Byron WF Digital | Byron Writers Festival

Iconic Australian actor Bryan Brown became an international success in the early 80’s with critical acclaim, appearing in more than 80 films. In this conversation Bryan Brown chats with Chris Hanley about his debut novel, Sweet Jimmy.

Together they discuss the essence of a good story, the sense of adventure that was instilled in Bryan Brown growing up in Sydney’s western suburbs, and how that experience shaped his career in the arts. An enjoyable discussion with one of Australia’s best loved actors.

Listen Now

About the speakers

Bryan Brown

Iconic Australian actor Bryan Brown became an international success in the early ’80s with critical acclaim, appearing in more than 80 films. Sweet Jimmy is his first book.

Chris Hanley

Chris Hanley OAM is the Founder of Byron Writers Festival and was Chair for 20 years until 2016. He is the Principal of First National Byron.

VIEW FULL PLAYLIST ON SOUNDCLOUD

< Back to all podcasts

Join the conversation at #ByronWF2022

The exchange of stories and ideas sustains us in challenging times. Now more than ever we are relying on your support to help us continue celebrating Australian stories and literature, enhancing the skills of local writers, and nurturing the next generation of readers and writers. As a not-for-profit organisation run with a small team of staff and volunteers, contributions of any size go a long way in enriching the creative culture of our community. Amounts over $2 are tax deductible. Thank you.

A powerful conversation with Bundjalung poet Evelyn Araluen about her Stella-award winning collection Dropbear, and more broadly her creative and academic practice. Evelyn’s poetry, together with her work as a literary editor and academic, interrogates the history of Australian literature; the tropes that curate our idea of Australianness and the influence of language – both English and Bundjalung – on our relationship to the land. Earmarked with evocative readings and ceremoniously facilitated by Daniel Browning, this is a simply stunning session from the 2022 Byron Writers Festival.

Listen Now

About the speakers

Evelyn Araluen

Evelyn Araluen is a Bundjalung poet, researcher and co-editor of Overland Literary Journal. Her debut collection Dropbear won the 2022 Stella Prize.

Daniel Browning

Bundjalung and Kullilli man Daniel Browning is host of Radio National’s The Art Show. His first book, an anthology of essays on Indigenous art, cultural criticism and memoir, is forthcoming.

VIEW FULL PLAYLIST ON SOUNDCLOUD

< Back to all podcasts

Join the conversation at #ByronWF2022

Hannah Kent discusses her bestselling third novel Devotion with Susan Wyndham. In this candid conversation, Hannah (also the author of Burial Rites and The Good People) discusses the seeds of inspiration that lie at the heart of her work, her approach to research, writing and character building, and the motivation behind her decision to write a queer love story this time around.

Listen Now

About the speakers

Hannah Kent

Hannah Kent is the bestselling author of Burial Rites, The Good People and Devotion. She lives and works on Peramangk and Kaurna Country.

Susan Wyndham

Susan Wyndham is a freelance journalist, book reviewer, and writer. She was literary editor of The Sydney Morning Herald for many years until 2017.

VIEW FULL PLAYLIST ON SOUNDCLOUD

< Back to all podcasts

Join the conversation at #ByronWF2022

Trent Dalton has captured the hearts of thousands of readers with his remarkable storytelling, but it is his live conversations that have most endeared him to festival audiences around the country. In this heart warming conversation with David Leser, Dalton takes us on his quest to understand love as a ‘sentimental writer’ on the streets of Brisbane during the pandemic.

Listen Now

About the speakers

Trent Dalton

Trent Dalton is the bestselling author of Boy Swallows Universe, All Our Shimmering Skies, and Love Stories.

David Leser

David Leser is an award-winning journalist and author of seven books, including Women, Men and the Whole Damn Thing, which explores patriarchy and misogyny in the age of #MeToo.

