Human Relationships and Experience

The path of true love is often bumpy,  family relationships can  be complicated , life is full of  tragedy and hilarity.  Stories of human lives, whether fictional  or based on real events ,are never boring.

 A

DEBRA ADELAIDE - The Women's Pages

Debra Adelaide pic Have you ever fallen in love with a book to the point it starts to creep into your real life? Debra Adelaide’s heroine , Dove, reads Wuthering Heights to her dying mother in hospital and then becomes obsessed with writing herself.

Recorded at Byron Writers Festival 2016

CLAIRE AMAN- Bird country

This is a beautiful collection of short stories. Here , in 'Those Gauls must be crazy'.  a young boy invites himself to a wedding, and brings a special present. Along the way he encounters a woman  on the  bridge across the river.

Recorded at the Bellingen Writers Festival 2018

SARAH ARMSTRONG - Promise

Sarah Armstrong landscape 2016 Would you interfere if you saw a child being abused?  Sarah's book explores what happens when we become involved in another's  life through our own compassion.

B

EUGEN BACON - Unlimited Data

This short scene depicts a wealth of information about a simple village woman who has been persuaded to give up her bodily autonomy to technology. It is from a collection of short stories called "Danged Black Thing"

Recorded at the Bellingen Reader's and Writers Festival 2023

INEZ BARANAY - Turn Left at Venus

A beautiful book about friendship, imagination, growing older and undreamed of futures. Two little girls meet on a boat taking them from Europe to Australia in the 30s. They remain lifelong friends, one becomes a celebrated author of the book 'Turn Left at Venus'.

Recorded at Studio 3 Bangalow 2019

BRONWYN BIRDSALL - Time and Tide in Sarajevo

Bronwyn spent more than four years living in Sarajevo and the tragic history of this beautiful city infuses her novel. Evelyn is happy to live in Sarajevo where she  teaches English to high  school students and then one of them is stabbed. A cover up ensues and the mood in the city changes.

Recorded at Studio 3 Bangalow 2022

EMILY BITTO - Wild Abandon

Sometimes we have to face our fears - but what if we are not ready? How many of us have gazed at lions and tigers and felt just a bit scared?

Recorded at the Bellingen Readers and Writers Festival 2022

JESSE BLACKADDER -' 60 Seconds'

Jesse Blackadder's novel of a family trying to come to terms with a tragedy is based on her own experience of losing her sister to a pool drowning. In this opening extract a similar tragedy is hinted at then switches to the family's story.  

MARK BRANDI - The Rip

Drugs are not the only addiction that human beings can fall prey to - there is also love and dependency on another person, the desire for acceptance and recognition . Mark Brandi writes searingly about the hard paths in life that some find themselves on.

Recorded at Bellingen Writers Festival 2019

NAIMA BROWN - The Shot

If you have ever watched even a few minutes of your average reality TV show you must have wondered - how much is real, how much is controlled? This is a novel from a writer who has actually seen it all up close, but it's totally fiction of course - or is it?

Recorded at Studio 3 Bangalow 2023

MICHAEL BURGE - Tank Water

Michael Burge's life experience as a journalist and as a gay man growing up in the country  fills this book with genuine scenes. Here he reads the prologue that sets up the rest of the story, a father's grief at losing an adult son.

Recorded at Kyogle Writers Festival

PAUL BURMAN - The Snowing and Greening of Thomas Passmore , The Grease Monkey's Tale

paul-burman-headshot-20161123This small scene  from 'The Snowing and the Greening of Thomas Passmore ' of Thomas searching for a long lost love in a tiny English town illustrates perfectly the quiet desperation we feel when others appear unsympathetic to our quest. ' Grease Monkey 'is slang for a mechanic, that guy who is  good at fixing your car , but is he any good with the mechanics of the human heart – particularly  his own? Here our hero Nic first makes a date with Shivawn – a date that will result in a  dangerous destiny.

