In this episode, Mel talk to poet Kate Middleton about how television affects her teenage and grown-up self through her new poetry Television - a poetry collection that is part criticism, part autobiography. Writer and academic Emma Darragh also joined the podcast to discuss about her new novel Thanks for Having Me - a novel about a family consist of three generation of woman as they navigate girlhood, motherhood and selfhood.
Jess Zanoni fills in for Mel and chats to Panda Wong - a writer, poet and co-editor of Best of Australian Poems 2023 (Puncher and Wattmann), co-edited with Gig Ryan. The anthology captures the rich and diverse array of poetry across Australia from 2022-23. Also joining Jess is Caitlin Farrugia to talk about her new book Search Histories (Vagabond Press), a collecton of short stories looking at what people Google at specific times of their lives and the humour, sadness, and real portrayals of hum...
Jess fills in for Mel, and speaks to local Melbourne poet, Kiara Lindsay on her new debut poetry collection, A portrait of me running as fast as the plant is growing .
Sara M. Saleh is a writer, a poet, human rights lawyer, organiser, and the daughter of Palestinian, Egyptian, and Lebanese migrants. She joins Mel to talk about two new books she's released this year: Songs for the Dead and the Living (out now through Affirm Press), and her new poetry collection The Flirtation of Girls / Ghazal el-Banat (UQP). They talk about Sara's creative process, her relationships with both herself and her characters, how place and memory are implicated in her writing, and h...
Eighteen year old Aaron is creative, resourceful and addicted to heroin. Kicked out of home by his mum and living rough on the streets of South Melbourne, he dreams of getting straight and starting again – but the system lets him down at every turn. Debut author and winner of the Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for an unpublished manuscript, Mick Cummins, swings by the studio to talk about his soulful and humane novel So Close To Home , which is informed by his experience as a social worker. ...
How can we live meaningful and creative lives amid the housing crisis? Max Easton dials in to chat rugby league, punk rock and backyard tape projects in his new novel Paradise Estate , which follows the trials and tribulations of a Sydney sharehouse over the course of 2022. And Jessica Zhan Mei Yu pops by to unpack her debut novel But The Girl : a campus novel about a young Sylvia Plath scholar’s journey to main character energy.
Decorated Australian authors Charlotte Wood and Amanda Lohrey join Mel on the show this week, to discuss their new novels Stone Yard Devotional and The Conversion. It’s a happy accident that these two reads are kindred spirits, each defined by spartan, meditative prose, an interest in secular religion and what it means to hope and grieve today.
Siân Hughes, Cheshire-based poet, novelist and author of the 2023 Booker Prize longlisted Pearl , dials into the studio to discuss this lyrical and open-hearted debut. Siân shares the history of the medieval poem it’s named for, the process of writing a love song to her village and her mother, and tells us why this story needed time to breathe.
Multi-award winning Bundjalung writer Melissa Lucashenko joins Mel in the studio to talk about her latest novel Edenglassie : an epic tale that torches Queensland’s colonial myths, and asks Australians to ponder where to from here. Melissa also treats us to a reading from the book. Madeleine Gray also pops by to dish the dirt on her homewrecking hero Hera and the runaway success of her debut novel Green Dot , which she is currently adapting for television.
This week, we step inside the colourful, questioning and ecstatically wild mind of debut author and Melbourne-based cartoonist Sarah Firth, whose illustrated essay collection Eventually Everything Connects: Eight Essays On Uncertainty is out now through Joan Press. She swings by the studio to chat about seeking delight in the everyday, drawing in order to think, and the mating habits of tiger slugs – among other things. Plus, author and playwright Elise Esther Hearst dishes the dirt on her debut...
In the final Radiothon instalment of Literati Glitterati for 2023, Mel takes a look at memoir, mental health, and the breadth and depth of neurodiverse writing. Roz Bellamy, editor of Archer magazine, swings by the studio to tell us about their debut memoir Mood , their love of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and why it takes a community to write a book. And esteemed Triple R stalwart and author of Late Bloomer Clem Bastow wants to hear from you! Clem and co-editor Jo Case are seeking submissions to a ...
Mel Fulton speaks to award-winning author Laura Jean McKay about her new short story collection Gunflower, which is set to be available on October 3rd. Mel also speaks to acclaimed poet and artist Ella Skilbeck-Porter about her debut poetry collection These Are Different Waters.
Mel Fulton talks to Anna Kate Blair about the inspiration for her debut novel of 'The Modern'. Fellow Triple R host Clem Bastow drops by to chat about their debut non-fiction book 'Late Bloomer,' which is about being digonised with Autism later in life, and encourages fellow austic listners to write about thier life experience.
Mel speaks to Katherine Brabon about her new novel 'Body Friend', writing with a chronic disability and how her relationship with her body changes daily. Nadine J Cohen joins the show to chat with Mel about her debut novel 'Everyone and Everything', the joys of women's bathing pools and the struggles of writing autofiction.