VIEW FULL PLAYLIST ON SOUNDCLOUD

< Back to all podcasts

Join the conversation at #ByronWF2022

Authors and activists Dylin Hardcastle, Kathryn Heyman and Jess Hill explore their complicated relationship with anger and how it informs their creative practice, the personal and cultural cost of censoring anger and the reclaiming of controlled and organised anger as a catalyst for change. Powerful readings paired with shared personal experiences and deep dives in the writing process make for a truly memorable session that was cited by many as one of the highlights of the 2022 Festival.

Podcast notes

Dylin Hardcastle, Below Deck
Kathryn Heyman, Fury
Jess Hill, See What You Made Me Do

Listen Now

About the speakers

Dylin Hardcastle

Dylin Hardcastle is a non-binary author, artist, screenwriter and former Provost’s Scholar at the University of Oxford. They are based on Bundjalung Country. Below Deck is their most recent book.

Kathryn Heyman

Kathryn Heyman is the award-winning author of six novels and the acclaimed memoir Fury. She is also the director of the Australian Writers Mentoring Program.

Jess Hill

Jess Hill is a Walkley award-winning journalist and the author of See What You Made Me Do, and The Reckoning in Quarterly Essay 84.

Gina Rushton

Gina Rushton is a journalist, editor and author of The Most Important Job in the World.

VIEW FULL PLAYLIST ON SOUNDCLOUD

< Back to all podcasts

Join the conversation at #ByronWF2022

Tackling this challenging topic with respect, breadth and depth of experience David Leser, Yves Rees, Mariam Veiszadeh together with Jess Hill consider patriarchy and how it affects us all. Through the lens of history, non-binary perspectives and cultures around the world, we are presented with hope and practical tools to become aware of patriarchy – external and internal, and the idea of change and how to achieve it. Smash the patriarchy? Let it ‘die out’? Or are there other ways to reform the system?

Listen Now

About the speakers

David Leser

David Leser is an award-winning journalist and author of seven books, including Women, Men and the Whole Damn Thing, which explores patriarchy and misogyny in the age of #MeToo.

Yves Rees

Dr Yves Rees is a historian at La Trobe University, co-host of Archive Fever podcast, and author of All About Yves: Notes from a Transition.

Mariam Veiszadeh

Mariam Veiszadeh is a human rights advocate, lawyer, writer and media commentator. Born in Afghanistan, Mariam came to Australia as a refugee with her family in 1990.

Jess Hill

Jess Hill is a Walkley award-winning journalist and the author of See What You Made Me Do, and The Reckoning in Quarterly Essay 84.

VIEW FULL PLAYLIST ON SOUNDCLOUD

< Back to all podcasts

Join the conversation at #ByronWF2022

An expansive and fascinating discussion on healing from a First Nations perspective. Authors and academics Judy Atkinson, Paul Callaghan and Marcia Langton ponder the questions of what does it mean to heal, and what healing looks like, for both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people. They share the impacts of intergenerational trauma, examples of traditional First Nations healing methods and explore the Aboriginal concept of healing; of being well in mind, body and spirit, caring for oneself, one’s community and country.

Listen Now

About the speakers

Judy Atkinson

Professor Judy Atkinson identifies as a Jiman/Bundjalung woman. Her book Trauma Trails – Recreating Songlines: The transgenerational effects of Trauma in Indigenous Australia, was released in 2002.

Paul Callaghan

Dr Paul Callaghan is an Aboriginal man belonging to the land of the Worimi people. His recently released book is The Dreaming Path.

Marcia Langton

Professor Marcia Langton AO is one of the nation’s most important Indigenous voices. She has written several books, including her bestselling guide to Indigenous Australia, Welcome to Country.

Cheryl Leavy

Kooma and Nguri woman Cheryl Leavy is an Executive Director of the Queensland Government working on First Nations Policy and a member of the Brisbane Writers Festival board.

VIEW FULL PLAYLIST ON SOUNDCLOUD

< Back to all podcasts

Join the conversation at #ByronWF2022

In this fascinating panel expertly chaired by Margaret Simons, Guardian Australia columnist Van Badham takes us on the journey behind her work where she joined some of the internet’s most extreme communities to understand conspiracy cults from the inside; Ed Coper schools us on the communications sectors’ dark underworld, aptly coined ‘Pink Slime’; and Tim Burrows shares his wealth of knowledge on media monopolies and where to from here. The session ends with some practical tips on how to reconnect with loved ones who have fallen down the rabbit hole.