HELEN BURNS - Andal's Garland

An author who has spent most of her adult life studying Indian history and literature who has highlighted a poet revered in that country but little known in the West. The story of Andal, a 16 year old poet in 8th century India is interwoven with a modern love story. But the real love story in this novel is Helen Burn's clear eyed adoration for a complex country with a noble literary heritage.

Recorded at Studio 3 Bangalow 2021

C

LAUREN CHATER-' GULLIVER'S WIFE'

In this extract from 'Gulliver's Wife' read by the author Lauren Chater, she details the conflict within Gulliver's family. Anne's daughter Beth has enshrined her missing father as a hero, and feels neglected by her mother, an 18th century midwife. It's a totally absorbing book which while fictional, is well researched as to the conditions of women in this period and their day to day struggle to survive in a violent society.

T.M CLARK-'Tears of the Cheetah'

Tears of the Cheetah is set in South Africa . Here the protagonist is watching TV in a shebeen when he is presented with horrifying scenes of his home village.

AOIFE CLIFFORD - All These Perfect strangers

Aoife Clifford Aoife relating how her heroine’s experience with the university ‘stud’ is not everything she had hoped for.

Recorded at Sydney Writers Festival 2016

SALLY COLIN-JAMES -One Illumined Thread

Three women, across two millennia, the thread linking them is their craftsmanship in a male world, and their desire to regain control over their lives . A story with great resonance for young women today.

Recorded at Byron Writers Festival 2023

DANIELLE CORRIE - Teida's Story

Teida is a dog whose life changes abruptly when she is removed from the only home she has known and given to a new owner. They learn to adjust to each other and grow close and Teida's life is much happier. The Author loves animals  and  if you love dogs this is a charming book to read or give as a gift to a dog lover.

Recorded by the Author 2023

SOPHIE CUNNINGHAM - This Devastating Fever

The Bloomsbury Set have been well documented but Sophie Cunningham found herself fascinated by the over arching influence of Leonard Wolff on literature and social mores. His 'fever' was sexual desire, and he felt himself overwhelmed by it.

Recorded at Bellingen Readers and Writers Festival 2023

D

PAUL DALGARNO - A Country of Eternal Light

A woman has died but has not died. She revisits her life searching for the meaning to her previous existence, and her current one. She recalls the feeling of being embodied , and marvels at what non existence has brought her.

Recorded at the Bellingen Reader's and Writers Festival 2023

TRENT DALTON - Love Stories

Picture Trent Dalton on a street corner with a little table and a powder blue olivetti typewriter asking you to tell him a personal experience of love. It's not surprising people were so disarmed they opened up with extraordinary stories- all of which he duly recorded in this lovely collection. When there was no-one talking to him he observed their inter actions and made up beautiful stories around everyday gestures.

Recorded at Byron Writers Festival 2022

RHETT DAVIS - Hovering

Three siblings navigate a touchy relationship between them , without understanding where and when  the distance began. Can they come to terms with past issues and move forward as one family?

Recorded at the Bellingen Readers and Writers Festival 2023

MARELE DAY- Lambs of God

  Three nuns live a cloistered life while the 21st century passes them by. Then one day, a change comes in the form of a priest, a mobile phone and a resort plan.

Recorded at the Byron Writers Festival 2019

TISHANI DOSHI - Small Days and Nights

  The opening chapter of this book has the protagonist returning to her childhood home , where later we will learn she has a new responsibility in her life. A sister she never knew she had.

Recorded at the Byron Writers Festival 2019

ROBERT DREWE - Whipbird

Robert Drewe's latest novel is a darkly comedic tale of an enormous family reunion - at a winery, owned by the convener, named 'Whipbird'.

Whipbird

Recorded Byron writers Festival 2017

 

The True Colour of the Sea

A new collection of short stories from Robert Drewe. This read  takes us to a confrontation with cannibals, or at least their 21st century descendants !

