AustLit

"Markus Zusak is the author of six novels, including The Book Thief (2005), which spent more than a decade on the New York Times bestseller list. His other novels are The Underdog (1999), Fighting Ruben Wolfe (2000), When Dogs Cry (2001), The Messenger (2002) and Bridgeof Clay (2018). In 2014 Markus was awarded the American Library Association's Margaret Edwards Award for his body of work."

Source: Introduction.

"Chloe Hooper is a highly-awarded writer of fiction and non-fiction. She received a Walkley Award for articles in The Monthly on the death in custody of Cameron Doomadgee on Palm Island. These articles became the basis for The Tall Man: Death and Life on Palm Island (2008), which won the Victorian, New South Wales, West Australian and Queensland Premier’s Literary Awards, as well as the John Button Prize for Political Writing and a Ned Kelly Award for crime writing. The Arsonist: A Mind on Fire (2018) was punished to similar acclaim.

Chloe is also the author of two novels, A Child’s Book of True Crime (2002), which was shortlisted for the Orange Prize for Literature in the United Kingdom and The Engagement (2014)."

Source: Introduction.

"Shokoofeh Azar was born in Iran seven years before the Islamic revolution. Shokoofeh's early interest in literature and art developed into a successful career in writing and art in Iran, including 14 years as an independent journalist. Her 'Companion in Writing and Editing Essays', written in Farsi, won The Best Book in Iran award in 1997.

'Following an increasing crackdown on independent journalism, Shokoofeh was jailed three times, the last time being three months in isolation, which left her no choice in 2011 but to flee her country by boat, ending up on Christmas Island. She was accepted as a political refugee by Australia. The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree, also written in Farsi, is her first novel to be translated into English. The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree was shortlisted for the 2018 Stella Prize. It is also being re-released in Farsi."

Source: Introduction.

'David has been a journalist, non-fiction author and social commentator for more than four decades. He has written for the Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, The Saturday Paper, The Guardian and The Monthly, and received three Walkley Awards and the Victorian Premier's Literary Award.

His books include My Country (2018), Panic (2011), Dark Victory (with Marian Wilkinson in 2004), The High Price of Heaven (2000) and Patrick White: A Life (1991). He has also written six Quarterly Essays: The White Queen (2017), Faction Man (2015), The Prince (2013), Political Animal (2012), Power Trip (2010) and His Master’s Voice (2007).

Previously David served as editor of the National Times, reporter for Four Corners and presenter of the ABC’s Media Watch. He has been awarded Honorary Doctor of Letters from both the University of Sydney and the University of Newcastle, as well as an Honorary Fellowship in the Australian Academy of Humanities.'

Source: Introduction.

In partnership with the State Library of Victoria, The Garret hosted a series of live events with leading Australian writers in 2018. In our final event, Clementine Ford, Hannah Kent and Alice Pung discussed the status of women writers and the challenges they face.

Clementine Ford is a writer, broadcaster and feminist thinker and speaker. She has been writing freelance for more than a decade, and has published two bestselling non-fiction works: Fight Like A Girl (2017) and Boys Will Be Boys (2018).

Hannah Kent made waves in Australia's literary scene in 2013 with her first novel, Burial Rites. It won the ABIA Literary Fiction Book of the Year and the Victorian Premier's People's Choice Award, and was shortlisted for the Stella Prize and the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award. Her second novel, The Good People (2016), received similar acclaim. Hannah is also the co-founder of the literary journal Kill Your Darlings.

Alice Pung is a writer, editor, teacher and lawyer. She has won numerous awards for her memoirs, and her writing has appeared in The Monthly, The Age, Meanjin, Best Australian Stories and Best Australian Essays. Her long-form works include: Unpolished Gem (2007), Her Father's Daughter (2011) and Laurinda (2014). Alice also edited Growing Up Asian in Australia (2008).

