Uncle Bernie parked his car alongside the dunes behind the rock fishing beach. Nursing a bucket in the back seat, Leo had vomited several times during the drive, and the last bumpy section on the off-road track leading to the beach hadn't helped. "Chuck up in the bucket," Uncle Bernie had warned him. "I don't want any stains on the upholstery." The Nine Lives of Leo Roberts — One: Rock Fishing is a short story by Robert Fairhead from the Tall And True writers' website. Read Robert's writing on T...
Jul 20, 2025•15 min•Season 5Ep. 103
The terrace house door creaks open, and the women sitting in the converted front room glance at the newcomers: another nervous-looking young woman in her late teens or early twenties and an older woman, probably her mother, judging by their shared chubby features. The two women cross to the receptionist's desk. The Nine Lives of Leo Roberts — Prologue: The Clinic is a short story by Robert Fairhead from the Tall And True writers' website. Read Robert's writing on Tall And True: https://www.talla...
Feb 06, 2025•8 min•Season 5Ep. 102
Tall And True Short Reads is a storytelling podcast featuring short stories, blog posts and other writings from the Tall And True writers' website, written and narrated by Robert Fairhead. "Most episodes from the past four seasons of the podcast are standalone, but I've also released multipart episodes for longer short stories. For Season Five, I'm doing something different. I'm writing and narrating a series of interconnected short stories titled The Nine Lives of Leo Roberts." Tall And True we...
Jan 23, 2025•4 min
Since Episode 100, I've taken a break from podcasting to plan a new direction for Season Five of Tall And True Short Reads, which I hope to launch early next year. Meanwhile, I've "gift-wrapped" the first episodes from Seasons One to Four of the podcast for this year's bumper Kris Kringle episode. The stories written and narrated by Robert Fairhead for The Kris Kringle - Xmas 2024 first appeared on the Tall And True writers' website. Read the stories on Tall And True: • Five Meet on Zoom: https:...
Dec 19, 2024•25 min•Season 4Ep. 101
If you thought about it, the process for selecting the first matter transference test pilot was archaic, although Mae considered it a lucky omen when she drew the Blue 15 raffle ticket. Blue, not pink, was her favourite colour as a girl, and at 15, Mae had decided she wanted to become an astronaut. Twin Souls in the Universe is a short story from the Tall And True writers' website, written and narrated by Robert Fairhead . Read the story on Tall And True: https://www.tallandtrue.com.au/fiction/s...
Oct 01, 2024•8 min•Season 4Ep. 100
I'm getting too old for this. My speechwriter's pulse quickens as the PM mounts the flag-decked stage, flanked by senior ministers and mining industry executives, to announce her government's green coal plan. Panned by environmentalists and scientists, polling suggests it could be a vote winner … if the PM nails my speech. My Speech is a short story from the Tall And True writers' website, written and narrated by Robert Fairhead . Read the story on Tall And True: https://www.tallandtrue.com.au/f...
Sep 17, 2024•8 min•Season 4Ep. 99
The local dog club, where I volunteered as a trainer for twenty years, ran season-ending Fun Days with events like Fancy Dress, Agility Slalom, Waggliest Tail, and other novelty races that changed from year to year. One of my favourites was the Sack Race, where my dear old dog and I always placed third. For the Sake of a Story is a blog post from the Tall And True writers' website, written and narrated by Robert Fairhead . Read the post on Tall And True: https://www.tallandtrue.com.au/blog/sake-...
Sep 01, 2024•8 min•Season 4Ep. 98
Excuse me, humanity, please pay attention. I have an urgent message. "What? Not in the middle of my reality TV show!" I'm sorry. I'll be brief. But first, a little background. My message concerns the fate of a pale blue dot in the inky expanse of the universe. Beyond its fragile borders is vast nothingness. You Have Been Warned is a short story from the Tall And True writers' website, written and narrated by Robert Fairhead . Read the story on Tall And True: https://www.tallandtrue.com.au/fictio...
Aug 14, 2024•7 min•Season 4Ep. 97
I open my eyes, blink and try to focus on the bright lights set into the white ceiling flying past overhead. I hear beeps and muffled voices. It feels like I'm strapped to a camp stretcher, but it's moving. I'm on a hospital gurney. What happened? I want to ask. But there's a tube down my throat, and I can't talk. The Light Above is a short story from the Tall And True writers' website, written and narrated by Robert Fairhead . Read the story on Tall And True: https://www.tallandtrue.com.au/fict...
Jul 28, 2024•7 min•Season 4Ep. 96
In 1987, my wife and I shouldered our backpacks and set off from Australia. The plan was to live and work overseas in England for two years, using it as a base for UK and wider world travels. And the widest of these were inspired by reading books like Alan Moorehead's The White Nile and The Blue Nile . The White and Blue Niles is a travel blog post from the Tall And True writers' website, written and narrated by Robert Fairhead . Read the post on Tall And True: https://www.tallandtrue.com.au/blo...