Recorded at the Byron writers Festival 2018

 

HEBE DE SOUZA -BLACK BRITISH

hebe-de-souza The title of this book ‘Black British’ refers to a generation of those born into the Indian middle classes in the 1960’s who adopted British sensibilities and customs, discarding their traditional ways. The story of Lucy de Souza and her family is based on the authors own experience.

Recorded at Byron Writers Festival 2016

Briohny Doyle - Adult Fantasy

Briohny Doyle blends personal experience with cultural critique to examine what it means to turn 30 in today’s world. Where are the social occasion markers , the rites of adult passage? And are they relevant anyway in today’s society?

Recorded at the Sydney writers Festival 2017

JARRAH DUNDLER - Hey Brother

 

A beautifully written tale of a young boy on the brink of adulthood , learning just how complicated the world and people can be. When his brother returns from war duty mentally wounded and his errant and vaguely menacing uncle turns up to keep his mum company, the young protagonist in this story begins to rebel.

Recorded on Arts Canvass Bay FM 99.9 2018

F

NICHOLAS FARGUE - I was behind you

Nicholas FArgue Nicholas Fargue wrote this semi-autobiographical account of a man falling in love with another woman 10 years ago. He is now happily married!

Recorded at Sydney Writers Festival 2016

ANGELA FLOURNOY - The Turner House

Angela Flournoy pic A ‘Haint’ is an American southern term for a ghost – and in the house the Turner family inhabit in Detroit ,it is the children who claim to have witnessed this aggressive materialisation.

Recorded at Byron Writers Festival 2016

KATE FORSYTH - The Wild Girl

Kate Forsyth The Wild Girl is based on the true story of the Brothers Grimm, writers of fairytales,  and their relationship with a young woman called Dortchen Wild.  Dortchen and Wilhelm Grimm are in love but have been prevented from marriage by her father.

Recorded at Byron Writers Festival 2016

ANTONY FUNNELL AND ROSS FITZGERALD - So Far, So Good

If newly introduced workplace practices have you banging your head against the wall, or dealing with government services is driving you round the bend- this is the book to read to at least help you see the funny side! This read from Antony Funnell ( also co-written with Ross Fitzgerald) focuses on a mythical university, but the scenes depicted will strike a chord with many.

Recorded at the Byron Writers Festival 2019

G

ALISON GIBBS- REPENTANCE

  A small logging town is 'invaded' by newcomers with new ideas and different ideologies. Clashes are inevitable, and then ultimately healing.

Recorded for 'Arts Canvass' Bay FM Bangalow 2021

ALISON GIBBS - EMILY PRESENTS

Imagine if Literary greats from the past were available to headline a Writers Festival! But a clone of Emily Bronte is not the easiest of guests to manage.

Recorded at the Bellingen Readers and Writers Festival 2022

Published by Griffith Review #74"Escape Routes" 2022

H

JED HART - Block 33

This is the second book that follows Jake Hunt, a hardened Vietnam vet trained in 'Black Ops'. Jake and his girlfriend Nicole are forced to flee across the globe to avoid being murdered by a South American revolutionary. Till finally , Jake has had enough of running. Although this series is fiction, it is all based on Jed Hart's real life experiences which give it a special edge of authenticity.

Recorded at Studio 3 Bangalow 2022

Ashley Hay - The Railwayman's Wife

Ashley HAy pic A Hundred Small Lessons is set on the river in Brisbane. The ‘Lessons’ are the hundreds of small decisions and incidents that go to make up a life. This novel traces the lives of two women  who occupied the same house on the river.

Recorded at Sydney writers Festival 2017

The Railwayman’s Wife is set in Thirroul, a coastal mining town in southern N.S.W at the end of the Second World war. The heroine Ani, struggles to keep her family together after her husband dies in a mining accident.

Recorded at Byron Writers Festival 2016

ELIZA HENRY-JONES -Salt and Skin

A photographer concerned with documenting the visible evidence  of climate change lands on a small island in Northern Europe with her two teenage children. In the first few moments of her landing she witnesses and records a terrible tragedy. Then the house they are given to live in is full of strange markings from the past, carved into the wood of the beams. A novel of changing social mores tangled with superstitions from the past.