Podcast notes

The beginning of this session was not recorded, where Margaret introduces each panelist and their work. Feel free to discover more via the following links:

Van Badham, QAnon and On

Ed Coper, Facts and Other Lies: Welcome to the Disinformation Age

Tim Burrows, Media Unmade

Listen Now

About the speakers

Van Badham

Van Badham is an internationally award-winning writer and theatre maker. Her newest book, Qanon And On is a history of internet conspiracy cults.

Tim Burrows

Tim Burrowes is author of Media Unmade, the definitive story of Australia’s media over the last decade. He edits media industry analysis newsletter Unmade, and founded Mumbrella.

Ed Coper

Ed Coper is a leading communications expert and author of Facts and Other Lies: Welcome to the Disinformation Age.

Margaret Simons

Margaret Simons is an award-winning freelance journalist and author. Her latest book is Penny Wong: Passion and Principle.

VIEW FULL PLAYLIST ON SOUNDCLOUD

< Back to all podcasts

Join the conversation at #ByronWF2022

How can we approach our current moment with radical hope? In this powerful keynote address from the 2022 festival, storytellers, activists, philosophers and rappers each take to the stage with a response to this question, in doing so inspiring new ways to imagine our future.

Featuring A.C. Grayling, Mia Thom, Damon Gameau, Anne-Marie Te Whiu and Luka Lesson, with an introduction by festival Artistic Director, Zoe Pollock.

Listen Now

About the speakers

A.C. Grayling

A.C. Grayling is the author of more than 30 books of philosophy, biography, history of ideas, and essays. His latest book is For the Good of the World.

Mia Thom

Mia Thom is a Bundjalung climate activist, a co-organiser of the school strike for climate movement within the Byron Shire.

Damon Gameau

Damon Gameau is a filmmaker, author and environmental educator. His documentary 2040 explores solutions to improve our planet. His most recent project is Regenerating Australia.

Anne-Marie Te Whiu

Anne-Marie Te Whiu (Te Rarawa) is a poet, weaver, cultural producer and festival director, having edited Tony Birch’s Whisper Songs and co-edited Solid Air.

Luka Lesson

Luka Lesson is a rapper, poet and educator of Greek heritage from Australia born in Meanjin / Brisbane. Luka is a former Australian Poetry Slam Champion, has performed with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra and toured with rapper Akala (UK) and philosopher Dr Cornel West (USA) among others.

VIEW FULL PLAYLIST ON SOUNDCLOUD

< Back to all podcasts

Join the conversation at #ByronWF2022

Gabrielle Chan joins Bronwyn Adcock, Joëlle Gergis & Ed Coper to discuss the limits of modern science in a world where disaster mitigation and climate adaptation have become necessary for a sustainable future.

Listen Now

About the authors

Bronwyn Adcock

Bronwyn Adcock has been a journalist for 25 years. Her book, Currowan, blends memoir, reportage and analysis as she tracks the path of a devastating bushfire.

Joëlle Gergis

Dr Joëlle Gergis is an award-winning climate scientist and author. Her latest book is Humanity’s Moment: A Climate Scientist’s Case for Hope.

Gabrielle Chan

Gabrielle Chan is rural and regional editor of Guardian Australia. Her latest book is Why You Should Give a F**k About Farming.

VIEW FULL PLAYLIST ON SOUNDCLOUD

< Back to all podcasts

Join the conversation at #ByronWF2022

Sarah Wilson sits down with filmmaker and activist Damon Gameau, the ‘electrify everything guy’ Saul Griffith and environmentalist Tim Hollo to imagine a greener future for our world. In a discussion that traverses history, policy, community action and technology, we’re presented with an array of possibilities that embody the 2022 festival theme of Radical Hope.

