On this episode Teela Reid and Merinda Dutton, the co-founders of Blackfulla Bookclub, talk about the online community they’ve built around First Nations storytelling and discuss their experiences of reading Fire Front, an anthology of poetry and essays curated by Alison Whittaker. It’s about seeing, and hearing, and reading the world through powerful First Nations perspectives. Listen up.   * Please note that this episode contains names and references to deceased persons* - - - - You can find Blackfulla Bookclub on Instagram @blackfulla_bookclub Merinda Dutton is on Twitter and  Ins ..read more

In this episode, graphic novelist Pat Grant explains what happened during the seven years it took him to make his second book, The Grot. We’ll also hear about the challenge of getting hard copies of your own book in the midst of a global pandemic. - - - - Pat’s website is patgrantart.com where you can order a copy of The Grot. You can find him on Twitter and Instagram @patgrantart   Our producer is Allison Chan. Sound design and mixing by Elina Godwin.   Visit sydneyreviewofbooks.com/podcast for show notes. - - - - Our website is sydneyreviewofbooks.com Sign up to our weekly newslett ..read more

This episode of the SRB podcast is an audio essay: ‘Climbing the Hill’ by Eileen Chong. We are fascinated by the ways the places we live shape the poems, books and essays we write. When poet Eileen Chong was invited take up this theme she wrote an essay with roots in three places:  Singapore, where she was born, Sydney, where she now lives, and Scotland, the country her husband is from.   - - - - Read Eileen’s essay ‘Climbing the Hill’ on the SRB website. Eileen’s website is eileenchong.com.au She’s on Twitter @eileenchongpoet   Our producer is Allison Chan. Sound design and mix ..read more

‘It’s not a document that anyone can see or get hold of, rather, it’s the way I’ve broken things down to guide me and my anxiety along. The extroverts are a loud, 25-strong Lebanese clan – all of us living in three houses side-by-side on the same street in Punchbowl, south western Sydney, roaming freely onto each other’s properties, with detached fences and no clear borders.’   In this episode Rawah Arja presents an essay on family life at her home in Punchbowl, Western Sydney.   - - - - Read Rawah’s essay ‘An Introvert’s Guide to Surviving an Arab Family of Extroverts’ on the SRB we ..read more

In recent years there’s been a trend of writers publicly giving away prize money to charity or sharing it with other shortlisted writers. But when novelist Laura Elizabeth Woollett was shortlisted for the Prime Minister’s Literary Award, she was working in a call centre. The $80,000 prize would have utterly changed her life and bought her literally years of time to write.  We’re suspicious of romantic notions about starving artists here at the SRB. We asked Andrew Brooks to talk to Laura about her essay ‘Award Rate’ and the complex relationship between writing, money, work, and prizes ..read more

Welcome to the Sydney Review of Books podcast, a show about Australian books and writers. Each week we publish criticism and essays by Australia’s best writers on our website ­– and now we’ve got a podcast to match. It’s about what writers do to make books, essays and poems – and what they do to make a living. We’re bringing you five episodes featuring some of our favourite local writers:  Teela Reid and Merinda Dutton from Blackfulla Book Club Pat Grant, author of the graphic novel, The Grot Eileen Chong, a poet with numerous collections to her name Rawah Arja, Author of the YA novel, T ..read more