Recorded at Byron Writers Festival 2023

BEN HOBSON - To Become a Whale

Ben Hobson's debut novel takes us into the world of Sam Keogh. Motherless at 13, he struggles to form a relationship with his father, who has hitherto been almost a stranger to him. His father, decides the path to manhood is to take him to Tangalooma, then the largest whaling station in the southern hemisphere. There amongst the brutality and slaughter, he finds a path towards his father, and also his own adult identity.

Recorded on Arts Canvass Bay FM 99.9 2018

Ben Hobson - The Death of John Lacy

Ben Hobson takes us into a world now forgotten - that of male camaraderie in a frontier world - in this book it is  the Ballarat goldfields. Two brothers support each other in a dangerously lawless society.

Recorded at Byron Writers Festival 2023

I

LISA IRELAND - 'The Shape of Us'

The pressures on young women to conform to a bodily ideal can cause great unhappiness . Even talented and well qualified women can still feel inadequate if they think their shape is not perfect.

J

TONI JORDAN- Our Tiny, Useless Hearts

 

Toni Jordan head pic

There's nothing lovelier than a romantic dream, until you wake up and it turns into a bit of a nightmare!

Recorded at Sydney Writers Festival 2016

K

HANNAH KENT - The Good People

Hannah Kent's imagination was stirred by a fragment of a newspaper article on an old Irish woman - 'a Faery doctoress' who was defending herself against a criminal charge involving a child by claiming she was banishing a changeling. Hannah spent time in Ireland to get the feel of a modern country, that still harks to the old ways and Faery traditions. In this read, a member of the community is found mysteriously dead.

Recorded at the Byron writers Festival 2017

HANNAH KENT - Devotion

Hannah Kent's beautifully crafted book depicts a love between two young women which transcends all obstacles - even death. Set in the historical period of European migration to South Australia, this scene depicts the meeting of the two women, Hannah and Thea, in a misty pine forest.

Recorded at Byron Writers Festival 2022

L

SOPHIE LAGUNA - Infinite Splendours

It's not often you have a novelist who can write lyrically about the process of painting and also dairy farming!

Recorded at the Bellingen Readers and Writers Festival 2022

SHIRLEY LE - Funny Ethnics

Crossing into a new culture is a massive leap - there is language, dress , customs- you can be overwhelmed or take Shirley Le's tack and see it as a mine for comedy. For Shirley, seeing comedian Chris Lilley on television was enough to set her off on a life course.

Recorded at Byron Writers Festival 2023

SUZANNE LEAL – The Teacher's Secret

The pressures of teaching are many, so things like the allocation of classrooms, and teaching loads create tensions for teachers. Especially when there is a change of head.

Recorded at the Sydney Writers Festival 2017

SUZANNE LEAL -The Deceptions

There's something about weddings and funerals that expose long hidden secrets and bring to the surface  old betrayals and transgressions.  Inspired by a true story.

Recorded at BAD Crime festival Sydney 2022

LYNETTE LOUNSBURY - We Ate the road Like Vultures

Small town, country boys, what's a girl to do? Seeking deeper intellectual stimulation that the the state of the current local dope prices, she turns to earlier heroes of the avant-garde Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg and imagines one last glorious road trip with her literary heroes!

Recorded at Kyogle Writers Festival 2022

 

MELISSA LUCASHENKO- Too Much Lip

This read by Melissa  is a part of the history of one of the character's in her novel, Kerry's 'Pop' who she is desperate to visit before he dies. It forms a backdrop to the character, Kerry's problems in her own life, to illustrate how trauma can repeat down through the generations . There is a good mix of comedy and drama in Melissa's novels.