Listen Now

About the authors

Damon Gameau

Damon Gameau is a filmmaker, author and environmental educator. His documentary 2040 explores solutions to improve our planet. His most recent project is Regenerating Australia.

Saul Griffith

Saul Griffith is an inventor, engineer, Founder and Chief Scientist of Otherlab, and the author of The Big Switch – Australia’s Electric Future.

Tim Hollo

A highly regarded environmentalist, community builder and musician, Tim Hollo is Executive Director of the Green Institute. Living Democracy is his first book.

Sarah Wilson

Sarah Wilson is a best-selling author, podcaster, thought leader, philanthropist and climate adviser. Her most recent book is This One Wild & Precious Life.

VIEW FULL PLAYLIST ON SOUNDCLOUD

< Back to all podcasts

Join the conversation at #ByronWF2022

In this moving conversation Chloe Hooper and Tim Baker chat with Nikki Gemmell about the things we can draw on to live everyday life with awe, and how our mortality brings the fullness of life into sharp relief. Together they highlight the importance of conversations around mortality, and how to approach the subject as a community, to inspire robust discussion about how to live life to the fullest.

This podcast is proudly supported by First National Byron

Listen Now

About the authors

Tim Baker

Tim Baker is the best-selling author of Occy, Bustin’ Down The Door, High Surf, Surfari, Century of Surf, and his latest book, Patting The Shark.

Chloe Hooper

Chloe Hooper is the award-winning author of two novels and three works of non-fiction, including The Tall Man and The Arsonist: A Mind on Fire. Bedtime Story is her most recent book.

Nikki Gemmell

Nikki Gemmell’s latest books are the memoir Dissolve, and the psychological thriller The Ripping Tree. She also pens a column for The Weekend Australian Magazine.

VIEW FULL PLAYLIST ON SOUNDCLOUD

< Back to all podcasts

Join the conversation at #ByronWF2022

In this lively conversation, authors Sarah Armstrong, Bronwyn Brancroft and Isobelle Carmody sit down with Tristan Bancks to discuss children’s books, and what they can offer readers of all ages. Each speaker explores what draws them to read and write children’s books, and the ingredients required to create quality children’s literature, including the balance between lighter themes, such as hope, wonder and celebration, with the dark elements of storytelling.

Listen Now

About the authors

Sarah Armstrong

Sarah Armstrong was a journalist and has written three novels, including Salt Rain which was shortlisted for the Miles Franklin. Big Magic is her first children’s novel.

Bronwyn Bancroft

Dr Bronwyn Bancroft is a proud Bundjalung woman and artist. Bronwyn recently collaborated with her daughter Ella Bancroft, on the children’s book Sun and Moon.

Isobelle Carmody

Isobelle Carmody is one of Australia’s most highly acclaimed authors of fantasy. Her latest book is The Velvet City, the final instalment in the Kingdom of the Lost series.

Tristan Bancks

Tristan Bancks’s books for kids and teens include Two Wolves, The Fall, Detention and Ginger Meggs. His new nail-biter for age 10+ is Cop & Robber.

VIEW FULL PLAYLIST ON SOUNDCLOUD

< Back to all podcasts

Join the conversation at #ByronWF2022

Three novelists Emily Brugman, Ashley Hay and Christos Tsiolkas discuss their work and the synchronous exchange that occurs between writing and the natural world. Together they examine the fine line between inspiration and exaggeration, the role of intuition, the importance of space and silence and the care that must be taken when describing sensory experiences. Coupled with evocative readings from each of their novels, this conversation is a delightful journey into the inner workings of three very different, yet equally outstanding writers.

Listen Now

About the authors

Emily Brugman

Emily Brugman is the author of The Islands, a novel inspired by her Finnish family’s experiences of living and working on the Abrolhos Islands, WA, in the mid-20th century.

Ashley Hay

Ashley Hay is a novelist, essayist and editor at Griffith Review. A revised edition of her 2002 book, Gum: The Story of Eucalypts and Their Champions, was published in 2021.

