From feisty debates and discussion from major writers festivals, to folk and hip hop from some of the past year’s great musical events. An RN summer season program.
Latest episodes
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Geoffrey Robertson’s Hypothetical Part 2
Geoffrey Robertson KC, a legendary barrister and human rights judge, poses hypothetical questions to a panel of high-profile guests, guiding them through the scenarios with interro…
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Geoffrey Robertson’s Hypothetical Part 1
Geoffrey Robertson KC, a legendary barrister and human rights judge, poses hypothetical questions to a panel of high-profile guests, guiding them through the scenarios with interro…
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54 min
Best of the Festivals Small Towns
What terrible secrets are hidden in the fictional landscapes of regional Australia? Three crime writers onstage at the Sydney Writers Festival with Kate Evans: Garry Disher, Hayley…
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Double trouble — crime fiction with Dervla McTiernan and Aoife Clifford
Conversations with Irish Australian queens of crime: bestselling Irish born crime novelist, Dervla McTiernan discusses her move away from the Cormac Reilly series for her new stand…
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Governing during a climate emergency
'Business as usual' is not an option for governments dealing with an escalating climate crisis. It's now impossible to ignore or deny the grim manifestations, and warnings, that th…
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50 min
Words on show: writing for performance
Language changes when read aloud; previously unheard rhythms, timbres and tones come alive off the page.
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48 min
Gone but not forgotten: great writers who died in 2022
The influence and lasting impact of writers and writing is irrefutable.
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Sex, tech, intimacy and power — Jennifer Mills, Rob Brooks, Josephine Taylor
Too much. Not enough. Too weird. Not weird enough. Sex is enjoyed, explored, exploited, and policed in countless ways. The pleasure and pain of writing about sex … with authors Jen…
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44 min
Is cancel culture ruining creativity?
Cancel culture, wokeness, politically correct; who gets to choose what's offensive and what's inclusive?
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English novelist Sarah Moss, The Fell
Dry stone walls, ancient pathways, domestic landscapes and dread: English novelist Sarah Moss speaks to Kate Evans at the 2022 Melbourne Writers Festival about her latest novel, Th…
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51 min
The Joys of Rereading
What does rereading mean to you, and why do you do it? At the 2022 Sydney Writers Festival Kate Evans was joined on stage by rereaders memoirist Ruth Wilson (author of the bibliome…
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The making of Australian history
How is history made, and who gets left out? History tells us where we came from, what happened along the way, and who we have become – our national identity. But history is the pro…
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Hannah Kent and Michelle Johnston unearth the past
From books and ideas to music you get a front-row seat at the highlight events.
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Fearless Fiction: Amanda Lohrey, Julieanne Lamond, Sarah L'Estrange
The new book Lohrey by literary critic and researcher Julieanne Lamond pays homage to Amanda Lohrey, the fearless writer, novelist and 2021 Miles Franklin winner whose career spans…
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Lessons in life, mortality and love from Julian Barnes
Julian Barnes is the author of 13 novels including Flaubert's Parrot, The Noise of Time and the Booker-winning A Sense of an Ending. His latest novel, Elizabeth Finch, is about a l…
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QANON and internet conspiracy cults
Conspiracy theories are not a new phenomenon. But the internet and, recently, the pandemic have turbocharged the dissemination of misinformation and disinformation. A disturbing nu…
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54 min
Anita Heiss on celebrating Aboriginal heroes and learning Wiradjuri
What does the Australian country town of Gundagai make you think of? The statue of the "dog on the tuckerbox"? The old folksong, Along the road to Gundagai? Or do you think of the…
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54 min
The feminists are coming
What it is like to be a feminist in the public eye? A discussion from the 2021 Sydney Writers Festival with Laurie Penny author of Bitch Doctrine: Essays for Dissenting Adults addr…
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54 min
Is trust in science growing?
Opinions trump facts and truth is no longer absolute. Science is under attack in a world where misinformation thrives, fake news can go viral and conspiracy theories are more popul…
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54 min
Rachel Cusk
From the 2021 Sydney Writers Festival Annabel Crabbe in conversation with Rachel Cusk - the author of the Outline trilogy (Outline, Transit, Kudos); the essay collection Coventry;…