Recorded at the Byron Writers Festival 2018

M

ANDREW MACKIE - The Tour

  In 1954 the Queen, Prince Phillip and a vast entourage embarked upon a two month tour of Australia. Unlike today, there was a strict media protocol for coverage of this momentous event - but there were a few little glimpses into the stresses and tensions of royal public life. One of these was filmed - a small spat between the Queen and the Prince, and was promptly self censored by the crew that had recorded it. This tiny incident piqued author Andrew Mackie's interest- he began to imagine what could be going on behind the scenes on the Royal Tour. Throw in a couple of dysfunctional twin sisters, Daisie and Violet, and the perfect scenario for an entertaining and utterly fictional account of this true event is born.

FIONA McARTHUR – Mother’s Day

  Mother’s Day is a fictional tale of a midwife in a small country town . In this read ,the pregnant Jacinta , living alone, is found by her father, a man she hardly knows.

Recorded at the Bellingen Writers Festival 2018

FIONA KELLY MCGREGOR - Iris

This book is set in Sydney between the wars and is an eye opening look at what some women were driven to do in order to survive. Based on real people and events, even the locations, it is also a novel that seeks to reimagine a past reality.

Recorded at the Bellingen Reader's and Writers Festival 2023

MALCOLM McFARLANE- Leopardwood

Two men make a startling discovery while fencing in the outback bush. This presents them with a dilemma - having discovered it, what is the right thing to do?

Recorded at the Bellingen Readers and Writers Festival 2022

CATHERINE Mc.KINNON – Storyland

Storyland is five interwoven stories traversing time . In this read Catherine takes us to the Illawarra district in a future period , where climate change has altered the landscape and devastated a community.

Recorded at the Bellingen Writers Festival 2018

BRUCE MEDER - Ironic Cross

The very human face of war is depicted in this novel which relates the lives of two miners, brothers  Gregor and Henry who built tunnels to protect the  troops. Part of the little talked about history, of World War 1, which destroyed rural communities in Australia.

Recorded at Bellingen Writers Festival 2022

JANINE MIKOSZA - Homesickness

We all have triggers that remind us of where we grew up, or somewhere that is precious to our memory - what is it like to have many places in your past, some of them not pleasant?

Recorded at the Bellingen Reader's and Writers Festival 2023

KATE MILDENHALL - Skylarking

kate-mildenhall Harriet and Kate ,best friends, are the daughters of lighthouse keepers, and spend their child hoods on a wild windswept cape. One is braver than the other.

Recorded at Byron Writers Festival 2016

VIRGINIA MIRANDA - The Game

virginia-miranda This is an extract from 'Flash Fiction' - a collection of short stories.Two lovers play a game to make their lives more exciting - but what is the reality?

Recorded at Byron Writers Festival 2016

DI MORRISSEY - Arcadia

Di Morrissey, one of the top selling authors in Australia has perfected the art of delivering complex and well researched concepts into narratives that everyone can relate to. Here she is reading from 'Arcadia', which starts out as as a girl's own adventure for two old friends and enters into the realm of the importance of old growth forests and the miracles performed in our lives by fungi.

Recorded at the Byron Writers Festival 2019

N

JOANNA NELL - The Single Ladies of Jacaranda Retirement Village

Author Joanna Nell had a day job working in a retirement home and collected ample material for this heartwarming and funny look at the sticky end of life

Recorded at Byron Writers Festival 2019

KAYTE NUNN- The Botanist's Daughter

A mysterious, engraved metal  box found during a home renovation contains beautiful botanical art - who had hidden it and why? Annie sets out to solve this mystery, and return uncovers a family connection she never knew of to an artist in the previous century.  

Recorded on Arts Canvass at Bay FM 99.9 2018 

O

SOPHIE OVERETT- The Rabbits

We are  all searching for personal connections - just like the characters in this book. Sometimes a little magic helps, sometimes just love.

Recorded at the Bellingen Readers and Writers Festival 2022

 

P

LIAM PIEPER-'SWEETNESS AND LIGHT'

  Liam describes his own novel as a ‘tropical gothic set on the tourist trail in Western India ‘ His main character Connor, is a sleazy tour boat operator- who’s modus operandi is to lure women he is attracted to onto his boat to take advantage of them romantically and financially. In short, he is not a very nice person. This reading opens with him taking one of his customers he refers to as ‘the talent’onto his dive boat.  