'Alison Lester is an Australian treasure. Few families have not delighted in the award winning Are We There Yet, and Clive Eats Alligators, and Imagine. Alison is a creator of more than twenty-five picture books, two young adult novels and a collection of short stories, and she was the inaugural Australian Children’s Laureate along with Boori Monty Pryor.' (Introduction)

'Benjamin Law is the author of The Family Law, Gaysia, Adventures in the Queer East, co-author of Shit Asian Mothers Say and Law School, and author of Moral Panic 101, a Quarterly Essay. He's also the creator and writer of the TV comedy The Family Law, columnist for The Good Weekend, and a hell of a lot more besides.  '(Introduction)

'Alex Miller is one of Australia's most celebrated authors, twice winner of the Miles Franklin Award, winner of the Commonwealth Writers Prize and the Melbourne Prize for Literature, among others. Every new release by Alex creates a sense of excitement among Australia's writing community. ' (Introduction)

'Warren Mundine is one of Australia’s most recognised, respected and revered Aboriginal activists. And one of the most outspoken. What I love most about Warren is that you can never second guess his response. He doesn’t allow himself to be pigeon-holed or his opinions to be predictable.
'I thought that the release of his memoir, In Black and White, provided an opportunity to talk about the importance of storytelling to Indigenous peoples, the lack of Indigenous voices in mainstream Australian culture, words and politics, and how he felt about laying his life bare in his memoir.' (Introduction)

'Hannie Rayson is one of Australian’s most lauded playwrights. Her works include Hotel Sorrento, Life after George, Inheritance, Two Brothers, and Extinction. Life After George remains the only play to be shortlisted for the Miles Franklin Award. Hannie has also written screen plays, most noticeably Sloth, for the ABC series Seven Deadly Sins, and episodes of Sea Change.' (Introduction)

'Michael Webster has had a long and distinguished career in the publishing industry, and is the recipient of the George Robertson Award for Services to the Book Industry. He's been a publisher, academic, board member of the Melbourne Writers Festival and The Copyright Agency, and perhaps most importantly for today's chat, introduced Book Track (now Nielsen Book Scan) into the Australasian Marketplace. It revolutionised the electronic data collection and analysis of book sales. If you want to know what's selling or what isn't, he is the person to ask.' (Introduction)

'Jason Steger is the literary editor of Fairfax Media, and was, until its recent axing, a regular on the ABC's Book Club. Few people are as well-placed as Jason to provide an objective overview of the Australian publishing industry, as well as perhaps more subjectively, the art of reviewing.' (Introduction)

'Erik Jensen is a journalist, screenwriter, playwright, the author of the award-winning biography Acute Misfortune: The Life and Death of Adam Cullen, and a book on the writings of Kate Jennings, and he is a founding editor of The Saturday Paper. And he’s only twelve years old… Well, not quite, but he’s still remarkably young to have achieved so much.' (Introduction)

'Kaz Cooke is a cartoonist, most notably is the creator of Hermoine, The Modern Girl, as well as the bestselling author of several guides for girls and women, including The Modern Girl's Guide to Everything, Up the Duff, The Baby Book, and Girl Stuff for both teens and preteens. Her latest work is the novel Ada about Ada Delroy and her bizarre vaudeville troupe.' (Introduction)

'Ursula Dubosarsky is one of Australia's foremost writers for children and young adults. Her list of awards is almost as long as her list of published works and very well deserved. Her most acclaimed work The Red Shoe was included in the International title ‘1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up’. She's won the Premier’s Literary Award for New South Wales, South Australia, Queensland, and Victoria (and most or more than one occasion). Everyone loves Ursula. Her most recent book The Blue Cat is an exquisite addition to her body of work. ' (Introduction)

'George Megalogenis is one of Australia's foremost economic and political commentators and analysts. He has the knack of being able to analyse and distil often complex ideas and information into considered, intelligent, yet easily digestible pieces and I want to find out how. ' (Production Introduction)

'Terri-ann White is the Director of UWA Publishing. Prior to that she was the Director of the Institute of Advanced Studies at the University of Western Australia. She is also the author of a collection of short stories, a novel and many, many articles. So, she also understands the publishing business from both sides. Most excitingly UWA Publishing are the publishers of the 2017 Miles Franklin Award winning novel, Extinctions by Josephine Wilson.' (Introduction)

'There are few family homes in Australia that don’t have at least one Graeme Base picture book on their shelves and probably several: Animalia, The Eleventh Hour, The Worst Band in the Universe, The Water Hole, Uno’s Garden, just a few. His latest, The Amazing Monster Detectoscope, is as intricate as any beforehand.' (Production Introduction)

'Melanie Cheng's collection of short stories, Australia Day, has been lauded by critics and public alike. In just 18 months, or so, it went from winning the Victorian Premier's Literary Award for an Unpublished Manuscript to being published and winning the Victorian Premier's Literary Award for Fiction. Success can't be that easy, can it? Let's find out. ' (Production Introduction)