Christos Tsiolkas

Christos Tsiolkas is the award-winning author of five novels, including Head On and The Slap. He is also a playwright, essayist and screen writer. 7 ½ is his latest book.

Jill Eddington

Jill Eddington has enjoyed a long career in the literary sector including in festivals, publishing and at the Australia Council for the Arts.

VIEW FULL PLAYLIST ON SOUNDCLOUD

< Back to all podcasts

Join the conversation at #ByronWF2022

In this explorative conversation, authors Jessie Cole and Nikki Gemmell sit down with Zacharey Jane for an intimate and at times brutally honest chat about female desire in all its guises – from the purely physical to the more nuanced, deeper yearnings for personal growth, connection and fulfilment. Both Jessie and Nikki share how their writing practices have served to process lived experience and interrogate the impact of trauma, ultimately giving voice to the niggles of self-doubt that so-often pervade the female psyche.

Listen Now

About the authors

Jessie Cole

Jessie Cole is the author of four books. Her latest memoir, Desire, was released in August, 2022.

Nikki Gemmell

Nikki Gemmell’s latest books are the non-fiction Dissolve, and the psychological thriller The Ripping Tree. She also pens a column for The Weekend Australian Magazine.

Zacharey Jane

Zacharey Jane is a writer, teacher and whale-lover. She is tour manager for Writers on the Road, and the author of two works of fiction and sundry short stories and articles.

VIEW FULL PLAYLIST ON SOUNDCLOUD

< Back to all podcasts

Join the conversation at #ByronWF2022

In this uplifting conversation Matthew Evans and Costa Georgiadis chat with Indira Naidoo about the joy and experience of gardening. They discuss the intimate connection of working with soil, and gardening as the ultimate act of optimism. With practical advice to connect with nature from many different entry points, this chat will leave you inspired and motivated to get your hands dirty and reap the many benefits for individuals and the planet.

Listen Now

About the authors

Matthew Evans

Matthew Evans, Tasmanian chef, farmer, food writer and broadcaster is the author of Soil, a hymn to the remarkable and underappreciated bit of Earth that gifts us life.

Costa Georgiadis

Costa Georgiadis is an Australian landscape architect and the beloved host of ABC TV’s Gardening Australia. His book, Costa’s World, was released in 2021

Indira Naidoo

Indira Naidoo is one of Australia’s most popular broadcasters and authors and the host of ABC Radio’s Weekend Nightlife. The Space Between Stars is her latest book.

VIEW FULL PLAYLIST ON SOUNDCLOUD

< Back to all podcasts

Join the conversation at #ByronWF2022

Let us take you on a wild rollercoaster ride of love and other stories! Trent Dalton, Nigel Featherstone and Hannah Kent – three incredible novelists in their own right – come together for this wonderful panel about the forever beguiling subject of love.

We hear tales of heartbreak and jubilation, we shed tears of sorrow and laughter, we go on a journey so doggedly awkward that we cheer victoriously when love is finally, triumphantly found.

Let your heart sing and enjoy this stand-out session from the 2022 Byron Writers Festival.

Listen Now

About the authors

Trent Dalton

Trent Dalton is the bestselling author of Boy Swallows Universe, All Our Shimmering Skies, and Love Stories.

Nigel Featherstone

Nigel Featherstone is the author of the novels My Heart is a Little Wild Thing and Bodies of Men.

Hannah Kent

Hannah Kent is the bestselling author of Burial Rites, The Good People, and Devotion. She lives and works on Peramangk and Kaurna Country.

Alex Adsett

Alex Adsett is a literary agent and publishing consultant. She represents some of Australia’s best authors, and offers strategic advice on publishing contracts and copyright.

VIEW FULL PLAYLIST ON SOUNDCLOUD

< Back to all podcasts

Join the conversation at #ByronWF2022

This conversation from the 2022 Byron Writers Festival takes a deep dive into stillness in the modern age. We hear from Paul Callaghan about what we can learn from Indigenous wisdom and ways of being, Indira Naidoo discusses how our relationship with the natural world can bring stillness and Christine Jackman provides us with ways of turning down the noise (and turning off our screens).

