Compulsive Reader Talks

The wonderful Jennifer Maiden joins me at Macleans Booksellers in Hamilton NSW for a launch of her new book Appalachian Fall, including a Q&A, 3 poems, and audience questions.  The talk, which is opened by a reading from the introduction by Quemar Press publisher Katharine Margot Toohey, is wide ranging and explores such things as how the book came about, its inspiration, the relationship between poetry and political rhetoric, the bisection between the personal and the political, on the use of personae and humour in poetry, and lots more.  The sound is quiet but the conversation was too good to let go, so turn up your speakers and enjoy.  You can also grab the full transcript on Quemar's Commentary page here: https://quemarpress.weebly.com/commentary.html Find out more about Jennifer's books at: Quemar Press.

Jessica Townsend, the author of Nevermoor: the Trials of Morrigan Crow drops by to read from and chat about her book, which has been had the biggest children’s debut in the Australian market since records began.  We talk about the book's outrageous success, about target markets and how it's impossible to work to them, about magic, about the broader series (including some hints about what's coming in future books), about the upcoming 20th Century Fox film (and a first time reveal of the director!), about some of the key themes in the book, including the notion of a “cursed child”, the nature of wunder, on sentience and the Hotel Deucalion, on Fenestra, the fabulous feline, and lots more.  Find out more about Jessica at: Twitter: https://twitter.com/digressica Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/digressica/

Gerry Orz is an award winning actor, director, producer, youth activist, and author of the book Lucky or Not, Here I come, released this month.  He drops by to read from Lucky or Not Here I Come and to discuss his inspiration for the book, some of the key themes, why he decided to broaden his already extensive list of accomplishments to include 'novelist', his characters and their relationships, the concept of lucky, about his writing process, the critical support of his family and school, about the changing landscape for young people, about bullying and why schools need to do more, his wish list, and lots more.   You can find out more about Gerry's work at his website: https://www.gerryorz.com/ His production company: https://www.flyingeagleproductions.com and his YouTube Channel World According to G: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQOJ3FO_6Lpfy6wXwpXA18g

Award-winning author Patti Miller reads from and talks about her new nonfiction book Writing True Stories. Patti reads from chapter one, and we discuss such things as how Patti became the "memoir whisperer", the rise and rise of the memoir in all of its multi-genred formats, on how we are all creating narrative as we make meaning of our lives (how everyone has a story), on the encouragement of exploration in her writing workshops, the excerpts and structure of the book, and much more.  For more on Patti's upcoming workshops and her many books, visit:  http://www.lifestories.com.au/

The award-winning author of Goodbye, Cruel, reads from her new book and talks about how it came together, the structure, her linked suites, the influence of Dante, her attraction to Rabi'a Balkhi and Persian poetry in general, on writing about sensitive subjects like suicide, and much more.  Find more about Melinda at her publisher's page: https://pittstreetpoetry.com/melinda-smith/  or on Facebook or Twitter.

Poet and novelist Jennifer Maiden drops by to read from her latest novel Play With Knives: Three: George and Clare and the Grey Hat Hacker, and to talk about all three novels in the Play With Knives series, about the joy of working her poetic and complex words and ideas through a thriller styled plot, about her characters George Jeffreys and Clare Collins, and the way they continue to appear through her poetry and fiction, about writing through current affairs like the Trump presidency and the first America Gulf War, about writing literary sex scenes, and lots more.  All three novels can be obtained as free downloads from Quemar Press: http://quemarpress.weebly.com/books.html

Nutritionist Dr Joanna McMillan talks about her new book Get Lean, Stay Lean, including how the book came together, why people are still struggling with nutritional and weightloss, outlines the Dr Joanna plate, her six steps to success and which one is the most unusual, about the importance of joy, her recipes, about how to sort through the fads (and which is the most dangerous), about eating sustainably - for oneself and for the planet, about the importance of "Hara Hachi Bu",  and lots more. Find out more about Dr Joanna and Get Lean, Stay Lean at https://drjoanna.com.au/.

Michele Seminara drops by to read from and talk about her poetry book Engraft and how it came together, the variety of forms and how she uses the page, about writing through Shakespeare, Kafka and other authors, about the tension between tradition and post-modernism, about the use of humour and play amidst dark themes, about Verity La which Michele is Managing Editor of, about her new book Scar to Scar, written with Robbie Coburn, and lots more.   Michele's website: https://micheleseminara.wordpress.com/author/micheleseminara/ Verity La: http://verityla.com/ Robbie Coburn's website: http://robbiecoburn.com.au/

Michelle Cahill reads "Aubade for Larkin" and talks about her new book Letter to Pessoa, including the book's genesis, its shifting genres (and genders), about literary connection and disconnection, about writing meta-fiction, and the intersections between writing practice and philosophical discourse, about Derrida, about “ambulatory praxis” or the simultaneity of multiple place and the migrant experience, her choice of authors to write letters to, about intertextuality and the canon, power structures and language,and lots more.

