM @emma_young_book_fiend @fremantlepress @davinastone_ @rwaaus https://davinastone.com/

Hello from the sickbed... Alex is calling in from home, where he's down with COVID; Sean is suffering from post-COVID brain fog; and Amy is infuriatingly healthy. Today the Word Docs are answering the most annoying questions people ask writers: Will you read my manuscript? If I give you an idea, will you write it, and we can split the profits? Can I have a free book? The answers range from 'No', to 'Hell, no', with the odd 'Amy is not a mule' thrown in, to spice things up. There's also some consideration of the stupid questions people must ask dentists...  #WordDocs #Writing #SeanWilliams #AmyBarry #AmyTMatthews #AlexVickeryHowe #FlindersUniversity #FlindersCreativeArts #FlindersCreativeWriting #AssemblageCentreForCreativeArts #WritingCommunity #StupidQuestions #NotSoStupidQuestions #COVID #HappyWriting

Join Sean, Amy and...uh...Alex?...for this week's episode of Word Docs. Our usual Alex is out with COVID so this week we're welcoming a substitute Alex, in the form of our friend and colleague Dr Alex Cothren, who sidles up to the mic to talk satire, short stories and writing challenges. By the end of this one we'll all love Alex Cothren, fear Sean, and wonder if Amy might be missing next week... #WordDocs #Writing #SeanWilliams #AmyBarry #AmyTMatthews #AlexCothren #FlindersUniversity #FlindersCreativeArts #FlindersCreativeWriting #WritingCommunity #AssemblageCentreForCreativeArts #LetsTalkTrojanBee #Satire #ShortStory #Meanjin #StephenColbert #SamanthaBee #ItsAlwaysSunny #BlackMirror #SomeoneElsesBucketList #FearSean #WeMissYouAlexVickeryHowe #HappyWriting

The Word Docs have written a masterpiece. No, really...it’s great. It’s alright. Look, it’s not bad. Together, Amy, Sean and Alex have devised the ultimate romance. Don’t Touch My Dad should be coming to a bookshop near you, but probably won’t be. #MorePeccable #ImmanuelCollege #Style #Plot #TheCorpseofanAuthor #Audience #JumpingAhead #MalandJeanette #Genre #HappilyEverAfterAgain #SomeoneElsesBucketList #MadFather #SaneSon #FathersandDaughters #ExtendedFamilies #AlexHasSpoken #Tropes #WickedQueen #SuziQuatro #RiverPhoenix #Nala #Grimhilde #SecondChance #Incesty #Ageism #Longing #ActivelyCovering #Cheater #Secrets #FatheroftheBride #EmpathyandCompassion #ParentYourParent #FindingHappiness #ScrewupinaDifferentWay #Chances #GoldenIdea #UncleBill  

He has finally done his homework! Alex has come to the table with trees to shake and pots to stir. Can Sean and Amy handle their sugar addled friend? Will they withstand his jittery scrutiny? The host is juiced up...and he has calories to burn. #AlexVickeryHowe #SeanWilliams #AmyTMatthews #PinkDrink #Caffeine #DifficultMaterial #MassagingTricks #EndoftheNightGirl #TheBookofMormon #JeanetteVickeryHowe #Tone #PostColonialism #MattandTrey #PunchingUp #Comedy #Metafiction #Simon&Schuster #ItsAlwaysSunnyinPhiladelphia #HolidayInn #BreakfastatTiffanys #NavigatingtheKingdomofNight #Goodness #AmandaNettelbeck #FraughtHistories #AnitaHeiss #ImpossibleMusic #TheBoyintheStripedPajamas #VoteYes #TheTrumpYears #JodiPicoult #CulturalBaggage #BookTokBurns #Junebug #SupremeDickhead