Ultimately this is a conversation about how we can change the way we live; to learn from those that have come before us to find ways to achieve tranquillity in the fast-paced future that awaits us.

Listen Now

About the authors

Paul Callaghan

Paul Callaghan is an Aboriginal man belonging to the land of the Worimi people and author of the recently released book, The Dreaming Path.

Christine Jackman

Christine Jackman is an award-winning journalist, author and communications consultant. Her latest book, Turning Down The Noise, is a quest for calm in the modern world.

Indira Naidoo

Indira Naidoo is one of Australia’s most popular broadcasters and authors and the host of ABC Radio’s Weekend Nightlife. The Space Between Stars is her latest book.

Anne Maria Nicholson

Anne Maria Nicholson is an author and former journalist for major media organisations, including the ABC. She has two novels published with a third in the pipeline.

VIEW FULL PLAYLIST ON SOUNDCLOUD

< Back to all podcasts

Join the conversation at #ByronWF2022

Sarah Armstrong interviews Kathryn Heyman about her memoir Fury. They unpack questions around the writing process: What stories do we choose to tell and why? When is the right time to write about personal or traumatic events? Kathryn also talks about her early writing life, the books that inspired her, gender politics and the reverberations of the #metoo movement.

About Fury
At the age of twenty, after a traumatic sexual assault trial, Kathryn Heyman ran away from her life and became a deckhand on a fishing trawler in the Timor Sea.

After one wild season on board the Ocean Thief, the only girl among tough working men, facing storms, treachery and harder physical labour than she had ever known, Heyman was transformed.

A roadmap of recovery and transformation, this is the story of becoming heroic in a culture which doesn’t see heroism in the shape of a girl.

Thanks to Delta Kay, Arakwal Bundjalung woman, for the Welcome to Country on this podcast.

Purchase the Book

Fury is available to purchase online via The Book Room Collective.

Listen Now

About the authors

Kathryn Heyman

Dr Kathryn Heyman is an award-winning writer. She was awarded the prestigious CAL Author Fellowship for Fury, a memoir of recovery and transformation.

Sarah Armstrong

Sarah Armstrong was a journalist at the ABC. She has written three novels for adults and her first novel for readers aged 8 – 12 will be published next year.

VIEW FULL PLAYLIST ON SOUNDCLOUD

< Back to all podcasts

Join the conversation at #ByronWF2021

DONATE NOW

Thank you to our funding partners for making this program possible.

https://byronwritersfestival.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/NSW-Government.png

< Back

anika

DONATE

Produced in collaboration with Griffith Review, Sarah Sentilles talks with Ashley Hay about her latest works. They discuss her essay, ‘Creation Stories’, from Griffith Review 73: Hey, Utopia! as well as Sarah’s new memoir Stranger Care.

In this insightful discussion, Ashley and Sarah discuss many topics, including the collision between bureaucracy and love, the nature of creativity and the ability of art to change the way we see the world.

Stranger Care is the moving story of what one woman learned from fostering a newborn — about injustice, about making mistakes, about how to better love and protect people beyond our immediate kin. Stranger Care is available to purchase online via The Book Room Collective.

‘Creation Stories’ is an essay about the world-making power of art. Published in Griffith Review 73: Hey Utopia!, available to purchase online here.

Thanks to Delta Kay, Arakwal Bundjalung woman, for the Welcome to Country on this podcast.

Listen Now

About the authors

Sarah Sentilles

Sarah Sentilles is the author of five books, including Draw Your Weapons and Stranger Care. A graduate of Yale University and Harvard Divinity School, she lives in Idaho’s Wood River Valley.

Ashley Hay

Ashley Hay is an award-winning novelist and essayist and the editor of Griffith Review.

VIEW FULL PLAYLIST ON SOUNDCLOUD

< Back to all podcasts

Join the conversation at #ByronWF2020

DONATE NOW

Thank you to our funding partners for making this program possible.

< Back

anika