In “The Seeker and the Sage” a traumatised journalist is given a dream assignment - track down the mayor of a mysterious town whose citizens are the happiest people on Earth. She wants to learn how to live a good life but the town’s mayor wants to protect his dominion from the modern world. In what is an allegory for our times; Delaney poses the question: can the ancient philosophy of Stoicism help us create our own utopias in an increasingly troubled world?

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Short fiction set in the Pacific Islands was a popular genre in the early 20th century. Associate Professor Mandy Treagus offers a deep analysis of the adventuring writers whose stories were set in these islands, such as Robert Louis Stevenson, Jack London and W. Somerset Maughan.

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Our random reader, Lesley, introduces us to Jan Morris’ book “Conundrum” in which Jan shares a grippingly honest account of her ten-year transition from man to woman. On first publication in 1974, “Conundrum” generated enormous interest around the world and was chosen by “The Times” as one of the '100 Key Books of Our Time'.

Guests
Brigid Delaney, author of “The Seeker and the Sage”

Mandy Treagus, Associate Professor in English and Creative Writing at the University of Adelaide, author of “The Pacific Tale: Short fiction from 1890 - 1950”

Other books that get a mention:

Cath mentions Richard Osman’s “The Impossible Fortune”, Mick Herron’s “Clown Town” and “Peter Ackroyd’s “The English Soul; Faith of a Nation”

Annie mentions “What we can Know” by Ian McEwin, “Ripeness” by Sarah Moss and “Novacene; The coming of age of hyper intelligence” by James Lovelock

INSTAGRAM

@allenandunwin

@palgrave_macmillan

@brigidwd

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Miriam Webster makes her literary debut with a sharp, funny and often dark collection of short stories about love, loss and very modern dilemmas. With an eye for what isn’t said and that which is said by accident, the collection is named for the Freudian slip.

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New publishers on the block, Margot Lloyd and Emily Hart, are publishing exciting debut authors, re-releasing irresistible classics and teaching the rest of us how to write better in their “Word Shops” – two talented women having fun and publishing their way!

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Our random reader, Max, is a nine-year-old with an infectious passion for reading.

Guests

Miriam Webster, author of “The Slip”.

Margot Lloyd and Emily Hart introduce Pink Short’s new books “Annie Magdalene” and “Sea Green” by Barbara Hanrahan, “Playing Nice Was Getting Me Nowhere” by Alex Cothren and “Plastic Budgie” by Olivia De Silva “

Other books that get a mention:

Michaela mentions “Moor to Sea; A Journey Along the Cleveland Way” by Vicki Foote

Annie mentions “Woo Woo” by Ella Baxter and “The Writers Journey; Mythic Structure for Writers” by Christopher Vogler

Margot and Emily also mention Barbara Hanrahan’s “The Scent of Eucalyptus”, Anne Enright’s collection of short stories “Taking Pictures”, “The Bakers Book” by Ruby Goss, a forthcoming book of poetry by Evelyn Araluen, Splinter Magazine, “The Parisian” by Isabella Hammand.

Max mentions “The First Cat in Space ate Pizza” by Matt Barnett, “Diary of Loki” by Louise Stowell and what he recommends as the best book series ever, “Sherlock Bones”.

INSTAGRAM

@pinkshortspress

@anikopress

@mim_webster

@vickifoote

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Since shooting to fame with “The Rosie Project”, Graeme Simsion has formed a successful writing partnership with his psychiatrist wife, Anne Buist. Here they share with Annie why the mental health system provides such fertile ground for their creativity, the change they hope to see in that world…and the nuts and bolts of working together.

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Can a murder mystery warm your heart? Cath thinks Zane Lovitt has pulled it off and enjoys chatting to him about his good-natured suburban crime story, “The Body Next Door”. It’s got all the captivating characters, clever clues and surprising twists one needs for a truly satisfying whodunit.

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Our random reader also enjoys books he can unwind with such as the mysteries of Alexander McCall Smith and Richard Osman. Or, for a change of pace, the nostalgia of “The Diary of Adrian Mole” series by Sue Townsend or a spot of popular science with “Breath” by James Nestor.

Guests

Anne Buist and Graeme Simsion, authors of “The Glass House” and “The Oasis”, books number 1 & 2 in the “Menzies Mental Health” series.

Zane Lovitt, author of “The Body Next Door”.

Other books that get a mention:

Cath also mentions Siang Lu’s Miles Franklin winning novel, ”Ghost Cities”.

Annie mentions “Woo Woo” by Ella Baxter, “All Fours” by Miranda July, “Nighbitch” by Rachel Yonder and “The Slip” by Miriam Webster.

INSTAGRAM
@hachetteaus
@anneebuist
@gcsimsion
@text_publishing
@zane_lovitt

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