Cath has admired the work of Paddy O’Reilly for some time but with her shortlisting for the Prime Minister’s Literary Award, “Other Houses” looks sure to win O’Reilly many new admirers. It’s a tale of class, aspiration and the boundaries we will cross for love. + Michaela has an Anne of Green Gables doll that her mother bought on a pilgrimage to Prince Edward Island in the ‘80s. She asks Associate Professors Lisa Bennett and Kylie Cardell to reveal their ‘Green’ credentials and discuss LM Montgomery’s perennial appeal. Guests Paddy O’Reilly, author of “Other Houses” Associate Professor Kylie Cardell and Associate Professor Lisa Bennett, both from the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences at Flinders University The Tsundoku team’s Christmas reading list: Sarah  - “The Remains of the Day” by Kazuo Ishiguro & “The Thursday Murder Club” by Richard Osmon Michaela - “A Net for Small Fishes” by Lucy Jago Annie - “Ghosts of Spain” by Giles Tremlett, “The Bee Sting” by Paul Murray & “Before the Coffee Gets Cold” by Toshikazu Kawaguchi Cath - “The Tea Ladies” by Amanda Hampson, “Stoneyard Devotional” by Charlotte Wood & “Less than Angels” by Barbara Pym INSTAGRAM @paddyoreilly.writer @affirmpress @lisalhannett @kyliesays

And the golden statue goes to... There are some trophies you don’t mount on your bookshelf (pun intended) but they colour your career nonetheless. The Word Docs have gleefully unearthed the worst of the Bad Sex Awards to explore the act of love in print. With lots of laughter and a little light vomit, Amy, Sean and Alex will discuss the whos, the whys, and the oh-dear-god-nos of these explicit encounters. Warning: This episode contains weird swearing, confusing anatomy and icky metaphors. Not to be played in public. #AmyTMatthews #SeanWilliams #AlexVickeryHowe #TheSlugintheSky #LoveandDeath #MarryingOffMorganMcBride #SkinnyDipping #Beards #ShesAllThat #TheWildMan #HelmsDeep #TessLeSue #DefinitionsofSex #JulianGough #NippleSucking #Bleep #MaryCostello #TwistyPigPenis #DidierDecoin #SpiderArms #HannibalLecter #PleasureCave #MichaelBay #Blank #MyDadWroteaPorno #TabA #SlotB #CliveBarker #TheCentralZone #HaroldandMadge #BambiTits #SportsBall #HarryPotterandtheGiantSquid #TheOddKids #Haruki Murakami #AMedicalProblem #OhGloriousPubes! #AnyoneForBillards? #PornistheProblem #SanitisedBodies #LongerHarderMore

The Word Docs are perusing expert recommendations and dissecting them at length. Amy is unwell and trying to keep the train moving, Alex is stuck on a constant delay...and Sean wants to kidnap a dog. This week we learn about Einstein’s epic battle with Hitler, the importance of supportive desk chairs and the dark secret of Mount Everest. #HiPluto #Limp #ZooCam #JoanneHarris #FiveThoughts #WorkSpace #AReallyGoodDeskChair #ClimbingMountains #ThePhysio #VoidofMyOwnMind #JohnMajor #AffectEffect #Clutter #Walking #NaturalLight #Reminders #PlanYourSnacks #HydroHomie #EinsteinvsHitler #GoodStory #GoodCharacters #Succession #HouseofCards #TurkeysWithFirearms #MountEverest #Feelings #MakePeopleCry #BeingAuthentic #JudiDench #ArchiveofEmotionalMemory #DogThreats #AMelancholyPerspective #HavingaGoodNight #MoreDogThreats #TedLasso #PointofView #Traps! #FirstPerson #LarryDavid #LionelShriver #Empathy #JurassicPark #TheSlugintheSky #ReadReadRead #SneakyThoughts #TiffanyLyndallKnight #FrozenAlex #GhostAlex #Loose&Sick 

