Stoicism is more than discipline, says author Ryan Holiday. It may save the modern world

The 2000-year-old philosophy of stoicism is having a moment – and no one has popularised it for a modern audience more than American author Ryan Holiday. The college dropout turned marketer has written 13 books, including The Obstacle Is the Way and Discipline Is Destiny, and his Daily Stoic email…

Bonnie Garmus on why the 'least admired' art – poetry – might end up saving the world

On the cusp of 65, Bonnie Garmus published her debut novel Lessons in Chemistry. It was a global sensation and the copywriter, who had a previous manuscript rejected by publishers 98 times, sold almost 10 million copies and enjoyed being co-executive producer when it was made into an eight-part str…

Plants remember and react, but do they mind being eaten? Michael Pollan on sentience in the natural world

It's not too much of an overstatement to say that for over 30 years, Michael Pollan's books have helped reshape conversations about industrial food systems, animal consciousness and our obligations to other living things. His new book, A World Appears, is about plant sentience – an immersive explo…

Intimacy in the age of porn – and when women are more successful than their partners: playwright Suzie Miller

Melbourne-born Suzie Miller's background as a lawyer has influenced the 40-odd plays she has written, many of which feature strong social-justice themes. Best known among those works are the award-winning Prima Facie, which has been staged in Sydney, Melbourne and London, and Inter Alia, which prem…

Judith Lucy on burnout, chasing wellness and knowing you’re both deeply unhappy and a 'privileged wanker'

Australians know Judith Lucy as the comedian with a sardonic wit and no-fear attitude to mining her personal life, from her unconventional upbringing and numerous disastrous relationships, to drinking too much and the indignities of ageing. For over three decades, life was work for Lucy – until it…

Alexa Leary on surviving tragedy and living a ‘second life’

At just 19, Alexa Leary was a champion triathlete when she suffered a severe traumatic brain injury in an horrific cycling accident. She wasn't expected to survive the crash, but she beat the odds, learning to walk, talk and live again – even jumping back in the pool with renewed purpose, winning t…

Dodging the Taliban, camel spiders and becoming 'impervious to shock': Former special forces soldier Bram Connolly 

Bram Connolly is the type of person you want as a neighbour if there's ever a crisis or an emergency on your street. Connolly spent 20 years in the Australian special forces navigating the world's most dangerous landscapes, from Afghanistan to Somalia, so he knows how to stay cool in the heat of ba…

Up close with the Donald Trump ‘regime’ – New York Times reporter and Australian Jonathan Swan

Australian journalist Jonathan Swan, a White House reporter for TheNew York Times, is perhaps best known for his hard-hitting interviews with US President Donald Trump. Most famous was his August 2020 exchange with Trump, in which Swan's real-time fact-checking (and incredulous facial expressions) …

Comedian Myf Warhurst turns serious – about everything

Think of Myf Warhurst and the word “bubbly” might spring to mind. With everything the radio and TV personality does – from Spicks and Specks to the Eurovision Song Contest or her documentary, The Truth about Menopause – Warhurst is known as the ray of sunshine, the nice one (she’s even the voice of…

George Megalogenis on immigration, instability and the 'three shocks' shifting modern society

George Megalogenis is known as a big thinker about Australian politics and culture, searching beyond the noise for what’s really going on in our country. He has four decades' experience in the media, including time in the parliamentary press gallery. In his new book, Three Shocks: Who We Are Becomi…