Category Archives: Memoir

CARL CLEVES -Soundtracks of my Life

This is the third and probably final instalment in Carl Cleves’ amazing memories of his life as a global musician and ethnomusicologist. The first book was ‘Tarab: Travels with my Guitar’, the second ‘Dancing with the Bones’. As always it is a riveting account of encounters both musical and non musical, as he and his music and life partner Parissa Bouas trek to mysterious places around the globe to be thrilled by previously unrecorded music and perform themselves in a variety of unusual places. There is a Q code in the book which when scanned will take you to a Spotify play list of 6 hours of some of the music that has influenced him through his life.

Carl Cleves – The Read

Carl Cleves – The Interview

Recorded at Studio 3 ,2023

TIM BAKER – Patting the Shark

Facing your fears, head on!

Sometimes our biggest foes are own bodies – Tim Baker learnt to live with illness and regained his health and confidence using cannabis oil.

His first experiment with hash cookies got a bit out of control!

Tim Baker – The Read

Time Baker – The Interview

Recorded at Byron Writers Festival 2022

LECH BLAINE – Car Crash

Lech Blaine – The Read

As a young man Lech Blaine became every parent’s nightmare – he was the driver in a car that accidentally killed his friends.

In small community, there is nowhere to escape confronting the reality of this sort of tragedy. Lech Blaine reads from his memoir after the fatal crash scene has happened which claimed the lives of his friends.

Lech Blaine – The Interview

Recorded at Stoyrfest 2022

SALLY WARRINER -Not Just the Wife of the General Manager!

Life in the Outback of Australia

Sally Warriner was chief cook, bottlewasher, nurse, mother, jillaroo, community leader, office administrator – the list goes on and on!

In short anything the general Manager (her husband) didn’t do – she did!

In addition to entertaining a host of important guests, she was organizing outings for politicians and hosting special dinners – everything that came along with the role of being the ‘wife of the General Manager’ on one of the biggest cattle stations in Australia. One day she just got tired of being taken for granted.

Sally Warriner – Interview

Sally Warriner – reads from ‘….the Wife of the General Manager’.

Recorded live at Studio 3 Bangalow April 2022

Once Bitten – Twice Shy

John Barrie Button – The Man Who Died Twice.

Something a little different in this post, John hasn’t written the book yet ( he says there will be about 5 volumes!) but this is an  inspiring interview with permaculture legend John Barrie Button about what it feels like to be bitten by one of the most venomous snakes in the world- An Australian Tiger Snake. And then 25 years later , survive  complete liver failure!

Click on the image  link above or the one  below to hear this episode on the Libsyn site

Check out this episode!

ROBYN WILLIAMS – Turmoil

The Narratives Team have been down to Bellingen Writers Festival and as always we had a wonderful time ( Thanks Seth and Jenny and all of the wonderful Festival crew of volunteers!)

Here’s the first of the brilliant authors we collected for the Library, later in the year we will be producing a a whole new series of Podcasts with these authors collected into themed broadcasts.

Click to buy book

Robyn Williams’ latest book is subtitled ‘ letters from the brink’ and he has a lot to get off his chest about the state of the world, even his own personal state as he gives us a blow by blow account of his treatment for bowel cancer. In this read he decries how the definition of ‘left wing’ has become a derogatory term, instead of merely reflecting the opposite view to conservative opinion.

I could have placed this read in ‘Science’ or ‘Philosophy’ but in the end placed it in ‘Memoir’ — as it contains so much of his views on  life.  It may be re-categorised later in the year!

Robyn Williams reads from ‘Turmoil’

 

As always his interview is eloquent and erudite and we could have continued discussion much longer than time allowed!

Robyn Williams Interview

HYEONSEO LEE- The Girl with Seven Names

HYEONSEO LEE- The Girl with Seven Names

 

                                                Buy  this book from Booktopia

Hyeonseo Lee escaped from North Korea into China  when she was just 17- except she didn’t realise she couldn’t go back and that it would  be years before she saw her family again. Her story is a roller coaster of joys and  terror and   is a testament to her immense survival skills. She preferred not to read for Narratives as she feared her English reading skills would let her down, so instead she relates the importance of her opening chapter to illustrate to western ears just what living in the regime meant on a daily basis. Her memoir is a real life thriller.

                                                    Author Hyeonseo Lee

Interview

Recorded at the Byron writers Festival 2018

Walter Mikac- Letters of Love

Walter Mikac has taken a great personal tragedy and used it to fuel his compassion for others who are suffering.

The Allanah and Madeline Foundation was founded by him to  bring something good out of the loss of their lives and his wife’s at Port Arthur. This book contains 50 letters of love by prominent Australians, letters about love of country, or children, or their work , or even to their future selves. They are all different, touching and some even forceful.

Profits go towards the foundation. Walter’s letter is to his parents.

Walter Mikac reads from ‘Letters of Love’

 

click image to purchase

 

Interview with Walter Mikac

 

Recorded on Arts Canvass Bay FM 99.9 2018