This week the Word Docs are responding to a listener question and exploring immortality. Would you want to live forever? Would you want your work to live forever? Would you want to spend eternity inside a giant spider? Is that even an option? Sugared up on chocolate, this is Word Docs at their most rambunctious. Sean reads palms, and Amy finds she doesn't seem to have a lifeline, while Alex frets that he might be taken to a farm up state when his time is up. By the end of this one you'll feel you've lived many lives, and you'll be able to use 'heretofore' in a sentence. #WordDocs #Writing #SeanWilliams #AmyBarry #AmyTMatthews #AlexVickeryHowe #FlindersUniversity #FlindersCreativeArts #FlindersCreativeWriting #AssemblageCentreForCreativeArts #WritingCommunity #Immortality #WhoWantsToLiveForever #NotMe #MaybeMe #OnlyIfICanLiveInAGiantSpider #Lifelines #WordDocVampire #SciFiWriter #ThoughtExperiment #GiantSpiders #FarmUpState #Heretofore #HappyWriting

Sean and Alex are sickly and disgusting (in that order), but Amy is here to save the day with research and cogent thoughts. This week, the Docs explore the wisdom of Betsy Lerner and unpack the various writer archetypes Lerner describes. Who among them is the Natural? The Ambivalent Writer? The Wicked Child? Well, some things are painfully obvious... join the gang as they embark on free, unqualified therapy! #FeelingGood #OnTheCouch #BetsyLerner #PostGrads #ComplexProblems #Research #TheForestForTheTrees #AmbivalentWriter #LarryMcMurtry #Slog #ThePerfectThing #RomanticDream #MessyPeople #Love #Hate #CoreValues #SharedVision #ImaginaryCaleb #Motivation #YoungPadawan #Frozen #Risk #SlingsandArrows #Haunted #Bothered #Otherness #Paradox #TheNatural #LimpBooks #TooEasy #SecondBookSyndrome #OvernightSuccess #Grit #PoorAlex #Hunger #ComingBack #GrowthMindset #SupernaturalWriters #WickedChild #Family #Community #Watchlist #GordonLish #JeanetteVickeryHowe #EvaHornung #SomeoneElsesBucketList #FascinatingGrandmothers #Marriage #PrinceHarry #ToBeContinued

Sarah Smith has been successfully writing for popular TV shows such as “McLeod’s Daughters”, “All Saints” and “Love Child” for years. Now, she’s turned her hand to fiction creating a clever and quirky murder mystery set in the Los Angeles fast lane and narrated by a young, vibrant (albeit dead) woman, hellbent on finding her killer. + Mireille Vignol is a renowned literary translator who has taken the work of Australian greats such as Kate Grenville and Kenneth Cook to French speaking audiences around the world. Cath was intrigued by a very singular event Mireille organised in Melbourne called a “Translation Slam”, where two jousting translators interpreted the same piece of text to very different effect and then defended their choices. Guests Sarah Smith, author of “12 Steps to a Long and Fulfilling Death” Mireille Vignol, literary translator. She also mentions the authors Proust, Kenneth Cook and Kate Grenville and poet Peter Bakowski. Dan, our everyday reader, loves war stories such as “The Bombing of Darwin; The Diary of Tom Taylor, Darwin, 1942” by Alan R. Tucker and aircrash investigations such as “QF32” by Richard de Crespigny. Cath and Annie also mention the Booker prize winner, “Prophet Song”by Paul Lynch and a chilling tale by Louise Doughty called “Platform Seven”. INSTAGRAM @Ultimo Press @sarah_says

A promise delivered! Bookmark this. The Word Docs are back with the second half of their self-diagnoses, once again working from Betsy Lerner’s examples to whittle away at their artistry and categorise their quirky habits. Maybe this week they’ll each discover what kind of writers they really are. Along the way they’ll explore rejections, chutzpah, sportsball and poor old Missus Heartwig... #LonelyCorner #CancelledPilot #SixKindsofWriters #TheForestFortheTrees #BetsyLerner #TheAmbivalentTheNatural&Me #Detention #MissusHeartwig #StupidDeadBoy #TheSelfPromotor #TheNeurotic #TouchingFire #NewYork #Chutzpah   #ShyandWeird #Moxie #RomanticIdeals #IvoryTower #WeNeedtoTalkAboutKevin 