Jul 09, 2024•8 min•Season 4Ep. 95
Have you ever had one of those mornings? You know, where everything goes wrong. It's like a farce, a series of mishaps increasing in frequency and intensity that have you howling with side-splitting laughter or shedding tears of frustration. One of Those Mornings is a short story from the Tall And True writers' website, written and narrated by Robert Fairhead . Read the story on Tall And True: https://www.tallandtrue.com.au/fiction/short-stories/one-of-those-mornings Read the Five April Stories ...
Jun 18, 2024•7 min•Season 4Ep. 94
Teresa's first thing in the morning text message was a punch in the guts. "Sorry, Colin. I love you, but we're on different journeys. Let's stay friends." I blinked twice to clear my eyes and was about to respond, "Are you serious?" but threw the phone against the bedroom wall instead. Different Journeys is a short story from the Tall And True writers' website, written and narrated by Robert Fairhead . Read the story on Tall And True: https://www.tallandtrue.com.au/fiction/short-stories/differen...
May 27, 2024•7 min•Season 4Ep. 93
I've lost a few things over the years but never imagined losing a story! I only realised I'd "lost" A Window Table when I started working on a blog post to mark my fourth anniversary of writing Furious Fictions. However, when I found and read a copy of the story, I didn't recognise its plot or characters. This double-feature episode includes the short story A Window Table and a companion blog post, The Lost and Found Story , from the Tall And True writers' website, both written and narrated by R...
May 10, 2024•9 min•Season 4Ep. 92
Less than forty-eight hours after receiving her online order, Third Age Cybertronics delivered Jack to Daisy, a sprightly centenarian who purchased the Advanced Companion Droid to help her with household chores and carry her bags when travelling. A New Jack is a short story from the Tall And True writers' website, written and narrated by Robert Fairhead . Read the story on Tall And True: https://www.tallandtrue.com.au/fiction/short-stories/a-new-jack Podcast website: https://www.tallandtrueshort...
Apr 18, 2024•7 min•Season 4Ep. 91
My first "published" writing was an Enid Blyton- Famous Five -style adventure story, Sand Island , in 1972. I wrote the story and illustrated it with coloured Texta markers. My aunt, the only one in our family with a typewriter, typed up the manuscript. And my father helped bind and cover the book. I was ten. A Good Story is a blog post from the Tall And True writers' website, written and narrated by Robert Fairhead . Read the post and see my illustrations on Tall And True: https://www.tallandtr...
Apr 01, 2024•12 min•Season 4Ep. 90
Eighteen-year-old Hugo glanced up at the train station clock. It seemed time had stood still, with the minute hand barely moved since he'd last checked. He confirmed the time on his watch and then looked at the departure board, breathing a sigh of relief. His train was running on schedule. Moving On is a short story from the Tall And True writers' website, written and narrated by Robert Fairhead . Read the story on Tall And True: https://www.tallandtrue.com.au/fiction/short-stories/moving-on Rea...
Mar 14, 2024•7 min•Season 4Ep. 89
While sorting through storage boxes at home, I found an old notebook belonging to my son. It wasn't a school exercise book but something he'd jotted and doodled in as a twelve-year-old. Among its random pages was a short story he'd written in 2014 about a father who doesn't have "great ideas". Trigger warning: This episode mentions teenage self-harm and death. Lifeline Australia: https://www.lifeline.org.au/ Finding Inspiration is a blog post from the Tall And True writers' website, written and ...
Feb 29, 2024•8 min•Season 4Ep. 88
If you ask me, the Moon is the best object in the night sky. And you don't need an expensive telescope to observe it. A pair of binoculars does the trick. I'm looking at the Moon now, leaning against a wall to steady my hands, and it's a beautiful sight. No wonder it inspires poets and lovers. The Lonely Moon is a short story from the Tall And True writers' website, written and narrated by Robert Fairhead . Read the story on Tall And True: https://www.tallandtrue.com.au/fiction/short-stories/the...
Feb 15, 2024•7 min•Season 4Ep. 87
"In space no one can hear you scream. But what if you're deep in the backwoods, in an isolated cabin on a dead-end trail?" Karen set aside the book. A horror story was not ideal reading for the off-grid log cabin Peter had booked for their thirtieth wedding anniversary weekend, especially as she was alone in bed, listening to wind from a storm whistle through cracks in the doors and windows. A Knock at the Door is a short story from the Tall And True writers' website, written and narrated by Rob...
Jan 18, 2024•7 min•Season 4Ep. 86
I'm taking a short break from podcasting because I'm going on a long road trip with my son from Sydney to Western Australia to spend Xmas and New Year with our WA family. But as I did in 2022, I've put together a Kris Kringle collection featuring three episodes from the Tall And True Short Reads archive: Too Late, Lenny , Stuck in Time and Family Reflections . The Kris Kringle - Xmas 2023 stories first appeared on the Tall And True writers' website, written and narrated by Robert Fairhead . Read...