JOSH POMARE - Call Me Evie

This is a thriller set in a remote New Zealand town with so many twists and turns you will feel slightly dizzy each time you read the next chapter ! Who is the mysterious Jim who holds Evie captive? Is he protecting her, or imprisoning her? Why can't she remember how she came to be here with him? Josh Pomare has written a sensitive, gripping portrait of a woman , trapped in a peril she doesn't fully understand.

Recorded at Bellingen Writers Festival 2019

R

MIRANDI RIWOE - The Burnished Sun

A young Javanese girl is transported to Paris to be the subject of Paul Gaugin's studies of island girls. This story reimagines her feelings and sense of powerlessness. From a collection of short stories about belonging.

Recorded at Byron Writers Festival 2022

Fin. J Ross - Billings Better Bookstore and Brasserie

  If you love words and historical novels this is fun book as Fin. J Ross takes us into 18 century Melbourne and the fictional life of Fedelia Knight, a young, orphaned girl whose sole possession is a Samuel Taylor dictionary. It was a time of great wealth from gold and lots of fabulous entrepreneurs sprang up around the city and this story tells the tale of a fictional bookstore and how a young girl with a passionate love of words transformed her life and other around her. Suitable for all ages over 10!

Recorded by the author.

S

RAJITH SAVANADASA -RUINS

rajith-savanadasa Set in modern day Sri Lanka, Ruins relates  the life of a family told by each of the family members in turn. Here we hear from Anoushka , who has just met her ultra cool American cousin.

Recorded at Byron Writers Festival 2016

DOMINIC SMITH - The Last Painting of Sarah De Vos

Dominic Smith The connecting thread in this book is a beautiful painting - first we hear Dominic read a description of this work and its provenance, and then we hear from the contemporary owner of the work who has discovered it was removed and a fake substituted without his knowing.

Recorded at Byron Writers Festival 2016

GRAEME SIMSION -The Rosie Project, The Rosie Effect

graeme-new-head-shot002 Here is Graeme  Simsion reading from his trilogy of the Rosie series, he swears there will be no more! The Rosie Effect Graeme Simsion’s lovelorn geek Don Tillman gives a  lecture on Asperger’s Syndrome at the local school. He thinks it went well!

Recorded at Byron Writers Festival 2015

  The Rosie Project Don Tillman comes up with the perfect solution to finding the perfect mate - get her to fill out a form!     The Rosie Result Don Tillman , finally happily settled with Rosie, now has a son Hudson. But Hudson  was never going to be a 'normal' child- in fact this whole book questions our definitions of what is 'normal'!

Recorded courtesy of Friends of the Library Byron Bay.

  The Best of Adam Sharpe Adam Sharpe spends his days working in I.T and his evenings playing piano in a bar just so he has company. Then a girl appears who looks like more than just company.

Recorded at Sydney writers Festival 2017

This site is sponsored by artist Karena Wynn-Moylan

This site is wholly supported and maintained by Fine Artist Karena Wynn-Moylan. View more of her paintings by clicking on the image here. Paintings, books, prints for sale and commissions accepted through her website . (Image  shown: ''The Strangler Fig' - Prints  only available - )

Graeme Simsion & Anne Buist - Two Steps Forward

 
Graeme Simsion and Anne Buist
‘Two Steps Forward’ is based on Graeme and Anne’s own experiences of walking the Camino – the Pilgrims trail from France to Spain. In the novel ‘Two Steps forward’ Anne Buist and Graeme Simsion write alternate chapters for the characters Zoe and Martin respectively, whose paths criss cross repeatedly on the trail. Here Zoe, read by Anne, is fleeing the sudden death of her husband in Los Angeles, and finds herself in France looking for the village of Cluny to take up the offer of a stay with an old college friend.   Now we hear from Graeme Simsion reading the character of Martin.