The doctors are in the house. Or rather two of the doctors are sick and stuck at home. This week the Word Docs are recording from home and everything's a bit looser than normal (which is saying something). But on the plus side, they get to practice clapping again, preferably in time to Amy's playlist for Someone Else's Bucket List. Sean boycotts clapping to The Cranberries and Alex is determined to flirt with copyright infringements as he sings along. This episode is about playlists, soundtracks, music and silence - and they get off track in the best possible way, exploring how writers use and abuse music. #WordDocs #AmyTMatthews #AmyBarry #SeanWilliams #AlexVickeryHowe #AFL #Watchlist #SomeoneElsesBucketList #Hyperaurea #SomeoneElsesBucketListThePlaylist #WritingPlaylist #BookPlaylist #BookSoundtrack #SpotifyPlaylist #TheCranberries #DaisyJonesAndTheSix #TaylorJenkinsReid #Elbow #TheWaterboys #StuckInTheMiddleWithYou #ReservoirDogs #TheSingingDetective #FUMA #ShaneDix #NineInchNails #ACDC #BinauralBeats #TheSoapBubble #TheIronicPoseur #ImpossiibleMusic #GlamGong #ScrotePunch #AnalTwin #Hufflepuff #DuaLipa #Physical #OliviaNewtonJohn #Antarctica #ClappingAgain #HappyWriting

Trent Dalton’s new novel Lola in the Mirror travels to the dark heart of homelessness and domestic violence and yet is a love story and a love letter to his home town Brisbane. Lola has no name when this story begins. For 16 years she and her mother have been on the run through Brisbane’s underbelly, dodging dangerous men. Sit down with journalist and novelist Trent Dalton and hear him talk about the city that saved his mum, finding the dark places in order to hold on to light, and why if he didn’t write he’d be reaching for the bourbon. Guest: Trent Dalton, journalist and author of “Lola in the Mirror” as well as two other acclaimed novels Boy Swallows Universe and All these Shimmering Skies INSTAGRAM @Harpercollinsaustralia @trentdaltonauthor

This week Amy leads us through using beat sheets to plan and/or fix a story. Alex and Sean join in from where they recline eating salty gold Irish chocolate. It's the middle of teaching and everyone's pinch points are more pinchy than usual, but it's nothing gold-plated chocolate can't fix. If you're curious about how story experts like Michael Hauge, Blake Snyder, Larry Brooks and Jami Gold deal with planning Acts One to Three, this is the ep for you. There are sportsball metaphors, car metaphors, and the word 'blue' gets bandied about, especially when the monkey elbows get a mention - but despite it all, you'll still come away with a good idea of how to use a beat sheet to get your acts together. (And yes, there are many silly jokes about the term beat sheet - insert word 'blue' here).  #Word Docs #writing #WritingPodcast #AmWriting #WritingLife #FlindersCreative Writing #FlindersCreativeArts #FlindersCreativeWriting #CreativeWriting #SeanWilliams #AmyTMatthews #AmyBarry #AlexVickeryHowe #AssemblageCentreForCreativeArts #MichaelHauge #DebDixon #JamiGold #LarryBrooks #BlakeSnyder #TheBear #PassTheChocolate #HappyWriting

