AustLit

'It has been an amazing two months of Love to Read Local Radio, and today’s episode is no different. We’ve brought together Madelaine Dickie (Red Can Origami), Helen Milroy (Backyard Birds) and Brenton E. McKenna (Ubby’s Underdogs Series) to discuss why they love to tell stories.

'Helen says she’s always loved storytelling and would write in transit during her day job as a children’s psychiatrist. She was always fascinated by stories growing up, and she attributes this to her Indigenous background, where storytelling was always important. ‘Storytelling is a unique way to understanding your place in the world and understanding the world.’ In her work with children, she noticed that many were struggling with the negative associations placed on them and wanted to change that by showcasing the emotional gifts of children as something positive.

'Brenton recounts how he struggled with reading as a kid and how falling in love with comic books changed the way he saw reading. The Ubby’s Underdogs books are graphic novels inspired by the ghost stories he grew up with, and the life of his grandmother and her thirteen siblings. He says that a female superhero is rare, let alone an Indigenous one, and he had to fight for Ubby’s voice to be heard.' (Production summary)