'Omar Musa is an Malaysian-Australian rapper, poet, author. In his writing and his music he confronts the dark realities of Australian history and culture. He does so in a way that both entertains and demands attention. He's published an acclaimed novel, Here Come The Dogs, several collections of poetry, hip-hop albums, TV scripts and he won both the Australian Poetry Slam and the Indian Ocean Poetry Slam. ' (Introduction)

'Kate Torney is the CEO of the State Library of Victoria, where we are fortunate enough to conduct most of The Garret interviews. Seeing as libraries have long played a significant role in the lives of writers and readers and researchers, I thought it'd be great to find out how those in charge of such institutions see this role today and into the future.' (Introduction)

'Alexis Wright is the only person to have won both prizes named in honour of Stella Maria Sarah Miles Franklin, the Stella Prize and the Miles Franklin Award. She won the Miles Franklin Award in 2007 for her magnificent novel Carpentaria, and the Stella Prize in 2018 for her extraordinary biography of Bruce ‘Tracker’ Tilmouth, Tracker.'  (Introduction)

'Sharon Mullins: Hello and good evening. Thank you so much for coming tonight. My name is Sharon Mullins and I'm the Communications Manager here at State Library Victoria, and it's my pleasure to welcome you to the first ever ‘Garret LIVE at The Library’, with our special guest, Christos Tsiolkas.' (Production introduction)
 

'Gideon Haigh is one of the country's most prolific and highly regarded non-fiction writers. He's written extensively about cricket and business, though all of his writings shows the craft that comes from training and practising as a journalist.'  (Introduction)

'Charlotte Wood is the author of five novels, among them, The Natural Way of Things, which won the 2016 Stella Prize, and the Indie Book of the Year, and was the joint winner of the Prime Minister's Literary Award for Fiction. Her non-fiction includes The Writer's Room, in which she interviewed writers about how they think and work and what drives them. So she's the perfect guest to have on The Garret.'  (Introduction)

'Alec Patric and Ryan O'Neill have been sharing their writing with each other for years, reading and commenting on each other's works. It is a writing partnership working for both of them. Alec won the Miles Franklin Literary Award in 2016 for Black Rock White City, and Ryan won the Prime Minister's Literary Award in 2017 for Their Brilliant Careers. In this interview, Alec and Ryan reflect on their writing partnership and explain how best to give valuable feedback on a draft piece of writing.'  (Production introduction)

'Josephine Wilson was awarded the Dorothy Hewitt Award for an Unpublished Manuscript in 2015, and her work, Extinctions, went on to receive the Miles Franklin Literary Award in 2017. Josephine writes poetry and prose, she has a PhD in creative writing, and she has taught in universities around Australia. In this interview, I had the chance to talk to Josephine about the influences that made her the writer she is today.' (Introduction)

'In this interview, Jamila talks about how writers can approach editors, and how they can create and build a dedicated audience.'  (Introduction)

'Writing comedy is a constant throughout Tony Martin's extraordinary career. Tony has written scripted comedy for radio including the iconic shows The D-Generation and Martin/Molloy. He has also written comedy for film and TV, published four books, and he co-wrote and performed the award-winning Childproof – the only scripted TV sitcom turned live perform podcast in Australia. In this interview, Tony shares his thoughts on writing, rejection, and reviews, and offers his advice to emerging comedic talent.' (Production introduction)

'In this interview, Sofija reflects on the importance of understanding your strengths as a writer in order to be the best storyteller that you can be.'  (Introduction)

'This episode features interviews with Michelle de Kretser (The Life To Come), Kim Scott (Taboo), Felicity Castagna (No More Boats) and Catherine McKinnon (Storyland).'  (Introduction)

'In partnership with the State Library of Victoria, The Garret is hosting ‘The Garret LIVE at the Library’, a series of live podcast events with leading Australian writers in 2018.

'Benjamin Law was our second guest. He spoke to our audience about the importance of representation in literature, on-screen and on-stage. He also announced his next work, the Black Inc. anthology Growing Up LGBTQI in Australia.' (Production introduction)

'Meera Atkinson is best known for her creative non-fiction and poetry. She's received two Veruna Writers Fellowships, and was shortlisted for the Alfred Deacon Prize for an Essay Advancing Public Debate. She has a PhD in creative writing, teaches writing at university, and also publishes academically. In this interview, Meera discusses her genre-defying writing, as well as the imperative to publish that many writers often feel.'  (Introduction)

'In this interview, Jennifer discusses her writing process, reflects on her different approaches to fiction and non-fiction, and offers advice to emerging writers who are pitching to literary journals.'  (Introduction)

'Michelle de Kretser is one of Australia's finest fiction writers. The Lost Dog was long listed for the the Booker Prize, Questions of Travel received the Miles Franklin Prize, and The Life to Come in 2018 is shortlisted for the Miles Franklin again.'  (Introduction)

'David Malouf is an internationally recognised Australian writer. He has received the Miles Franklin Literary Award, the International Dublin Literary Award, the Australian Literature Society Gold Award, and the Commonwealth Writers Prize. He was also shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize and the Booker International Prize, and in 2011 was a finalist in the Man Booker International Prize for services to literature.'