There is a secret to writing a bestseller and it is...nah, kidding...nobody knows. But the Word Docs will keep asking people anyway. This week, the dysfunctional trio bend their knees at the altar of the great men who...nah, kidding...Sean has sorted through the rules of the blokey gasbags who’ve come before and now Amy and Alex are trying to decide who wrote what. Join the party as Vonnegut, Heinlein, Leonard and Lewis are meticulously poked, prodded and dissected for the edification of emerging generations. Rules are made to be splintered, but it’s wise to mock them first.  #Aspiring #SeanWilliams #AmyTMatthews #AlexVickeryHowe #Nightmarish #BlokeyLists#KurtVonnegut #RobertHeinlein #ElmoreLeonard #CSLewis #TalkingAboutIt #GarthNix#PeterBeaglehole #CruelSegue #RecreationalSadism #NoCreditForAlex #ChasingTrends#BUYSOMEMILK! #OldOldMan #JustLikeToffee #Succession #Veep #Seinfeld #ItsAlwaysSunnyinPhiladelphia #Macbeth #GailJones #SixtyLights #ThePerfectSentence#SarahWaters #IanMcEwan #AStylishSean #TheMightyBoosh #WriterlyvsReaderly#PlayDregs #RandomBits #WhatAboutBob #OffloadingResponsibility#ThrowMommafromtheTrain #LeonardCohen #Suddenly #WheresWally #WheresWaldo#BirdBox #EnoughButNotTooMuch #JustOnePerson

“The Disappearance of Astrid Bricard” is loosely based on the life of Mitzah Bricard,  a woman the world remembers as the outrageous muse of Christian Dior but who was, in fact, his First Assistant Designer and enormously talented in her own right. What follows is a compelling tale of glamour, desire and intrigue. + “Summer of Blood” is set in 1960s California where two Australian detectives arrive in search of a missing man, only to find themselves immersed in the world of music, free love, drugs and hippie counterculture. They soon realise this isn’t any ordinary missing person investigation. A big gig is the perfect place to get away with murder! Guests: Natasha Lester, author of “The Disappearance of Astrid Bricard” and other historical fiction titles including “The Three Lives of Alix St Pierre” & “The French Photographer”. Dave Warner, author of “Summer of Blood” …plus nine other novels and six non-fiction books. Leigh, our everyday reader, mentions “Ulysses” by James Joyce, “Where the Crawdads Sing” by Delia Owens, “Long Live the Queen: 23 Rules for Living from Britain’s Longest-Reigning Monarch” by Brian Koslowski and “A Mind at Home with Itself: How Asking Four Questions Can Free Your Mind, Open Your Heart, and Turn Your World Around” by Byron Katie with Stephen Mitchell Cath and Annie also mention the Booker shortlisted title, “The Bee Sting” by Paul Murray. INSTAGRAM @Hachetteaustralia @natashalesterauthor @Fremantlepress @davew.author @Leighwhite_soultopia

Leaving the world of academia when creativity came knocking has paid off for Pip Williams. She's the bestselling author of "The Dictionary of Lost Words" and "The Bookbinder of Jericho", and speaks with Sarah about the ideas that light her up and inspire her to write.  In this conversation, Pip mentions two books that were references for her writing: "The Surgeon of Crowthorne" by Simon Winchester and "Testament of Youth" by Vera Brittain Also written by Pip Williams, "One Italian Summer". Pip Williams: Web - https://pipwilliams.com.au/ Affirm Press: https://affirmpress.com.au/ FB + Insta: @affirmpress

In Cronin’s “The Ferryman” the world’s elite enjoy eternal youth and deep personal satisfaction on the archipelago of Prospera but all is not as it seems and unrest is fomenting on both sides of the social divide. + Georgia Nicholls has been writing romance since she was 14 and penned a fan fiction tale about One Direction’s Harry Styles…her writing has come a long way since then but she still loves it when they live happily ever after. + Eve gives a brief review of “The Mother” by Jane Caro, but don’t worry she won’t spoil the ending. Guests Justin Cronin, author of “The Ferryman” and “The Passage Trilogy” Georgia Nicholls is a PhD Candidate in creative writing at Flinders University. Her podcast is called “Love on Campus” and her instagram romance reviews appear at “booksithinkabout” Eve enjoyed “The Mother” by Jane Caro Justin mentions “Interview with a Vampire” by Ann Rice and the 1968 film “Planet of the Apes”. Georgia mentions “A Court of Thorns and Roses” by Sarah J. Maas, “Duck À L'Orange for Breakfast” by Karina May, “The Flat Share”, The Road Trip” and “The No Show” by Beth O’Leary and the author Emily Henry. Michaela mentions romance authors Georgette Heyer, Jane Austen and “Ex-wife” by Ursula Parrott. INSTAGRAM @jccronn @penguinrandomhouse @booksithinkabout @janecaro57