Tim Elliott joins us to read from and talk about his memoir Farewell to the Father.  He discusses how the initial article and book came about, the reasons for its powerful impact on readers, the themes that underlie the book including notions of failure, toxic masculinity, and the keeping of secrets, mental illness and the changing perception of it, about the difficulties (and joy) of writing memoir and rediscovering his father that way, the literary nature of the book (and some of the books that inspired him), some of his upcoming appearances, and lots more.

Joel Deane reads from and talks about his new poetry book Year of the Wasp.  Joel discusses a number of the themes and motifs throughout the book and in individual poems, the way the book came together, the power of poetry in getting to the heart of who we are, metapoetics and the artistic process, about the intersection of poetry and trauma, about the way his work connects wtih visual art, the interaction of the personal and the political in his work, and much more.

Poet, performer, professor and new media artist Hazel Smith drops by to read from and talk about her latest book of poetry Word Migrants. Hazel is an incredible reader and her readings alone are worth listening to, but she also talks with me about the genesis of the book as a whole, and about each of the poems she reads, about the sonic/musical quality of her work, her key themes, particularly migration in all its many variants, and disappearances, about "uncreative" or conceptual poetry, and about her new book on the relations

Author, novelist, journalist, broadcaster, columnist, advertising writer and social commentator Jane Caro, chats about her memoir Plain-Speaking Jane, about the power of plain speaking - not just in terms of being candid, but in terms of breaking silence and comunicating with different audiences (with a bit of Australian politics thrown in there too...), about the power of connections, about her anxiety and how she was able to move beyond it, why advertising is such an incubator for great writers, about the dangers of focusing on the great over the good, about the power of connection, her many works in progress, and lots more.

In this special "on location" Sydney Writers Festival show, Vivian Gornick reads from and talks about the writing of her latest book The Odd Woman and the City, about the nature (and freedom) of “oddness”, about the joy and vitality of New York City, about the literary self vs the living self, the conversation between life and literature, about the nature of factual truth and memory, about self-doubt and the stretch into discomfort that is a writer's work, about sitzfleish and speilkas, about the way in which she's a minimalist, about understanding the past, about her work in progress and the joy of re-reading, and lots more.

Author and scultor Dimitrios Ikonomou reads from his new novel The Diary of Norman K, and chats with Justin Goodman about his book and its origins, his characters, on having an unreliable narrator on an unreliable journey, on meta-fiction, on the relationship between his sculptures and his writing, on the quantum nature of memory, on role models, on being an outsider, the line between reality and perception, the signified and the signifier, and lots more.

In this special Newcastle Writers Festival episode, Rebecca Starford, the author of Bad Behaviour, reads from and talks about her memoir and how it came about, her "characters" and why she needed to revisit them, about the complex and fuzzy lines between bullying and being bullied, about the importance of being honest about her own character in the story, on the way writing about her experiences has open doors for others to talk more openly about their own, on coming of age and coming out, the latest news on the television option for the book, about her work in progress, and lots more.

Mark Flanagan is the founder and editor of Run Spot Run, and the instigator behind Infinite Winter, an online book club of hundreds of readers who have banded together to jointly read David Foster Wallace’s Infinite Jest in celebration of the book’s 20th anniversary.  In this episode of The Compulsive Reader Talks, we discuss Infinite Jest's timeless and ongoing appeal, what its like to group read it for the second time, the value of slow, attentive reading, about the guides and resources provided at Infinite Winter, about some of the more interesting things that have come out of his group reading, about what he's looking forward to, and lots more.

The author of Cloudless reads from and talks about her new verse novel Cloudless, her unique characters, the way the book came together, why she used verse, about the interlinking lives, about Perth in the 1980s, about the magic in her book (and her taste for Magic Realism), about the way time distorts, her work-in-progress, and lots more.

Martin Langford reads from his new poetry book Ground, and talks about his overarching principle of spaces places and the evolution of the book as a collection, about time and timelessness, about Australian history and how it plays out in Ground, about settlement and displacement, about Sydney and its layers, about eco-poetry and why his writing, though nature-rich, isn't, about  meta-poetry and the Kingfisher's, his next project, and lots more.

In this episode held live (complete with rich sound effects) from Lake Macquarie Pub, acclaimed poet Jean Kent reads from her new book The Hour of Silvered Mullet, and talks about the importance of scent, her settings, eco-poetics, the way in which the book came together, the conjunction between the ordinary (say, a mullet jumping out of the water) and the extraordinary, the inspiration for her poetic characters (especially Morag), on nostalgia or the way the past pulls us from the present, and lots more.