Recorded at the Sydney Writers Festival 2017

TRACEY SPICER – The Good Girl Stripped Bare

Tracey Spicer came back from a traumatic premature birth to find that her troubles were just beginning – pregnancy had demoted her! Outraged, she takes on her employers .

Recorded at the Sydney Writers Festival 2017

T

BARBARA TONER- Four Respectable Ladies Seek the Meaning of Wife

Barbara Toner relishes poking fun at the pretensions of middle class hypocrisy. In this longer read we are introduced to all the major characters in the novel and the stage is set for complex web of plotting and deception in gentrified Prospect.

Recorded a the Byron Writers Festival 2019

LESLEY TRUFFLE - The Scandalous Life of Sasha Torte ; The Fabulous Hotel Du Barry

Left to fend for herself at an early age, Sasha Torte has made her way in a world full of skulduggery, scoundrels and fantastic cakes in deepest , darkest 19 century Tasmania. Then she is betrayed by a spurned suitor. The Fabulous Hotel Du Barry is a universe of its own set in early  20 century London. The adventures of its denizens both above and ‘below  stairs’ provide  us  with an entertaining romp and also an  sight into the harsh realities confronting the less well off in this  period . Strong language warning and adult concepts in this read.

Recorded at Rydges Hotel Melbourne 2017

V

MICHEL VIMAL du MONTEIL - Where there is a Will

A surfer is wiped out on a monster wave and presumed drowned. HIs family mourns and gathers for a will that encompasses global relationships, but slowly, miles down the coast, memory is returning.

Recorded at the Bellingen Reader's and Writers Festival 2023

W

LISA WALKER - Sex, Lies and Bonsai

Lisa Walker new Ever been dumped by text?  Lisa Walker’s unhappy female character distils all those memories of being socially awkward and relationship inept.   MELT Lisa's character Summer finds herself in hot water - in the coldest place on earth! Masquerading as a glaciologist she stumbles through her first meeting with fellow scientists on the Antarctic base.

TOMMY WALLACH - Thanks for the Trouble

tommy wallach head shot Tommy Wallach takes us to a movie theatre , and gives us the step by step account of how to make out with a girl for the first time.

Recorded at Sydney Writers Festival 2016

BEN WALTER - What Fear Was

This evocative short story was inspired by a European fairytale but it is actually about the fires that have swept over so much of our country. Poetic and chilling at the same time.

Recorded at the Kyogle Writers Festival 2022

CHRISTINE WELLS- 'The Juliet Code'

The Second World War had many brave men and women working under cover on secret and covert operations. Often women were enlisted because in a more chauvinist time, it was thought no-one would suspect them! In this scene, the novel's protagonist Juliet, is quietly resisting questioning.

Recorded at the Byron Writers Festival 2018

PIP WILLIAMS - The Bookbinder of Jericho

This novel is a companion to The Dictionary of Lost Words and is a a beautiful reimagining of the lives of the people who laboured on long, sometimes tedious jobs to bring early books into being. Pip loved the research she undertook in the Bodleian Library, the world's oldest.

Recorded at the Bellingen Reader's and Writers Festival 2023

Z

ARNOLD ZABLE -The Watermill

The Watermill is a collection of stories of real people Arnold has encountered in his life. The stories range from China to Cambodia to Iraq and Iran. The book is full of stories of displacement and survival written with a profound understanding of the struggles of humanity.

Recorded at Byron Writers Festival 2022

MARKUS ZUSAK -Bridge of Clay

Clay is one of five brothers and has a rowdy , rambunctious upbringing that changes when his mother falls ill. A complex and beautiful tale from the author of 'The Book Thief'.

Recorded at the Byron Writers Festival 2019

Welcome to the Narratives Library!

Every week a new author is featured on our posts page. You can listen to the read and the fascinating interviews by joining our totally free subscriber list.

We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info. Our mailing lists are private too!

authors in their own words <meta name='ir-site-verification-token' value='1373807929' />