Let author Catherine Therese introduce you to Leslie Bird, a fictional character so caustic she’ll make your eyes water. Yet, as Michaela discovered, the story behind Leslie’s creation is more likely to bring a sympathetic tear to your eye. + The course of Australian art changed in 1971 with the formation of the Papunya Tula art movement. John Kean, was there to witness its birth and tells Cath what forces he believes inspired and informed the movement’s four leading lights. Guests Catherine Therese, author of “Things She Would Have Said Herself” and an earlier memoir “The Weight of Silence” John Keane, author of “Dot, Circle and Frame; The making of Papunya Tula Art” Michaela mentions “Mrs Dalloway” by Virginia Woolf Catherine mentions Walt Whitman, Henry Lawson and David Grossman (Maybe also “The Day is Dancing” by Rowena Bennett) INSTAGRAM @ctherese5 @hachetteaustralia @hachettebooks @terriann.white FACEBOOK @Hachette Books @Terri-Ann White

The fates of three people from the 1940s, ‘70s and today collide in Chris Hammer’s thrilling new mystery, “The Tilt” - you won’t see it coming! + Prolific 20th century writer and philosopher Aldous Huxley wrote everything from witty and malicious novels about the British literati  to his still famous Utopian dystopia Brave New World, and later in his 50 year career went on to explore the world of psychedelic drugs. Annie Warburton explores the Huxley ouvre to understand why Huxley remains a classic. + Our random reader Chris also loves a good mystery Guests… Chris Hammer, author of “The Tilt” and other books including the internationally bestselling Martin Scarsden series: “Scrublands”, “Silver” and “Trust”. Annie Warburton, Tsundoku’s “Occasional Reporter on Dead White Men” revists Aldoux Huxley Other books that get a mention… Annie and Michaela mention “Ghost Tattoo” by Tony Bernard, “Birnam Wood”and “The Luminaries” by Eleanor Catton, “The Ferryman; A Novel” by Justin Cronin and “The Disorganisation of Celia Stone” by Emma Young Annie Warburton mentions Aldous Huxley’s “Crome Yellow” (1921), “Antic Hay” (1923), “Brave New World:  (1932), “Eyeless in Gaza” (1936), “The Doors of Perception” (1954)..as well as writers Nancy Mitford, Evelyn Waugh and William Blake Chris from Aldgate mentions writers Peter May, Ian Rankin and DH Lawrence’s “The Rainbow” INSTAGRAM @allenandunwin @thehammernow FACEBOOK @Hammernow @allen&unwinbooks

Best-selling Australian authors, Sean Williams, Victoria Perman and Tricia Stringer, talk to Tsundoku’s Sarah Martin and Cath Kenneally about their very different paths to literary success - Tricia dabbled in self-publishing, Victoria succeeded in speed dating a publisher and Sean tried the splatter gun approach with short stories. Victoria identified the single thread common to all three quests,  “ We all immersed ourselves in writing communities. We didn’t sit at home and get a bit paranoid about whether it was good or not. We went to workshops, we befriended booksellers…there are places to go to connect with writers which was so important.” Tsundoku Podcast was delighted to convene this Marion Council “Meet the Author” Event in July 2023. Guests: Tricia Stringer is the bestselling author of six women’s fiction titles, “Back on Track”, “Table for Eight”, “The Model Wife”, “The Family Inheritance”, “Birds of a Feather” and “Keeping Up Appearances”, three historical books set in South Australia’s Flinders Ranges and seven rural romances. Sean Williams is the bestselling author of over one hundred short stories and fifty award-winning books including the “Books of the Cataclysm” and “The Resurrected Man”. He has also written several novels in the Star Wars universe, including the best-selling “Star Wars: The Force Unleashed”. Victoria Purman writes historical romance and is an Australian top ten and “USA Today” best-selling fiction author. Her books include “The Nurse’s War’, “The Women’s Pages” and “Under the Outback Sky”