Source: Blurb.

'Ceridwen Dovey is a South African born Australian author and anthropologist.

'Her debut novel Blood Kin (2008) was shortlisted for the Dylan Thomas Award and selected for the US National Book Foundation’s ‘5 Under 35’ honours list.

'Her second book Only the Animals (2014) was awarded the inaugural Readings New Australian Writing Award and was shortlisted for the Commonwealth Writers' Prize for Best First Book (Africa).

'Her third novel In the Garden of the Fugitives was released in 2018. Ceridwen will also publish the next in Black Inc’s Writers on Writers series, Ceridwen Dovey on J.M. Coetzee, in late 2018.' (Production introduction)

'Phillipa McGuinness has been Publishing Director at New South Publishing for 15 years, and the publisher was named Best Small Publisher on her watch in 2o16 and 2017. Prior to this she was Commissioning Editor at Cambridge University Press.

In addition to her decades of experience as a publisher and editor, Phillipa has published two books. In 2015 she edited Copyfight, a compilation of work by leading public figures about copyright. In 2018 she released her first full length work, The Year Everything Changed: 2001.'

Source: Blurb.

'Louise Adler is the CEO and Publisher-in-Chief of Melbourne University Press. She has had a long career in the publishing industry, and her many former roles include Editor of Arts and Entertainment at The Age and the Editor of the Australian Book Review. 

Louise became a Member of the Order of Australia for Services to Literature in 2008. Her board roles include the Monash University Council, the Melbourne International Arts Festival and the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from University of Reading in the United Kingdom and a Master of Arts and Master of Philosophy from Columbia University in the United States.

Louise spoke to The Garret about Australian book sales and what they mean for both publishers and writers, as well as how she seeks to capture the zeitgeist with that she publishes.'

Source: Blurb.

'Robert Lukins has an extraordinary dedication to literary craft. His debut novel The Everlasting Sunday has built a momentum few first novels achieve, and is frequently recommended by the likes of no less than David Malouf.

Robert's shorter writing has appeared in Crikey, Overland, The Big Issue, Rolling Stone and Broadsheet.'

Source: Blurb.

'Shaun Tan is a Melbourne-based writer and artist. Shaun is best known for his illustrated books that deal with social and historical subjects through dream-like imagery. His works have been published around the world. Shaun has also worked as a concept artist for animated films, including Pixar's WALL-E. He directed the Academy Award-winning short film The Lost Thing. Shaun received the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, honouring his contribution to international children's literature, in 2011. He has also been awarded the Hugo Award, the Ditmar Award and the Locus Award.'

Source: Blurb.

'Rachael Brown is an ABC investigative reporter and former Europe correspondent. She has received numerous awards as an Australian broadcast journalist, including a Walkley Award for Best Radio Current Affairs Report in 2008.

She is also the creator, investigator, and host of the Australian Broadcasting Company's first true-crime podcast, Trace. Trace won the 2017 Walkley Award for Innovation, as well as two 2017 Quill Awards  for Innovation and for Best Podcast. In 2018, Trace became the first podcast-turned-book in Australian publishing history (published by Scribe).'

Source: Blurb.

'Izzy Roberts-Orr is the Co-CEO and Artistic Director of both the Emerging Writers Festival and the Digital Writers Festival.

She is also a podcaster, part of the team behind Sisteria and The Rereaders, as well as Broadwave, a curated network of Australian podcasts telling community-driven stories. Izzy is also a poet and playwright.'

Source: Blurb.

'In partnership with the State Library of Victoria, The Garret hosted a series of live events with leading Australian writers in 2018.

Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff spoke at our third event. They are the co-authors of the acclaimed Illuminae Files, a YA sci-fi space opera trilogy. All three books in the series debuted on the New York Times, and the first two, Iluminae and Gemina, were awarded the Aurealis Award for Best Science Fiction Novel in 2016 and 2017. The third, Obsidio, is in the running for the same award 2018. Jay and Amie are also in the process of writing their second trilogy, the Aurora Cycle.