In the studio this week is Allee Richards, Melbourne theatre darling and award winning writer. Mel and Allee discuss her second novel, A Light in the Dark, which uses a tale of musical theatre to examine growing up while dealing with complex and difficult issues. Please note, there are mentions of sexual abuse within this conversation as it relates to the topics covered within the novel. Plus, Suzy Garcia tells us all about what it’s like to be the Editor of the New Australian Fiction anthology ...
For Literati Glitterati’s 2023 Radiothon Special, Mel is joined in the studio by Triple R legends, Melissa Cranenburgh and Fiona Scott-Norman. In this weeks episode, you will get to know a little more about the voices you may have heard on the airwaves in years gone by. They discuss their favourite moments as Triple R broadcasters, the added benefits of subscribing (like meeting your life partner, as Fiona and Kate both did), and Mel treats us to some archival audio... strap in and enjoy!...
Mel is joined in the studio by Laura Elizabeth Woollett to discuss her latest short story collection, West Girls . She draws upon her experience growing up on Australia’s west coast to bring us tales of sex, money and power. Plus, Angela O'Keeffe talks about her novella, The Sitter , which is the 2023 recipient of the UQP Quentin Bryce Award. A poignant and considered piece which sheds light on Hortense Cezanne, wife and sometime muse of the famous painter.
Mel Fulton speaks to award-winning Australian writer Joel Deane about his new novel ' Judas Boys' . Joel opens up about the cartharsis that came with writing ' Judas Boys' - a story that explores running from the truth. She also talks to writer Andrea Goldsmith about the legacy of poet, the late Dorothy Porter, whose unpublished works have been featured in the new anthology ' A Line in The Sand'. Hosted by Mel Fulton.
This week, Mel is joined in the studio by Madison Griffiths, writer, artist and producer of critically acclaimed podcast Tender . Madison discusses her debut novel Tissue , which is a candid depiction of her own experience of abortion. In this conversation, they talk about the catharsis of writing the book, the internal conflict and complexity of having an abortion, as well as the external responses to her work. Content warning: this week there are topics discussed that may be distressing to lis...
Mel Fulton is joined by Australian writer and host of the First Time podcast, Kate Mildenhall, as the two discuss and dissect Kate's unconventionally exciting novel The Hummingbird Effect (2023), a beautiful narrative following four different women who are connected across time and place by an invisible thread. Mel is also joined by writer, researcher, and university teacher, Grace Lee, who presents her latest polyphonic verse novel Chinese Fish (2023), where she presents the struggles of Asian ...
Award-winning writer Gretchen Shirm joins the show to talk about her third book The Crying Room, which takes a close look at three generations of women to ask who we are as individuals and in relation to our families. Gretchen and Mel discuss the book's speculative elements, its inventive structure, its timeless themes and its kindred reads (Elizabeth Strout, Helen Garner). And how, at the end of the day, Gretchen wants to make her readers feel.
Sanya Rushdi joins the show to talk restlessness, nuance and the power of language in her debut novel Hospital: a lucid and unflinching account of psychosis and hospitalisation in Australia, inspired by her own lived experience. Plus, from surfing dogs to bookish birthday parties, Mel gets the lowdown on the 20th annual Willy Lit Fest with Program Director, Emily Westmoreland.
How do we become who we are? In this edition of Literati Glitterati, Mel chats to the authors of two books consumed by precisely this question. The first is Where I slept , an autofictional work set in nineties Melbourne by writer and poet Libby Angel, which charts a young woman’s journey towards artistic self actualisation as she traverses the city’s sharehouses, squats and streets. Libby chats with Mel about unreliable narrators, writing visually, and the role of music in her practice. The sec...
Mel is joined by English writer, Max Porter. Multi award-winning UK novelist and master of the tiny perfect book, Max Porter, joins Mel on the show this week. The pair riff on magic, music and mix tapes, experimentation and writing without judgment, as they unpack his latest novella Shy: an outsider story with a beating heart. Plus, Max treats us to a reading.
Mel is joined in the studio by Bora Chung, author of the Booker International Prize-shortlisted Cursed Bunny . They talk about trusting your translator, thinking and writing in different languages, and the freedom of writing without genre. Plus, John Tjhia shares the latest issue of Debris Magazine – and the tension in its theme The Urge to Know.
Mel is joined in the studio by Madelaine Lucas to discuss her New York Times’ Editors’ Choice debut novel, Thirst for Salt, a love story set in an isolated Australian coastal town. Madelaine has come across the globe from New York, where she is a musician, writer and teacher at Columbia University. Plus, how does a literary festival come together? We’re staying coastal with Jane Finemore, Program Director of the Queenscliffe Literary Festival. Jane discusses the 2023 Queenscliffe Literary Festiv...