Best selling Australian author of “rural noir”, Garry Disher hopes to be seen as novelist first and crime writer second. American Academic Saar Shahar discusses what sets literary journalism apart from the pack. Paul Gough shares the books that first made him fall for sci-fi .  Three great minds in this week’s episode, determined to rise above the throng and give us something worth reading. Guests: Garry Disher, author of “Days End”, the fourth book in his fabulous Hirsch series. Saar Shahar, author of “Among the Anti-vaxxers” recently published in the “North American Review” and American academic with the University of Southern California. Paul Gough, ABC radio producer, sci-fi devotee and music aficionado www.pimpod.com Other books that get a mention: Saar mentions Tom Wolfe’s “The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test”, “The Right Stuff” and “Bonfire of the Vanities”. Also, “One flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” by Ken Kesey. And, literary journalists Joan Didion and Hunter S Thompson. (“The American Review” was the first literary magazine to be published in the USA, in Boston in 1815.) https://northamericanreview.org https://www.instagram.com/sarshahar Paul mentions “Ringworld” by Larry Niven, “Turtle Diary” & “Riddley Walker’ by Russel Hoban and “To Sleep in a Sea of Stars” by Christopher Paolini. INSTA https://www.instagram.com/textpublishing https://www.instagram.com/1234_pimpod

They’ve emerged from the marking void! Alive and insane, the Word Docs discuss activities, opportunities, Nic Cage, scientology, chaotic planning, Nosferatu, spiders, inch ants and hungry catfish... Eventually, they may also get around to discussing their books. You never know.

In September 1883, the South Australian town of Fairly huddles under strange, vivid sunsets. A child has gone missing and the whole town is intent on finding him. More than a mystery, Fiona McFarlane explores the varied townsfolks’ relationship with the complex landscape and unsettling history of the Flinders Ranges.  Tsundoku’s Annie Hastwell loved it from start to finish and joins the critics in their unanimous praise. + Self-declared fan of Barry Humphries, Annie Warburton, reviews the late comic’s opus, pays tribute to his satirical genius and comes down firmly on the right of “grumpy old conservatives” to be free to speak their minds. = Two very different takes on the Australian experience. Guests Fiona McFarlane, author of “The Sun Walks Down”, “The Night Guest” and a collection of short stories, “The High Places”  http://www.fionamcfarlane-writer.com/ Annie Warburton, retired ABC Tasmania broadcaster and Barry Humphries aficionado Other books that get a mention: Cath and Annie mention this year’s joint Pulitzer Prize winners, Barbara Kingsolver for “Demon Copperhead” and Herman Diaz for “Trust”. They go on to reference a number of past winners; “The Good Earth” by Pearl Buck, “Beloved” by Toni Morrison, “A Visit from the Goon Squad” by Jennifer Egan, “The Old Man and the Sea” by Ernest Hemingway, “The Grapes of Wrath” by John Steinbeck and “A Confederacy of Dunces” by John Kennedy Toole. Annie Warburton mentions “The Adventures of Barry McKenzie” written by Humphries for Private Eye magazine. Also, “Dame Edna's Coffee Table Book: A Guide to Gracious Living and the Finer Things of Life by One of the First Ladies of World Theatre”, “Neglected Poems and Other Creatures”, “More Please” and “Women in the Background”.

Alex is in the Mastermind hot seat! Many years after writing Japanese/Australian rock musical Once Upon a Midnight, Alex is trying to remember what he was on about and why it was interesting. Luckily the Word Docs are on hand to tease all the shades of grey out of the process. Join us as we travel the world from our studio and explore the cultural conundrums that arise when mythology, nationality and generational identity intersect.

The Word Docs are slowly catching up with this mysterious invention called BookTok where all the young people are. Together, the intrepid geriatrics will sort through the virtual shelves and explore their favourite tropes with the usual blend of light-hearted humour, emotional pain and existential despair. If you’re a morally grey villain, a soul in search of a mate or a grump with a heart of gold, this episode is all about you.