In this interview, they spoke to our host Astrid Edwards about the art and craft of co-authoring.' (Blurb)

'Scott Pape broke every non-fiction publishing record in Australia with his first book, The Barefoot Investor. First published in 2016, it has sold more than 1.3 million copies and been updated three times. With an initial print run of 300,000 copies, Scott’s second book, The Barefoot Investor for Families, is likely to have the same impact in 2018.

'In addition to writing two books, Scott has been writing to his audience via email for more than a decade. He also writes a weekly syndicated column for News Ltd and appears on radio on Triple M and television on Channel 7. In 2018, Scott consults to the Australian Government about financial education in schools.'

Source: Blurb.

'Clementine Ford is a writer, broadcaster and feminist thinker speaker.

She has been writing freelance for more than a decade, including a weekly columns for Fairfax’s Daily Life. She is also a regular contributor to The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald.

Clementine has published two best-selling non-fiction works, Fight Like A Girl (2017) and Boys Will Be Boys (2018).'

Source: Blurb.

'Leigh Sales is one of Australia’s most respected journalists. She has anchored the ABC’s current affairs program 7.30 since 2011 and previously hosted Lateline.

She has received two Walkley Awards, Australia's highest journalism honour. The first was for Best Radio Current Affairs reporting on Guantanamo Bay in 2005, and the second was for Broadcasting and Online Interviewing (for interviews with Tony Abbott, Scott Morrison and Christine Milne) in 2012.

Leigh has also published three books, Any Ordinary Day (2018), On Doubt (2009), and Detainee 002 (2007). Detainee 002 received the George Munster Award for Independent Journalism in 2007.'

Source: Blurb.

'Laura Tingle is the chief political correspondent for the ABC’s 7.30, and was previously the political editor for the Australian Financial Review.

She has authored three Quarterly Essays, Great Expectations (2012), Political Amnesia (2015) and Follow the Leader (2018), as well as Chasing the Future: Recession, Recovery and the New Politics in Australia (1994).

Laura has received two Walkley Awards, in 2005 and 2011. She was awarded the Paul Lyneham Award for Excellence in Press Gallery Journalism in 2004 and was shortlisted for the John Button Prize for Political Writing in 2010.'

Source: Introduction.

'Sam Twyford-Moore is a writer and critic. His writing - often about the connection between mental health and creative work - has appeared throughout Australia, including in Meanjin, The Monthly, The Lifted Browand The Guardian. In 2018, he published The Rapids: Ways of Looking at Mania, an exploration of his own experience with Bipolar Disorder.

Sam was the CEO of the Emerging Writers Festival from 2012 until 2015, and established the Digital Writers Festival during the same period. He was also the founding host of The Rereaders, a literature and cultural podcast.'

Source: Introduction.

"Fiona Wright is a writer, editor and critic.Her first poetry collection, Knuckled, won the 2012 Dame Mary Gilmore Award, and her second collection, Domestic Interiors, was shortlisted for the 2018 Prime Minister’s Literary Awards for Poetry.

Her book of essays Small Acts of Disappearance: Essays on Hunger won the 2016 Queensland Literary Award for non-fiction, and was shortlisted for the Stella Prize and the NSW Premier’s Douglas Stewart Award. She also published a second collection of essays, The World Was Whole, in late 2018."

Source: Introduction.

'Jessica Townsend's first book, Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow (2017) was the biggest-selling Australian children's debut since records began. The sequel, Wundersmith: The Calling of Morrigan Crow was published in 2018.

Nevermoor won the 2018 ABIA for Book of the Year, Book of the Year for Younger Readers and Matt Richell Award for New Writer of the Year; the 2018 Indie Book Awards Book of the Year and Children's Category; the 2017 Aurealis Award for Best Children's Fiction; and was named a CBCA notable book.

Nevermoor has been compared to Harry Potter, and is the first of a planned nine-book series for middle-grade readers.'

Source: Introduction.

'Jane Harper published three international bestsellers - The Dry (2016), Force of Nature (2017), and The Lost Man (2018) - in three years.

The Dry was awarded the Australian Book Industry Awards Book of the Year, the Australian Indie Awards Book of the Year, the CWA Gold Dagger Award for Best Crime Novel, and the British Book Awards Crime and Thriller Book of the Year (among other awards). Film rights for The Dry are held by Reese Witherspoon and Bruna Papandrea.

Prior to her literary career, Jane worked as a print journalist for thirteen years in Australia and the United Kingdom.'

Source: Introduction.