Dec 21, 2023•17 min•Season 4Ep. 85
Cassie lay perfectly still in bed, staring at the shadowy shape on the ceiling overhead. A bulky body and eight legs, a spider, but this wasn't Incy Wincy. It was a huntsman with long hairy legs, needle-sharp fangs, and a jump so powerful that if human, it could win gold at the pole vault without a pole. In Her Head is a short story from the Tall And True writers' website, written and narrated by Robert Fairhead . Read the story on Tall And True: https://www.tallandtrue.com.au/fiction/short-stor...
Dec 08, 2023•7 min•Season 4Ep. 84
I discovered microfiction when I reviewed Loopholes by Susan McCreery in 2017. By definition, brevity is the key to good microfiction. The stories in Loopholes range from several paragraphs over one or two pages to only three short sentences. With no room for plot and character development, every word must count. Tall And True Microfiction Anthology is a blog post from the Tall And True writers' website, written and narrated by Robert Fairhead . Read the post on Tall And True: https://www.tallan...
Nov 28, 2023•10 min•Season 4Ep. 83
"Roses are red, violets are blue, I spend my day, thinking of you." Davey reviewed the poem in his exercise book. "Thinking" is what you did at school. It wasn't romantic enough to attempt Mission Impossible with the girl of his dreams. That's it! "I spend my day, dreaming of you." A Better Poem is a short story from the Tall And True writers' website, written and narrated by Robert Fairhead . Read the story on Tall And True: https://www.tallandtrue.com.au/fiction/short-stories/a-better-poem Pod...
Nov 13, 2023•6 min•Season 4Ep. 82
It's only early spring, but I'm starting to sweat in Mum and Dad's back garden. I wore my dark English suit for Dad's funeral, and if etiquette permits at wakes, I'd like to slip off the coat. Looking around the garden for guidance, I struggle to recognise elderly aunts and uncles or my fellow middle-aged cousins. And I have no hope of placing their children and grandchildren. Some Things Change is a short story from the Tall And True writers' website, written and narrated by Robert Fairhead . R...
Oct 22, 2023•9 min•Season 4Ep. 81
It's a chilly winter morning, and the central heating has barely warmed my flat. I'm rugged up in a jumper and Ugg boots, and the kettle's boiling. There's a knock at the door, and I know who's there without checking the peephole because I've learned to mark events on a calendar to help remember things. Some Things Change is a short story from the Tall And True writers' website, written and narrated by Robert Fairhead . Read the story on Tall And True: https://www.tallandtrue.com.au/fiction/shor...
Oct 04, 2023•9 min•Season 4Ep. 80
It's a hot summer afternoon, with no sign of the Freo Doctor. Despite the heat, I'm climbing the tree in Gran's backyard with my brothers and boy cousins while our girl cousins chat in a circle in the shade of the back veranda. Like the other boys, I'm in shorts with no shirt or shoes. Our tomboy cousin's up here, too. And though she's wearing a dress, she's also barefoot. Some Things Change is a short story from the Tall And True writers' website, written and narrated by Robert Fairhead . Read ...
Sep 26, 2023•8 min•Season 4Ep. 79
Season Four will start with a multi-part, longer short story I wrote in June 2023, Some Things Change, consisting of three vignettes set in different locations and times but with a common thread: a pair of cousins from Perth, Western Australia, exploring Australia's troubled history and relationship with Indigenous peoples. Tall And True Short Reads is a storytelling podcast featuring short stories, blog posts and other writing from the Tall And True writers' website, written and narrated by Rob...
Sep 19, 2023•3 min
I fell in love with live theatre when I saw my first London West End play as a newly-arrived backpacker in 1987. Over the next eight years, living in Brighton and Windsor, I attended countless professional and amateur productions. But I didn't think in 1987 that one day I'd be up on stage, too, taking a bow. Taking a Bow is a memoir blog post from the Tall And True writers' website, written and narrated by Robert Fairhead . Read the post on Tall And True: https://www.tallandtrue.com.au/blog/taki...
Aug 31, 2023•10 min•Season 3Ep. 78
I'm in the middle of a dream, though it might be nearer the beginning or end. Who can tell with dreams? I'm on a rocket, and the final countdown's begun. "10, 9, 8 ..." Then I look down at myself strapped in the seat and see I'm wearing pyjamas. "It's only a dream," I reassure myself. My Dreams is a short story from the Tall And True writers' website, written and narrated by Robert Fairhead . Read the story on Tall And True: https://www.tallandtrue.com.au/fiction/short-stories/my-dreams Podcast ...
Aug 08, 2023•6 min•Season 3Ep. 77
I was weaned on Wimbledon in Australia. Year after year, I'd stayed up half the night to watch the finals on TV. And here I was in the northern hemisphere, able to witness the match in broad daylight for the first time, with an Aussie in the final, for goodness sake, and Mrs B wasn't interested in tennis! My Most Memorable Wimbledon (originally titled Wimbledon Lost in Translation) is a travel blog post from the Tall And True writers' website, written and narrated by Robert Fairhead . Read the p...
Jul 14, 2023•7 min•Season 3Ep. 76