We’re off the rails again! Amy is trying her best to keep the troops under control, but the troops are idiots. The sage advice of Anne Lamott is pearls before bewildered swine as Sean’s eerie chanting and Alex’s fear of naked cults turns a perfectly reasonable vegetable metaphor into something chilling. In this episode we will wonder... why did Sean give up meditation? Why the hell can’t Alex remember going to France? And what’s up with Amy and purple sharkskin suits?

At first drawn to short stories, Louise Kennedy couldn’t resist expanding this ill-fated love story set at the peak of the Irish Troubles into a full and vividly depicted novel, “Trespasses”. + Is it too much to say that the author of Captain Cook’s “Voyages”  was “cancelled” by his contemporaries and the sexual exploits of Joseph Banks “went viral”? Not according to US literary academic Saar Shahar who has researched the writings around Captain Cook’s voyages. = The next best thing to reading is listening to writers talk about their creations. Guests Louise Kennedy, author of “Trespasses” and a collection of short stories “The End of the World is a Cul de Sac”  Saar Shahar, 18th century scholar and PhD candidate in English at the University of Southern California,  puts the exploits of Captain Cook and Joseph Banks into historical literary context with surprising results. Other books that get a mention: Cath and Annie mention “Pachinko” by Min Jin Lee, “The Anniversary” by Stephanie Bishop, “The Sun Walks Down” by Fiona McFarlane, “The Tilt” and “Treasure & Dirt” by Chris Hammer, and “Summer Water” by Sarah Moss. Saar Shahar refers to “An Account of the Voyages….” by John Hawkesworth, and “An Epistle from Mr. Banks, Voyager, Monster-Hunter, and Amoroso, to Oberea, Queen of Otaheite”, by John Scott. Both were published in 1773. Emma has just finished reading “Never” by Ken Follett and her favourite book of all time is “The Poisonwood Bible” by Barbara Kingsolver.

This week it's Amy's turn to sit in the Mastermind hot seat and the topic is Popular Romance Studies. Join us for love, sex, happy endings, trauma porn, happy for nows, and all the feels. Does Amy have the answers? Has Alex done his homework? Will Sean write a romance novel? And who is killing all the butterflies? If you ever wanted to know the not-so-secret intellectual life of a romance author, now's your chance! 

Got any dead books lying around? Manuscripts that didn't work, or didn't sell, or are just dead in the water for reasons you can't quite put your finger on? The Word Docs sure do. Alex is curious to pry into Sean and Amy's literary closets, looking for dusty old relics of the past. There must be something to be learned from books that didn't work? Was it all a waste? Or are dead tomes valuable things? In response to Alex shining a light into their closets, Amy and Sean drag out Alex's juvenilia, discovering the glory that is Jimmy and the Wizard and King Mean Man. By the end of this episode, you'll be grateful for the books that never made it, and you may also be wishing that you were at the Proscenium in the 90s, pretending to be a Goth. 

“I’ve discovered an important truth and it’s all I care about, all I can depend on, the only thing that means anything, the one sure thing that will help me survive. No one can be trusted. I am on my own.” This devastating truth lies at the core of Shannon Burn’s memoir, “Childhood”. + Pandora, Jocasta, Aphrodite and Medea; these are just some of the women of Greek mythology whose stories have grown and warped over the millenia. Associate Professor Lisa Bennett introduces us to the forensic work of classicist Natalie Haynes, a writer determined to reveal the true deeds and misdeeds of these fascinating characters. = Pop in your pods and let Michaela and Cath take you to another world. Guests Shannon Burns, author of “Childhood” Associate Professor Dr Lisa Bennett on “Pandora’s Jar” by Natalie Haynes Other books that get a mention: Lisa Mentions classicist, Emily Wilson, the first woman to publish a translation of Homer’s “Odyssey” into English INSTA @text_publising @lisahannet @Picador